South Carolina baseball lures former LSU coach Paul Mainieri out of retirement

COLUMBIA, S.C. —  Paul Mainieri is coming out of retirement to be the next coach of South Carolina baseball.

On Monday, reports surfaced that Mainieri was set to become the next coach but athletic director Ray Tanner was waiting on approval from the board of trustees. On Tuesday, the hire became official.

“Paul Mainieri is an outstanding coach, teacher, competitor and someone that I have known for many years,” Tanner said in a press release. “One can judge his success through his many championships, SEC and NCAA, but I see the impact he has made on young men and know he can have that same success here as he has achieved in his career.”

In Tuesday's meeting, it was announced that Mainieri has a five-year contract worth $1.3 million annually.

Mainieri, who turns 67 in August, had a 641-283-3 record from 2007-21 at LSU and won the College World Series in 2009. LSU made it to the CWS four other times, including a runner-up finish in 2017 under Mainieri. He was named the National Coach of the Year in 2015.

He announced his retirement near the end of the 2021 season. He also coached at St. Thomas University (Florida), Air Force and Notre Dame. His overall record is 1,505-777-8 over 39 years of coaching.

MORE ON MAINIERI:Who is Paul Mainieri? What to know about reported South Carolina baseball coach, former CWS champion

The hire comes a little over a week after Tanner fired coach Mark Kingston after seven years with the program. Kingston finished at South Carolina with a 217-155 overall coaching record, 83-96 in the SEC. He led the Gamecocks to four NCAA tournament regionals and two super regionals.

KINGSTON OUT:Mark Kingston fired by South Carolina baseball after seven seasons

South Carolina baseball assistant coaches

After Kingston was fired, associate head coach/recruiting coordinator Monte Lee was named interim head coach. Some current and incoming players expressed their belief that Lee should be the next head coach. Kingston was assisted by Lee, Matt Williams and Joey Holcomb.

On Tuesday, in addition to Mainieri's contract, the board approved two three-year contracts for Lee and Terry Rooney, Mainieri's former assistant from LSU. Rooney spent the 2024 season at LSU as the associate director of program development and recruiting.

Lee's new contract is $550,000 and Rooney will be making $425,000.

Tanner also announced that John Hendry will be another assistant for the Gamecocks after three seasons as Virginia’s director of player development.

South Carolina baseball's 2024 season

South Carolina was shut out by James Madison in a must-win game in the NCAA regional, ending its season with a 37-25 record. The Gamecocks' season highlights included the NCAA Raleigh regional appearance and a 3-2 run in the SEC tournament.

South Carolina swept Vanderbilt in March, took down North Carolina in April and beat then-No. 5 ranked Kentucky in a three-game series 2-1.

The Gamecocks closed the regular season with a six-game losing streak, getting swept back-to-back by Georgia and Tennessee.

TRANSFERS:South Carolina baseball transfer tracker: Who's in and who's out after Mark Kingston fired

Lulu Kesin covers South Carolina athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email her at [email protected] and follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, @Lulukesin