Former South Carolina baseball catcher Jonathan French is beginning his coaching career. According to a social media post from Frenchie in which he said he was "trading in my cleats for a clipboard," the former backstop is joining the Mississippi State Bulldogs' coaching staff. Working under College World Series-winning head coach Chris Lemonis, French is expected to serve in an off-field capacity with the Gamecocks' SEC rival.
French is one of the rare players who spent time at both South Carolina and Clemson. He spent his first three years in college in the Upstate, playing for the Tigers before transferring to play for the garnet and black. French had one more transfer, spending the 2024 season in the Big 12 with the Houston Cougars. He was the primary starter in 2022 at Clemson and in 2024 with Houston.
With Mississippi State, French will be reunited with former South Carolina baseball pitching coach Justin Parker, who left Columbia for Starkville last offseason (prior to the 2024 campaign) after being offered a significant boost in pay. Having been the 2023 Gamecocks' backup catcher, French likely spent a fair amount of time with Parker during their one season together with USC.
The Gamecocks, of course, have had their own share of coaching turnover this offseason. After head coach Mark Kingston was fired, legendary coach Paul Mainieri was brought in as his replacement.
Mainieri retained Monte Lee, a coach who, ironically, coached Jonathan French at Clemson (as the Tiger's head coach) and with the Gamecocks (as the team's hitting coach and associate head coach). Mainieri also hired long-time pitching coach Terry Rooney to take the same position with the Gamecocks. Rooney will also serve as the team's recruiting coordinator. Assisting him in both efforts will be John Hendry. Chris Gordon is coming over from the Texas Longhorns to be the team's director of player development.