BATON ROUGE, La. – LSU coach Paul Mainieri completed his tenure this week as an assistant coach for the USA Collegiate National Team, saying he truly relished the experience.
Team USA’s 17-game schedule this summer featured series wins over Cuba and Chinese Taipei. The team, comprised of current college stars, played most of its games at the USA Baseball National Training Center in Cary, N.C.
“This was one of the most enjoyable things I’ve ever done in coaching,” said Mainieri, who directed LSU in 2015 to the College World Series for the fourth time in the past eight seasons. “The first day I got to put this USA jersey on, you couldn’t wipe the smile off of my face. It was a great opportunity and a great honor to work with an outstanding coaching staff. Our young players gave us their very best effort and we had a lot of fun. It was a wonderful experience for all of us that got the chance to wear the USA uniform.”
Ed Blankmeyer of St. John’s served as Team USA’s head coach, and he was joined on the staff by Mainieri, Gary Henderson of Kentucky, Elliott Avent of North Carolina State and Rich Hill of San Diego.
Mainieri said he was particularly moved by the 11-1 USA victory over Cuba on July 4 in Charlotte, N.C., an event that featured Independence Day fireworks and patriotic observances.
“After the game and the celebration, I texted my family immediately and reminded them how lucky we are to live in this great nation,” Mainieri said. “You think about all of the brave soldiers that have given their lives and put themselves in harm’s way to give us this opportunity to play baseball in this country. When you put this uniform on, it obviously really hits you. It was just a great experience, something I’ll treasure forever.”
Mainieri, the winner of the 2015 Skip Bertman Award as the National Coach of the Year, said the experience of working as an assistant coach will make him an even more effective head coach as he returns to Baton Rouge to begin his 10th season at the helm of the LSU program.
“This was the first time in 33 years I’ve been in a dugout and not been in charge,” Mainieri explained. “Being an assistant coach was actually a great learning experience for me, to put myself into the shoes of my staff members. I have even greater respect for them now, because it’s a difficult thing sometimes when you’re a confident person to not have the final say-so. I’m glad I went through this experience, it was a positive thing for me, and I think I’ll be a better head coach with my staff now.”
The Tigers under Mainieri’s leadership have a nation’s-best 204 wins since 2012, and LSU is the only school in the country to be named an NCAA Tournament National Seed in each of the past four seasons.