Monte Lee dismissed as Clemson baseball coach
Clemson has fired head baseball coach Monte Lee after seven seasons with the program, the school announced Tuesday.
The news comes one day after the Tigers (35-23, 13-16 ACC) were not selected for the NCAA tournament for the second straight season.
“Monte and his staff have been nothing but professional in their approach to Clemson baseball, and we appreciate the manner in which they’ve represented Clemson University,” athletic director Graham Neff said in the school’s official release.
“The expectations for Clemson baseball are very high, and the team’s recent on-field performance has not met those of our administration, our coaching staff, our student-athletes or our loyal fanbase. Clemson Baseball is a proud program, and we, as a department, are committed to doing all we can to return our program to national prominence. We will work with our student-athletes to ensure that the transition process is successful.”
Lee was 242-136 (102-86 ACC) in seven seasons as Clemson’s coach, which included four trips to the NCAA tournament from 2016-19, as well as the ACC Championship in 2016. However, Lee and the Tigers missed the NCAA tournament in each of the last two seasons.
This year is the first time since 1973 that both South Carolina and Clemson missed the NCAA tournament. Clemson has missed the tournament three times in the last 36 years, with two of those coming in 2021 and 2022 under Lee.
Lee replaced 21-year head coach Jack Leggett in 2016 after spending seven seasons at the College of Charleston. Leggett led the Tigers to 21 consecutive NCAA regional appearances during his tenure, including six trips to Omaha. But after five straight seasons of failing to advance to super regionals from 2011-215, the Clemson administration looked to Lee — then seen as a rising star in the coaching ranks — to push the Tigers deeper into the playoffs.
However, Lee never advanced past an NCAA regional appearance with the Tigers. After two straight years of missing the NCAA tournament altogether, Clemson decided to move in another direction. Prior to Clemson, Lee posted a 276-145 (.656) record and made the NCAA tournament four times with the Cougars. He also spent six seasons (2003-08) as an assistant coach at South Carolina under Ray Tanner.
Assistant coach Bradley LeCroy and director of operations Brad Owens will oversee the Clemson program while the coaching search is conducted, the school said.
This story was originally published May 31, 2022 at 3:34 PM.
