LSU baseball coach Paul Mainieri to retire at end of season
LSU baseball coach Paul Mainieri, who is No. 1 among active coaches in career wins, plans to retire at the end of the season.
Mainieri, 63, made the announcement on Friday, signaling the end of a 15-year run at LSU that includes the 2009 national championship and five College World Series appearances.
In 2013, Mainieri was inducted into the American Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame.
He will continue to coach LSU through the NCAA tournament, should the Tigers be selected.
LSU was knocked out of the SEC tournament on Tuesday, dropping to 34-22 on the season.
In a statement, LSU athletic director Scott Woodward lauded Mainieri's impact on the university and the sport of college baseball.
Twenty of his former players have reached the major leagues, including All-Stars Alex Bregman, DJ LeMahieu and Aaron Nola.
Prior to arriving in Baton Rouge in 2007, Mainieri spent six seasons at St. Thomas (1983-88), six seasons at Air Force (1989-94) and 12 seasons at Notre Dame (1995-2006). His career record is 1,501-774-8.
"I have been the luckiest guy in the world to have lived out a childhood dream of becoming a college baseball coach," Mainieri said in a statement. "I've worked at four wonderful institutions, and it's been the honor of my life to have served as the head coach at LSU for 15 years. To have carried the torch of a program built by Skip Bertman, the greatest college baseball coach of all time, has been a tremendous privilege. It has always been my unwavering goal to sustain the excellence that was created here.
"I've been blessed throughout my career to coach unbelievable young men of great character and skill, and to have worked with talented and dedicated assistant coaches, support staff and administrators. It's very difficult to leave a profession that I truly love, but I'm so grateful for the amazing opportunities that have been presented to me through the years."
