Potential Paul Mainieri replacements, with one that needs to be Jeremiah Donati's first call

The South Carolina Gamecocks baseball program announced a shocking coaching change on Saturday afternoon. Just before the Gamecocks were set to take on Arkansas in game two of a three-game weekend series, South Carolina head coach Paul Mainieri announced he would be stepping down. 

Although Mainieri came to Columbia as one of the winningest college baseball head coaches, with 1,545 career wins, his South Carolina teams finished a combined 40-38 over two seasons. 

Now, a huge SEC job with massive potential has opened up. The Gamecocks' job is one with massive recruiting potential and resources, as well as a fanbase that's seen two CWS championships and another 12 CWS appearances. 

Let's take a look at some potential replacements that South Carolina athletic director Jeremiah Donati should look at during his coaching search. 

Kevin Schnall, Coastal Carolina head coach

This should likely be one of the first phone calls that Donati makes. Schnall is currently in his second season as the Chanticleers' head coach, leading Coastal to a CWS runner-up season just last year. Previously, Schnall was an assistant at Coastal under longtime Chanticleers head coach Gary Gilmore. He spent three seasons at UCF as an assistant from 2013-15 before returning back to Coastal as the associate head coach in 2016. He was named Coastal's new head coach after Gilmore retired. 

Alongside Gilmore, Schnall has led Coastal to 17 NCAA tournament appearances, including the Chanticleers' CWS championship in 2016. The obvious question is whether or not Schnall will want to leave for greener pastures. There's no question Coastal can compete consistently without the resources that big-time SEC schools have, and Schnall has comfortability at Coastal. But this could be Schnall's chance to prove he can win at the power-conference level. 

Coastal sits just roughly 139 miles east of Columbia, so it wouldn't be too far of a move for Schnall. 

Cliff Godwin, East Carolina head coach  

Cliff Godwin has been the head coach at ECU since 2015, where he's compiled a 445-22-2 overall record, and is already the school's winningest head caoch. He's led the Pirates to nine AAC Tournament and Regular-Season titles, and is a five-time conference coach of the year. 

Godwin brings plenty of big-time SEC experience too, coaching as an assistant at Vanderbilt in 2005. He coincidentally coached on Mainieri's first staffs at LSU from 2007-08, and was at Ole Miss from 2012-2014 before getting hired as ECU's head coach. 

Godwin has yet to make it to the CWS as a coach, but has clinched berths to five NCAA Regionals and another four Super Regionals.  

ALSO READ: Shane Beamer offers son of Pro Football Hall of Famer

Tim Corbin, Vanderbilt head coach

Tim Corbin has been a fixture of Vandy baseball, being the head man in Nashville since 2003. He has a 1,070-599-1 overall record, and has led the Commodores to five CWS appearances and two national championships in 2014 and 2019. The Commodores have also won four SEC regular-season and tournament titles each under Corbin.  

Although Corbin has been at Vandy for decades, he started his coaching career in the state of South Carolina. He was the head coach at Presbyterian from 1988-93, helping the program navigate transitioning from NAIA to DII. He was also an assistant at Clemson from 1994-2002 before Vanderbilt hired him. Vanderbilt to South Carolina might sound like a lateral move for a coach at Corbin's 64 years old, but there's no question he knows what it takes to win big in the SEC.   

Dan McDonnell, Louisville head coach 

Speaking of head coaches with roots in the Palmetto State, Louisville's Dan McDonnell has them. He was born in New York, but played baseball at The Citadel, where he helped lead the Bulldogs to a  CWS appearance in 1990. He then spent 1993-2000 as an assistant for The Citadel before coaching from 2001-06 as an assistant at Ole Miss. 

At Louisville, McDonnell has a 799-359-1 overall record—the most wins in school history—including another six CWS appearances. He was named the ACC's Coach of the Year three straight seasons from 2015-17.  

Mike Bianco, Ole Miss head coach 

Mike Bianco has been the head coach at Ole Miss since 2001, where he's racked up an impressive 949-565-1 overall record in Oxford. He led the Rebels to a first-ever national championship in 2022, along with a CWS appearance in 2014. 

But since winning the CWS in 2022, the Rebels have gone just 113-84, so there's a chance Ole Miss would be open to making a change if Bianco gets interest to go to Columbia. 

Monte Lee, South Carolina Interim coach

Last but certainly not least, Monte Lee can earn the confidence of Donati if the Gamecocks do well. It's still very early in South Carolina's season, and if he can lead the Gamecocks to a strong SEC and postseason appearance, he could earn himself the job. 

Lee is a native of Logoff, South Carolina, where he played baseball for the College of Charleston. He's spent 10 seasons as an assistant in Columbia, first from 2003-08, where he saw two CWS appearances with the Gamecocks. He returned to South Carolina in 2023, and was retained from former Gamecock coach Mark Kingston's staff when Mainieri took over in 2025. most of his career