Former LSU head coach Paul Mainieri withdraws name from consideration for the Miami Hurricanes' position
Former LSU head baseball coach Paul Mainieri was set to interview for the head coaching position with the Miami Hurricanes, Kendall Rogers of D1Baseball.com reported last Saturday evening. But Mainieri has had a change of heart and decided to withdraw his name from the Hurricanes head coaching vacancy, per Jacques Doucet of WAFB9 Sports. He was the previous head coach of the Tigers from 2007 all the way until 2021. There, he posted an overall record of 641-283-3. During his time there, he led LSU to five College World Series appearances–including a national championship in 2009. The Tigers also finished as the national runner-up in 2017.
Prior to LSU, Mainieri had a successful stint as the head coach for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. He was there from 1995-2006. His best season there came in 2002, when he led the Fighting Irish to a 50-18 overall record and a berth in the College World Series. Mainieri led Notre Dame to eight consecutive appearances in the NCAA Baseball Tournament from 1999-2006. He earned National Coach of the Year honors in 2009 and 2015.
Gino DiMare recently stepped away from his position at Miami
Gino DiMare surprisingly stepped down as the Miami baseball head coach, the school announced on June 8. DiMare spent the last five seasons in Coral Gables, making four NCAA Tournament appearances.
“After evaluating this past season and talking extensively with my family, I have decided it is in my best interests and the best interests of the program to step away as head coach,” DiMare said in a statement.
“I would like to thank President Frenk and Dan Radakovich for their support, and Blake James for giving me the opportunity to become the head coach at Miami. I want to thank my coaches and staff for all their hard work, and especially the players – the relationships I have built with them are something I will cherish forever.”
Although DiMare made every single NCAA Tournament possible for him, Miami never made it out of a regional. This year was the latest disappointment, hosting in Coral Gables.
Prior to being the head coach, DiMare served as an assistant on the staff. He joined in 1997 and stayed all the way through the 2008 season. His second stint began in 2012 and was eventually promoted to head coach before the 2019 season.
DiMare recently decided to step away from the program after nearly two and a half decades.
“I want to thank Gino for his dedication to Miami baseball over the last 24 years,” Hurricanes’ Vice President/Director of Athletics Dan Radakovich said. “He is a great ambassador for our program both on and off the field. I wish Gino and his family all the best in their next chapter, and he will always be a member of the Hurricane Family. We will begin the search for a new head coach immediately.”
On3’s Griffin McVeigh also contributed to this article.