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Gamecocks Staying the Course—For Now—Amid Baseball Collapse Under Paul Mainieri

By James Seidel | CC News Sports

COLUMBIA, S.C. — South Carolina is not making any immediate moves regarding the future of head baseball coach Paul Mainieri, despite a brutal SEC stretch and mounting public pressure.

According to a university source, no major decisions about the program—including Mainieri’s job status—will be made until the conclusion of the 2024 season. The Gamecocks were swept over the weekend by Florida, including lopsided losses of 22-3 and 8-0, dropping USC to 26-23 overall and a dismal 5-19 in the SEC.

With just seven games left in the regular season, the only path to the NCAA Tournament for South Carolina likely requires winning the SEC Tournament outright.

Paul Mainieri: A Rocky Start for a Legendary Coach

Mainieri, hired in June 2023 to lead a storied program with two national championships, came in preaching a “win-now” mentality. But the Gamecocks have been anything but competitive in SEC play, losing conference games by an average of nearly six runs. Their team ERA in SEC matchups is 8.42—second-worst in the league.

Injuries have played a role, with key bats like Ethan Petry, Nolan Nawrocki, and Talmadge LeCroy missing time. But South Carolina’s pitching staff has remained mostly intact, making the collapse even more concerning.

Mainieri, 67, is among the most accomplished coaches in college baseball history. Over his career, he has amassed a career record of 1,505–777–8 across head coaching stints at St. Thomas, Air Force, Notre Dame, LSU, and now South Carolina. He led LSU to a national title in 2009 and made five trips to the College World Series, earning National Coach of the Year honors four times.

Paul Mainieri: Financial Realities Cloud Decision-Making

If South Carolina were to fire Mainieri without cause after the season, the university would owe him $5.2 million—the remaining amount on his four-year, $1.3 million-per-year contract. If Mainieri were to leave for another college job, he would owe the university the same amount. However, if he left for any other reason, no penalty would apply.

In addition to Mainieri’s buyout, terminating assistants Monte Lee (hitting coach) and Terry Rooney (pitching coach) would cost $1.1 million and $850,000, respectively—offset only if they quickly found employment elsewhere.

Complicating matters is the looming $20.5 million revenue-sharing payout expected under the House settlement, which Power-4 schools like USC must begin paying student-athletes beginning July 1. That has already strained budgets across college athletics, making a multi-million-dollar coaching change even more challenging.

Paul Mainieri: Cracks in Leadership?

While player morale remains difficult to assess from the outside, Mainieri’s public comments have raised eyebrows. Throughout the season, he has called out individual players by name in postgame remarks—a rare move in modern college coaching and one that’s drawn criticism from fans and alumni.

Behind the scenes, frustration is mounting in what was supposed to be a bounce-back year for a program that hasn’t been to Omaha since 2012, yet still holds a proud baseball tradition.

What’s Next for Paul Mainieri and the Gamecocks?

South Carolina closes out the regular season with seven games remaining. Unless something dramatically shifts in the SEC Tournament, Mainieri’s inaugural campaign will end well below expectations.

Still, as of now, the administration appears committed to evaluating the full body of work before making any decisions.

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