Former coach Paul Mainieri describes USC baseball followers as ‘very impatient’
Paul Mainieri spoke publicly for the first time since his tenure as South Carolina baseball coach ended on March 21.
Mainieri, in an interview with NOLA.com’s Koki Riley published Tuesday, talked about his time as the Gamecocks coach ending after fewer than two seasons — and whether he is done coaching.
Mainieri, who coached at LSU from 2007-2021, was brought out of retirement in June 2024 by Ray Tanner, USC’s athletic director at the time. Mainieri came in to replace Mark Kingston and wasn’t seen as the long-term solution. He did hope, though, to get the program back in the right direction.
But things didn’t work out. South Carolina missed the postseason last year and has struggled in recent weeks. The tipping point came Friday, when South Carolina lost to Arkansas 22-6 at its home Founders Park. It was USC’s sixth straight loss and it dropped the Gamecocks to 0-4 in SEC play.
Mainieri, 68, didn’t think the loss to the Razorbacks was going to be his final game with USC, but things changed after meeting with USC athletic director Jeremiah Donati (Tanner’s replacement) that Saturday morning.
A source told The State that Maineri was given the option to keep coaching the Gamecocks at least for the final two games against Arkansas, potentially beyond that. But after a two-hour meeting, both parties agreed to cut ties.
“The people here just got very impatient. I’m not talking necessarily even about the athletic director. He was great,” Mainieri told NOLA.com. “But I think (the people) above him, and I think the fans and the media, everybody here was pretty impatient.
“And so, I just felt like it was time, you know? So when (Donati) and I talked about it, we both kind of agreed that, let’s see if maybe if I step aside, it’ll give a little jolt of new energy to the team.”
Mainieri’s departure seemed to give the Gamecocks a bit of steam during the final two games against Arkansas. USC was a late error away from winning Saturday’s game before winning Sunday’s closer. The players appeared to have more energy, especially in the dugout, under interim coach Monte Lee.
Mainieri declined an interview request from The State.
Coming to grips with the end of a successful coaching career
Mainieri told NOLA.com that he became emotional coming to grips with the end of his coaching career. He said he has no plans to coach again, will move back to Baton Rouge, Louisiana and spend more time with his family.
“I had a lot of lonely days in my two-bedroom apartment where I just sat by myself and made recruiting calls, or talked to friends, or talked to my family on the phone, but it’s not the same as when you’re with them all the time,” Mainieri told the paper. “Now, there’s nothing holding me back from just doing what I want to do.”
South Carolina plays at LSU later this season, and Mainieri said he is unsure if he will attend the three-game series from May 1-3 at Alex Box Stadium, per NOLA.com. It would’ve been his first trip back to LSU with USC.
Despite how things turned out with the Gamecocks, Mainieri told NOLA.com he doesn’t think his poor record with South Carolina will tarnish his legacy in the college baseball coaching world. He finished with 1,595 victories, six College World Series appearances and led LSU to the 2009 national championship.
“I’m not going to let one little 80-game era ruin my feelings about my career,” Mainieri told the paper. “And I hope other people don’t look at it that way either.”
This story was originally published March 24, 2026 at 1:25 PM.
