Paul Mainieri will remain at LSU

Source confirms Mainieri staying amid rumors of flirtation with Texas

By JAMES MORAN
Tiger Rag Associate Editor

Paul Mainieri isn’t going anywhere.

Amid rumored flirtations with Texas regarding the schools head coaching vacancy, a source confirmed to Tiger Rag that the coach has decided to remain with the program for his 11th season at the helm. Shortly after, the school affirmed the news through a tweet from the baseball program’s official account:

Paul Mainieri affirms his commitment to being the #LSU Baseball Head Coach. pic.twitter.com/uwySnoI2Cv

— LSU Baseball (@LSUbaseball) June 16, 2016

Stories began circulating Thursday morning linking Mainieri as the latest high-profile coach targeted by Longhorn brass to replace Augie Garrido, college baseball’s all-time winningest coach who got relieved of his duties 17 days ago.

Two sources confirmed to Tiger Rag that Mainieri met with LSU AD Joe Alleva earlier in the day Thursday regarding the situation with Texas. Accord to a report from The Advocate, Mainieri has been offered and will receive “a significant raise’ to remain at LSU.

“I’m extremely pleased that Paul Mainieri is the baseball coach at LSU,” Alleva said through a school release confirming the news. “He has established a consistent record of excellence in all facets of our program, and I’m confident that the Tigers will continue to contend for national championships during his tenure.

“In addition to their accomplishments on the field, our players are actively involved in community service projects, and the team regularly delivers strong academic performances. Coach Mainieri has embraced the high standards inherent in our baseball program, and I look forward to its future under his leadership.”

According to a report from Kendall Rogers of D1Baseball.com, Mainieri, who just finished his 10th season at LSU, had already met with Longhorn brass. Rogers also broke the news that Mainieri would remain stay at LSU.

After losing eight starters from a team that went to Omaha, Mainieri led LSU to a fifth consecutive national seed this season. The Tigers fell to Coastal Carolina in the Baton Rouge Super Regional Sunday. He’s taken LSU to the College World Series four times in his decade at the helm and has been named National Coach of the Year four times in his 34-year coaching career. He led LSU to its sixth national championship in 2009.

With the news that Kramer Robertson, Greg Deichmann and Cole Freeman will all return as well, Mainieri is set to lead a 2017 club that is slated to return eight starting position players and ace Alex Lange.