South Carolina's new head baseball coach Paul Mainieri had a chance to speak with the media today ahead of the upcoming series against No. 13 Clemson. He discussed his excitement over the rivalry, preparations for the team, and his own personal views on competition. “Well, my freshman year, I went to LSU and back then SEC baseball didn’t matter to anybody. Our head coach was the equipment manager for the football team. That’s no exaggeration. But when I transferred for my sophomore year to play for my father, he was at Miami Dade North Community College, and our biggest rival was Miami Dade South Community College. We didn’t like each other too much. So, I’m kind of used to that kind of a rivalry, where it seems more than a game."
Reflecting on past rivalries in his own playing and coaching career, Mainieri noted that he is used to the intensity of these sorts of matchups and is particularly excited about the South Carolina-Clemson rivalry. “I just can’t tell you how excited I am about this. I think it’s just awesome for the sport of college baseball. I talked to Ray Tanner for a long time this morning, kind of about the roots of the whole rivalry in baseball, how they used to play four consecutive Wednesdays or something."
“I mean, there’s a lot of great rivalries in college athletics. You look at football, Michigan and Ohio State, Texas, and Texas A&M. I mean, it’s hard to say, well, this is better than that or whatever. To the people that are involved in it, it is the biggest and best. Now that I’m wearing the garnet in black, I think it’s the best rivalry in college baseball, too. So yeah, I’ve never coached against Clemson. I’ve been to their field for high school showcases, recruiting-wise, but I’ve never coached in a game there, so I’m personally looking forward to it, too. We know Clemson has a really good team, and I like to think our team is really good as well. So, the competition is going to be what, that’s what I love about sports is the competition. To see really good athletes go against each other, to play a little chess match with the other team’s coach, to see fans that you don’t have to convince them that it’s important," Mainieri stated.
As for strategy, Coach Mainieri confirmed the pitching lineup for the series- Becker on Friday, McCoy on Saturday, and Eskew on Sunday. He also addressed catcher Talmadge LeCroy’s performance, emphasizing his strong defensive play and the importance of giving him rest before the weekend.
Ultimately, Coach Mainieri sees the upcoming rivalry series as an exciting challenge, embracing the competition and the passion surrounding it, while maintaining a level-headed approach to the rest of the season.
You can read the full transcript of the interview here.