On Tuesday evening, it was officially announced that Paul Mainieri was going to be the new head coach at South Carolina. The former LSU head coach and national title winner was ready to get back in the field of play as a head coach and will be joining a program hungry for more success as the SEC continues to load up on more talent.
LSU head coach Jay Johnson was asked about Mainieri taking the job on Tuesday and was both appreciative and complimentary of the former Tiger head coach.
“He called me yesterday and I just congratulated him,” Johnson said. “He’s earned the ability at this time in his life to choose what he wants to do. He’s a Hall of Fame coach and he’s been very good to me in my time here, so I’m happy for him. He’s a competitive guy. He has that fire. He’ll put good people around him. He’s smart and they’ll probably be really good. I’m happy for the coach if that’s what he wants to do.”
“I’ve never thought about [coaching against him] because I’ve never coached against him period. Those things don’t matter as much as people think they do because if Paul Skenes was on the mound, I was winning.”
Johnson has continued the success at LSU that has them in the national conversation every year, while Mainieri now looks forward to his new challenge out east.
“This is a wonderful opportunity to coach at a prestigious and tradition-rich college baseball program,” Mainieri said. “I coached and competed against Ray Tanner for years and always had the greatest respect for him and the USC program. To now join with him on the same team and become a part of this program was simply something from which I could not walk away. We have a super coaching staff in place, I feel great and energized, I can’t wait to get started working with the players, and let’s get this University of South Carolina baseball program back to where it belongs – in Omaha and in the College World Series.”
Mainieri is also hiring Terry Rooney who was the associate director of program development and recruiting at LSU last year after spending two seasons at Purdue in 2022 and 2023. Rooney worked under Mainieri both at Notre Dame and LSU and is now rejoining him at South Carolina, leaving Johnson with a spot on his staff to fill.
“I’m not gonna comment for other programs,” Johnson said. “Terry is a good coach and it wouldn’t surprise me if he had an opportunity for any job. That’s South Carolina’s deal, not my deal.
Mainieri, 66, hasn’t coached in college baseball since 2021 when he previously announced his retirement. But 2025 will mark his 40th season as a head coach. He owns a 1,501-775-8 record over his career at St. Thomas, Air Force, Notre Dame and LSU. He’s been to the College World Series six times.
“Paul Mainieri is an outstanding coach, teacher, competitor and someone that I have known for many years,” said Athletics Director Ray Tanner. “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 has achieved in his career.”
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