Three top names in South Carolina baseball’s coaching search
For the fourth time in the last 14 years, South Carolina is looking for a new baseball coach. For the first time in that span, it’ll be athletic director Jeremiah Donati making the hire.
The other three hires came from Ray Tanner — who transitioned into the AD role in 2012 after 16 years leading the baseball program — and all three coaches from wildly different buckets.
There was Chad Holbrook, the internal hire who Tanner elevated from assistant coach. There was Mark Kingston, the up-and-comer who took over USC after solid stints at Illinois State and South Florida. And there was Paul Mainieri, the retread candidate who became a Hall of Famer at LSU but had been retired for years.
And, well, each had worse records than the last. Holbrook won 65% of his games in five years. Kingston spent seven seasons in Columbia and won just under 60% of his games. And Mainieri won half of his 80 games.
Because Mainieri’s tenure was so underwhelming, leading to a “mutual parting of ways” in March, South Carolina got a head start on this search — though Donati said he didn’t meet with the search firm and really get things going until late April.
With candidates still over a week away from coaching in the NCAA Tournament, it might be a bit before the Gamecocks are able to conduct formal interviews. When that happens, though, these are three names to know.
1. Kevin Schnall — Coastal Carolina
Years as NCAA head coach: Two // 92-32 (.742) record
An obvious first choice for South Carolina, Schnall checks so many boxes for the Gamecocks.
An assistant at Coastal Carolina under Gary Gilmore for 20 years (2001-12, 2016-24) and a part of the Chanticleers’ 2016 national title team, Schnall has spent the majority of his career recruiting the region and, since becoming the head coach, has brought in more talent than South Carolina with fewer resources.
Last year, his first as a head coach, Schnall took Coastal Carolina to the College World Series finals, where the Chanticleers lost Games 1 and 2 to LSU by a combined three runs. This season, despite losing ace Cam Flukey for nearly the entire season, the Chants have won 36 games and sit in the Top 25.
“Between tons of experience as a very successful assistant and recruiter in the area that is most relevant to South Carolina, plus having the success that he’s had in such a short time — to me, he’s the obvious first candidate.” Baseball America reporter Jacob Rudner said of Schnall.
It won’t be easy to lure Schnall from Conway. An alum, he’s spent the much of his life at Coastal Carolina and proved last year that it’s possible for the Chants to still compete for national titles in the NIL era.
Certainly, though, South Carolina would offer plenty. For starters, the Gamecocks paid Mainieri ($1.3 million) more than double what Schnall is currently making ($500,000). South Carolina baseball’s operating budget ($8 million) was almost $3 million more than Coastal’s in 2025 ($5.44 million). And Coastal Carolina Athletic Director Chance Miller is a hot name in the industry, already garnering interest from Virginia Tech, which could play a factor.
2. Dan Fitzgerald — Kansas
Years as NCAA head coach: Four // 382-161 (.703) record
The back-to-back Big 12 Coach of the Year, Fitzgerald has built Kansas into an elite program over the past three seasons.
After assistant coaching stints at Dallas Baptist (2013-21) and LSU (2022), Fitzgerald took over Kansas in 2023, inheriting a program that seemed to be perpetually middling. The Jayhawks, who won 50 combined games in the two years before Fitzgerald took over, made the NCAA Tournament just five times in program history.
Fitzgerald led them back in year three, getting to the regionals last year after winning 43 games — which was only the second time KU notched 40-plus wins in over 30 years. And now, in 2026, Kansas might host a regional. The 13th-ranked Jayhawks are 39-16 heading into the Big 12 Tournament as the No. 1 seed.
After the success of 2025, Fitzgerald earned an extension that increased his pay to $675,000. While Kansas will likely offer to increase his pay to get him to stick around, South Carolina will almost certainly be able to pay Fitzgerald more. It will also be able to offer him the chance to compete in the SEC and go to a program that will give him the resources to be successful.
3. James Ramsey — Georgia Tech
Years as NCAA head coach: One // 45-9 (.833) record
In just one year, Ramsey has made himself into one of the hottest names in college baseball.
The 36-year-old Florida State alum is fairly new to coaching, stretching out his playing career — which included stops with eight different minor-league squads — until 2018. He spent one year on staff at FSU, then moved north and worked for seven seasons as an assistant at Georgia Tech.
When longtime Yellow Jackets coach Danny Hall retired at the end of the 2025 season, Georgia Tech promoted its young assistant.
While Hall certainly didn’t leave the cupboard bare (GT won 41 games last year), Ramsey has elevated the Yellow Jackets into a national title contender. They are currently 45-9, the No. 3 team in America and guaranteed to host through the supers. Not bad for a first-year skipper.
Naturally, there are questions about Ramsey’s candidacy: Would Donati be hesitant to hire someone with such little head coaching experience? Would Georgia Tech — which enjoyed so much baseball stability under Hall — not do everything in its power to keep Ramsey? Is it even feasible for South Carolina to hire someone if they end up coaching into late June?
Those are all reasonable questions. And they might never be asked if Schnall or Fitzgerald say yes.
This story was originally published May 20, 2026 at 7:00 AM with the headline "Three top names in South Carolina baseball’s coaching search."
