For 16 years, Ray Tanner led South Carolina baseball to heights it had never seen before.
That included two national titles, six College World Series appearances, three SEC regular season championships, and an SEC Tournament title. Tanner followed in the footsteps of two legendary coaches while proceeding to raise the bar on what the expectations should be for Gamecocks baseball.
This past week, South Carolina hired legendary coach Paul Mainieri to take over the the program. At 66 years old, and out of the game since 2021, some in the Gamecock community wonder if the 66-year-old Tanner considered making a return to coach South Carolina. A question that the former USC skipper admitted that he was asked during the hiring process.
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“I was flattered by a few people and a few conversations (where they said,) ‘It’s okay. You can go back and do it again,'” admitted Tanner. “I never thought that was the right thing for me. It’s not like I don’t love the game. I do love the game.”
A three national coach of the year, Tanner’s 738 wins with the Gamecocks is the second most by any South Carolina head coach in program history. Only June Raines has more wins with 763 who coached at USC for 20 years. Since stepping away from coaching in 2012, Tanner has been South Carolina’s director of athletics for the past 12 years.
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“I watch baseball, I watch softball, I mean I’m into it and (all of) our sports. I enjoy being the athletic director. You’re not a great AD unless your teams win a lot, and I get that. I understand that. I felt like I needed to be where I’m at today. But, a couple of people did flatter me.”
While Mainieri becomes one of the oldest active coaches in DI, he was adamant during his introductory press conference to proclaim that it’s “just a number.”
“I don’t feel anything close to 66 years old,” said Mainieri, who has more wins than any active DI baseball coach. “I feel like I’m 40 years old again. I’m so excited about being here and doing this job.”
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