Monte Lee lands new contract, will stay at South Carolina as assistant under Paul Mainieri

As Paul Mainieri settles in as South Carolina baseball coach, he’ll have a key member of his staff in place. Monte Lee is staying on as an assistant and signing a new contract as a result.

Lee is preparing to sign a three-year contract through May 2027 worth $550,000 annually, the university board announced Tuesday. He and Terry Rooney will work under Mainieri as he takes over for Mark Kingston, who was fired earlier this month.

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Lee spent the last two seasons as Kingston’s assistant head coach and recruiting coordinator – his second stint with the Gamecocks after previously serving as an assistant from 2003-08. His return to Columbia after seven years as the head coach at Clemson, where he amassed a 242-136 overall record and took the program to an ACC title in his first season at the helm in 2016.

Clemson made the NCAA Tournament in each of Lee’s first four seasons as head coach. However, the Tigers didn’t make it back his final two years, and he was let go at the end of the 2022 season. That led him to head back to South Carolina as a key assistant for the last two seasons, and he’ll now stay in that role under Mainieri’s leadership.

Lee got his coaching career started at NAIA Spartanburg Methodist from 2001-02 before his first stint at South Carolina. In 2009, he got his first head coaching opportunity when College of Charleston – his alma mater – came calling. He spent five years with the Cougars and took the program to four NCAA Tournaments, including a SoCon title in 2012 and a Super Regional appearance in 2014.

Paul Mainieri officially taking over for Mark Kingston

Mark Kingston spent seven years as South Carolina’s head coach, totaling a 217-155 record during that time. The Gamecocks made two Super Regional appearances during his tenure, but never finished higher than third in a loaded SEC East.

This year, South Carolina went 37-25 overall and 13-17 in league play en route to the Raleigh Regional. It was a quick exit from the tournament, though, as losses to James Madison and NC State ended the season. That’s when the university decided to make a change.

Now, Paul Mainieri is stepping in. He last coached during the 2021 season with LSU, spending a total of 15 seasons in Baton Rouge. During that time, the Tigers won four regular season championships and six SEC Tournament titles while making 12 NCAA Tournaments, five College World Series and winning a national championship in 2007.

Mainieri is the third head baseball coach hire for Ray Tanner since he resigned to become South Carolina’s athletics director. The program made six College World Series under his watch, but hasn’t been back since his move to AD.