LSU Gold

Paul Mainieri Season 2024

LSU
Paul Mainieri
Title
Head Coach
Email
paulmainieri@lsu.edu
Phone
(225) 578-4148
Hometown
Miami, Fla.
Alma Mater
Florida International (1980)

American Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame Inductee (2014)

Four-Time National Coach of the Year: 
2000 (at Notre Dame) – College Baseball Insider
2008 – College Baseball Insider, Rivals.com
2009 – Collegiate Baseball, Baseball America, ABCA, Rivals.com
2015 – College Baseball Foundation (Skip Bertman Award), NCBWA

Two-Time SEC Coach of the Year (2009, 2015)

U.S. Collegiate National Team Head Coach (2018)

Career Record (39 seasons): 1,505-777-8 (.659)
LSU Record (15 seasons): 641-285-3 (.692)

LSU Baseball under Paul Mainieri (2007-2021)
NCAA National Champions – 2009
NCAA National Runners-Up – 2017
College World Series Appearances – 2008, 2009, 2013, 2015, 2017
NCAA Super Regional Champions – 2008, 2009, 2013, 2015, 2017
NCAA Regional Champions – 2008, 2009, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2021
NCAA Tournament National Seeds – 2008, 2009, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019
Southeastern Conference Champions – 2009, 2012, 2015, 2017
SEC Tournament Champions – 2008, 2009, 2010, 2013, 2014, 2017
SEC Western Division Champions – 2008, 2009, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2017

Biography

Spanning 15 seasons (2007-2021), the Paul Mainieri Era at LSU was distinguished by tremendous success in all facets of the Fighting Tiger baseball program.

Mainieri guided the Tigers to the 2009 College World Series national championship and five CWS appearances. During Mainieri’s tenure, LSU captured a remarkable 31 team championships, including the 2009 NCAA title, nine NCAA Regional championships, five NCAA Super Regional championships, four Southeastern Conference championships, six SEC Tournament titles and six SEC Western Division crowns.

In 11 of his 14 full seasons at LSU – the 2020 season was canceled after only 17 games due to COVID-19 – Mainieri led the Tigers to at least one team championship.

Mainieri posted a 1,505-777-8 (.659) record in 39 seasons of collegiate coaching at St. Thomas University (1984-88), Air Force (1989-94), Notre Dame (1995-2006) and LSU (2007-21). He completed his career No. 1 on the all-time wins list for active NCAA coaches. Mainieri is No. 7 in all-time NCAA Division I Baseball wins, and he is one of only five Division I coaches in NCAA history to have won over 1,500 games and a national championship.

He finished his career with a total of 46 team championships – 31 at LSU and 15 at Notre Dame. As head coach at Notre Dame from 1995-2006, Mainieri directed the Irish to an NCAA Super Regional title and an NCAA Regional championship, eight regular-season conference championships and five league tournament titles.

Mainieri recorded a 641-285-3 (.692) mark at LSU, and he has the third-highest winning percentage in SEC history, trailing only former LSU coach Skip Bertman, who was 870-330-3 (.724) from 1984-2001, and former South Carolina coach Ray Tanner, who posted a 738-316 (.700) mark from 1997-2012.

Under Mainieri, the Tigers earned an NCAA Tournament National Seed in six consecutive seasons (2012-17), making LSU and Stanford (1999-2004) the only schools in NCAA history to capture six straight National Seeds. Beginning in 2008, LSU earned nine NCAA Tournament National Seeds, the second-best mark in the country over the past 14 full seasons.

Mainieri’s LSU players earned First-Team All-America recognition on 13 occasions, and 25 of his former Tigers have played Major League Baseball. LSU players were chosen in the MLB Draft on 90 occasions during Mainieri’s tenure, including a first-round selection in seven of the past 13 seasons.

He served as the head coach of the United States Collegiate National Team for its 2018 summer tour, and he led Team USA to a 12-3 record that included series victories over Chinese Taipei, Japan and Cuba.

His sincere commitment to everyday excellence was recognized in a substantial way on January 3, 2014, in Dallas when he was inducted into the American Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame.

Mainieri, a four-time National Coach of the Year, joined in the Hall of Fame his father, Demie Mainieri, who coached Miami-Dade North Community College to 1,012 wins and a national title in his 30-year career. Demie and Paul Mainieri are the only father-son combination in the ABCA Hall of Fame.

Mainieri’s commitment to academic achievement was illustrated by the Tigers’ performance in the classroom, as 103 LSU baseball players earned their degrees during his tenure. Twenty-five of the graduates were players who signed professional contracts before completing their college eligibility and returned to LSU to finish their degree requirements. In addition, LSU players received SEC Academic Honor Roll recognition on 151 occasions during Mainieri’s tenure.

He established an active community service function within the baseball program, as the Tigers regularly visit hospitals and schools in the Baton Rouge area. The team also participated in events like the in the ALS Walk — promoting awareness of the treatment of Lou Gehrig’s Disease — and in the Buddy Walk, which is designed to encourage acceptance and inclusion of people with Down Syndrome.

Mainieri is personally involved in several philanthropic causes, including Cancer Services of Baton Rouge, the ALS Association, the Baton Rouge Children’s Advocacy Center, the Knock Knock Children’s Museum, Prostate Cancer Awareness and the Kelli Leigh Richmond Ovarian Cancer Foundation.

When Mainieri was hired as LSU’s coach in June 2006, he expressed a clear vision for the future of the Fighting Tiger program.

Just three years later, LSU occupied the pinnacle position in college baseball as the 2009 NCAA National Champions. Mainieri directed the ’09 Tigers to the College World Series title, posting a 56-17 overall record, including a 10-1 mark in NCAA Tournament competition.

It was Mainieri’s goal to finish his collegiate baseball career in the same place it began 45 years ago. He earned a letter in 1976 as a freshman outfielder at LSU, where he also met his future wife, Karen, then a Fighting Tiger cheerleader.

A four-year letterwinner in college, Mainieri played one season at LSU, one season for his father – legendary JUCO coach Demie Mainieri – at Miami-Dade North Community College, and two seasons at the University of New Orleans. The second baseman helped the Privateers win two Sun Belt Conference titles and advance to the 1979 NCAA Tournament during his senior season.

After completing his undergraduate degree requirements at Florida International (1980), Mainieri played two minor-league seasons before earning a master’s in sports administration from St. Thomas in 1982.

Mainieri’s coaching career began at his alma mater, Columbus High School in Miami, where he served as assistant baseball and football coach for three years before taking over as the head coach at St. Thomas in the fall of 1982. He also spent the final three years at St. Thomas as director of athletics. Mainieri was inducted into the Columbus High School Sports Hall of Fame in October 2009. He is a member of the St. Thomas Athletics Hall of Fame, and the St. Thomas baseball facility in March 2013 was named Paul Demie Mainieri Field in his honor.

He will be inducted into the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame in the summer of 2023.

Born August 29, 1957, in Morgantown, W.Va., Mainieri and his wife, Karen, have four children – Nicholas, Alexandra, Samantha and Thomas – and four grandchildren – Holden, Jonathan, Wren and Rocco.

A Program of Excellence

LSU has finished in the Top 10 six times in the college baseball polls over the past 13 seasons, including four Top 5 finishes.

Mainieri guided the Tigers through the pre-conference portion of the 2020 season, which was shortened to only 17 games due to the COVID-19 pandemic. LSU posted a 12-5 mark – completing the season with a five-game win streak – and the Tigers won nine of their final 11 games.

LSU relievers Jaden Hill and Devin Fontenot earned 2020 All-America recognition, and outfielder Daniel Cabrera and pitcher Cole Henry were selected in the second round of the MLB Draft.

Mainieri directed the 2019 Tigers to a 40-26 record that included an NCAA Regional championship, his eighth as LSU’s coach. The Tigers were the NCAA Tournament No. 13 National Seed and played host to an NCAA Super Regional for the eighth time in Mainieri’s tenure. LSU in 2019 won at least 40 games for the 10th time since 2008, and the Tigers posted five walk-off wins, establishing a school record in that category.

Senior outfielder Antoine Duplantis in 2019 became LSU’s career hits leader with 359, and six Tigers were selected in the ’19 MLB Draft, including shortstop Josh Smith, the second-round pick of the New York Yankees.

Mainieri led the 2018 Tigers to an NCAA Regional appearance, where LSU advanced to the regional final against eventual national champion Oregon State. LSU in 2018 also advanced to the SEC Tournament championship game for the seventh time in 11 seasons, becoming the first team seeded lower than fourth in the current tournament format to reach the final game.

The 2018 Tigers featured three Freshmen All-Americans – pitchers Ma’Khail Hilliard and AJ Labas and outfielder Daniel Cabrera – and seven MLB Draft selections.

Mainieri’s 2017 squad advanced all the way to the College World Series Finals, where the Tigers were defeated by Florida and finished as national runners-up. LSU, a consensus No. 2 in the final rankings, won five championships in 2017 – the Tigers were SEC regular-season champions, SEC Western Division champions, SEC Tournament champions, NCAA Regional champions and NCAA Super Regional champions.

For the first time in its College World Series history, LSU won three straight elimination games in 2017, reaching the CWS Finals by eliminating Florida State and top-ranked Oregon State, which had a 56-4 record before suffering two straight losses to the Tigers.

The 2017 Tigers won 20 of their last 23 games and 25 of their last 30, and the squad compiled a 17-game win streak from May 11-June 17. LSU had a 27-15 record on April 25, but went 25-5 over its final 30 contests. The Tigers won 52 games, marking the 13th 50-win season in LSU history and the fourth during Mainieri’s tenure.

Six LSU players were selected in the first nine rounds of the 2017 MLB Draft, including pitcher Alex Lange, a first-round selection of the Chicago Cubs.

Despite returning just one starting position player from the previous season, Mainieri led the 2016 LSU squad to the Tigers’ fifth straight NCAA Tournament National Seed. The ’16 Tigers won the NCAA Baton Rouge Regional title, and LSU played host to a Super Regional for the fourth time in five seasons. Eight LSU players were selected in the 2016 MLB Draft, including outfielder Jake Fraley in the second round by the Tampa Bay Rays.

Mainieri was named in 2015 the winner of the Skip Bertman Award as the National Coach of the Year, as he led the Tigers to a nation’s-best 54 wins, the SEC regular-season title and a berth in the College World Series. He also received 2015 National Coach of the Year recognition from the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association.

The ’15 Tigers, who were ranked No. 1 for 10 consecutive weeks during the season, produced three first-team All-America players – shortstop Alex Bregman, pitcher Alex Lange and catcher Kade Scivicque – a mark that tied the school record set in 2013. LSU produced five first-team All-SEC performers, also tying a school record established in 2013. Eight Tigers were selected in the 2015 MLB Draft, including Bregman, the No. 2 overall pick by the Houston Astros.

Mainieri guided the 2014 squad to a 46-16-1 record and a No. 8 National Seed in the NCAA Tournament, marking the third consecutive season the Tigers have earned a National Seed. The ’14 Tigers claimed LSU’s fifth SEC Tournament title in the past seven seasons, and the LSU pitching staff led the nation with a school-record 17 shutouts.

The 2014 staff featured junior right-hander Aaron Nola, who earned National Pitcher of the Year recognition and was voted SEC Pitcher of the Year for the second straight season. Nola, who was 11-1 with a 1.47 ERA, was the first-round selection (seventh pick overall) by the Philadelphia Phillies in the MLB Draft.

Mainieri led the 2013 squad to an SEC record-tying 57 victories (57-11) and a berth in the College World Series. The ’13 Tigers captured four championships during a remarkable year, winning the SEC Western Division, the SEC Tournament, an NCAA Regional and an NCAA Super Regional. LSU also established a school record for SEC regular-season victories with a 23-7 league mark.

The 2013 team featured three first-team all-Americans, a first for the distinguished LSU Baseball program. Shortstop Alex Bregman was named National Freshman of the Year and the winner of the Brooks Wallace Award as the nation’s best shortstop; SEC Pitcher of the Year Aaron Nola was 12-1 on the mound with a 1.57 ERA; and first baseman Mason Katz batted .370 and led the SEC with 16 homers and 70 RBI.

Mainieri was a finalist for the 2013 Skip Bertman National Coach of the Year award, and a school-record nine Tigers were selected in the ‘13 Major League Baseball Draft.

Mainieri guided the 2012 squad to LSU’s second SEC championship in four seasons, as the Tigers posted a 47-18 overall mark and captured the league title with a 19-11conference record. LSU was named the No. 7 National Seed for the 2012 NCAA Tournament, and the Tigers won the NCAA Baton Rouge Regional before playing host to a Super Regional in Alex Box Stadium.

The 2012 team featured two first-team all-Americans – outfielder Raph Rhymes and pitcher Kevin Gausman. Rhymes led the nation in hitting with a .431 (100-for-232) average, and he was named SEC Player of the Year. Gausman was 12-2 on the mound with a 2.77 ERA, and he was the fourth overall selection in the 2012 MLB Draft by the Baltimore Orioles.

Mainieri guided a young 2011 LSU squad to a 36-20 mark, including a 12-3 record over the final 15 games of the season. Though the Tigers finished strong, LSU fell just short of qualifying for the NCAA Tournament. Despite not reaching the postseason, Mainieri and Tigers laid a solid foundation from which to build championship-caliber teams.

Outfielder Mikie Mahtook became the third first-team all-American of the Mainieri era in 2011, and two Tigers – pitcher Kurt McCune and second baseman JaCoby Jones – earned Freshman All-America recognition.

Mainieri’s 2010 LSU squad won its third straight SEC Tournament title and advanced to an NCAA Regional for the third consecutive year. LSU posted a 41-22 overall mark that was highlighted by four straight victories in the SEC Tournament in Hoover, Ala. LSU became the first team to win three consecutive conference tournament titles in the format that was adopted by the league in 1996.

Mainieri reached a coaching milestone on the second playing date of the 2010 season, as he earned his 1,000th career victory when LSU defeated Centenary, 25-8, on February 20 in Alex Box Stadium.

2009 – The National Championship Season

LSU’s magnificent 2009 season began with LSU ranked No. 1 in the polls and ended with the Tigers still occupying college baseball’s summit.

LSU won its first Southeastern Conference regular-season title since 2003, posting a 20-10 SEC mark. The Tigers then became the first league school since Alabama in 2002-03 to win consecutive SEC Tournament titles.

LSU played host to the NCAA Baton Rouge Regional, where the Tigers defeated Southern, Baylor and Minnesota to set up a Super Regional matchup versus Rice in Alex Box Stadium. LSU swept two games from the Owls, earning a berth to the CWS for the second straight season and for the 15th time in school history.

The Tigers defeated Virginia in their CWS opener and recorded two wins over Arkansas to advance to the CWS Championship Finals versus Texas. Trailing 6-4 in the ninth inning of Game 1, the Tigers staged a dramatic two-run rally and eventually prevailed, 7-6, in 11 innings. The Longhorns posted a 5-1 win in Game 2; however, LSU overwhelmed UT, 11-4, in the deciding game to claim the NCAA championship trophy.

Thirteen LSU players received 2009 SEC Academic Honor Roll recognition, and six Tigers were selected in the 2009 Major League Baseball Draft, including four in the first five rounds. Outfielder Jared Mitchell was the first-round choice of the Chicago White Sox, as LSU produced a first-round selection for the first time since 2003.

Also among the drafted players was Louis Coleman, a 2009 First-Team all-American and the SEC Pitcher of the Year chosen in the fifth round by the Kansas City Royals.

2008 – Return to Omaha

Mainieri first guided LSU back into prominence in 2008 as the Tigers advanced to the College World Series, earning a berth to Omaha for the first time since 2004.

Mainieri, named 2008 National Coach of the Year by Rivals.com and by CollegeBaseballInsider.com, directed the Tigers to a 49-19-1 record. LSU, which was predicted to finish fifth in the SEC Western Division in the preseason league coaches’ poll, won 26 of its final 29 games during a remarkable late-season surge.

Mainieri’s promise to LSU fans to attract the nation’s best players had been fulfilled during his staff’s first recruiting season, as Collegiate Baseball magazine rated the Tigers’ 2007 class No. 1 in the country. The recruiting class — which included nine players selected in the Major League Baseball Draft — combined with LSU’s returning players to form an outstanding 2008 club.

With four weeks remaining in the regular season, the ’08 LSU club was 23-16-1 overall and in 11th place in the overall SEC standings with a 6-11-1 record; however, the Tigers posted a conference-record 23-game win streak that saw LSU claim the SEC Western Division title, the SEC Tournament championship and the NCAA Baton Rouge Regional championship.

LSU’s 23-game surge ended with a loss to UC Irvine in Game 1 of the NCAA Baton Rouge Super Regional, but the Tigers won the next two games over the Anteaters to advance to the College World Series for the 14th time in school history and for the first time since 2004. LSU placed fifth in Omaha with a 1-2 record, marking the Tigers’ first Top 5 CWS finish since the 2000 squad claimed the national title.

Fourteen LSU baseball players – the most in the program’s history – were named to the 2008 Southeastern Conference Academic Honor Roll.

Building the LSU Foundation

It is Mainieri’s goal to finish his collegiate baseball career in the same place it began 45 years ago. He earned a letter in 1976 as a freshman outfielder at LSU, where he also met his future wife, Karen, then a Fighting Tiger cheerleader. He completed his playing career at the University of New Orleans, and, after enjoying great success as a head coach at St. Thomas (Fla.) University, the Air Force Academy and Notre Dame, Mainieri returned to Baton Rouge for the 2007 season eager to enhance the Fighting Tigers’ storied tradition.

Mainieri and his staff laid the foundation for the future of the LSU program during the ‘07 season, as the Tigers posted a 29-26-1 overall mark. Despite its inexperience — the Tigers often featured four true freshmen in the batting order — LSU was in contention for an NCAA Tournament bid through the final weekend of the regular season.

The ‘07 Tigers won four SEC series over Top 25 teams, as LSU posted series victories over No. 3 Arkansas, No. 13 Ole Miss, No. 15 Mississippi State (a 2007 CWS participant) and No. 25 Alabama.

LSU was led by junior right-hander Jared Bradford, a second-team All-SEC selection who posted either a win or a save in 10 of the Tigers’ 12 SEC victories. Outfielder Blake Dean and catcher Sean Ochinko each received Freshman All-SEC recognition for their outstanding rookie seasons.

At Notre Dame (1995-2006)

Mainieri established an unparalleled standard of excellence during his tenure at Notre Dame (1995-2006), leading his teams to 11 40-win seasons, nine conference titles, nine NCAA Regional appearances and a berth in the 2002 College World Series, marking the school’s first CWS trip since 1957.

Mainieri led to Notre Dame to an NCAA Regional in every season from 1999-2006, making the Irish one of 10 teams to appear in every NCAA Tournament in that eight-year span.

Sixty of Mainieri’s Notre Dame players were drafted or signed free-agent contracts, and 19 were selected in the first 10 rounds of the Major League draft.

Mainieri’s Notre Dame teams combined for a 100-percent graduation rate (71 of 71) among players who completed their eligibility. Notre Dame was the only Division I baseball program to produce Academic All-Americans each year from 2000-04, with two honored every season from 2000-03.

Eight of Mainieri’s former Notre Dame players reached the Major League level, including seven pitchers – Brad Lidge, Aaron Heilman, Jeff Samardzija, Jeff Manship, John Axford, Christian Parker and Kyle Weiland. Former Irish infielder Matt Macri made his big league debut in 2008.

In 12 seasons of Big East Conference play, the Irish won more league games (192-67-2, .740) than any other team in the conference. Mainieri owns the top career Big East winning percentage (.740) in the history of the league and four of his teams posted 20-plus wins in Big East play.

Mainieri was voted in 2005 to the position of the ABCA’s chair of the Division I Baseball Coaches – which he held for three years. He was also a member of the ABCA executive committee.

Mainieri served on the NCAA Division I Baseball Issues Committee, and he was a member of the NCAA Academic Enhancement Working Group.

Mainieri established in 2002 the Opening Night Dinner at Notre Dame, an event which became known as the First Pitch Banquet at LSU. The annual gala featured an impressive lineup of keynote speakers: Hall of Fame manager Tommy Lasorda, former Chicago Cubs GM Jim Hendry, MLB All-Star Alex Bregman, Golden Spikes Award winner Ben McDonald, ESPN baseball analyst Kyle Peterson, award-winning author John Grisham and legendary pitcher Roger Clemens.

Mainieri’s Early Years

Mainieri was the first civilian baseball coach at Air Force and averaged 26 wins in six seasons (1989-94) for a program that averaged just 15 wins in the six previous years. He became the only Air Force baseball coach to post six straight 20-win seasons, and his 1994 squad led the nation in hitting (.360), slugging (.623) and triples (0.76 per game).

Mainieri guided the 1993 Air Force team to its first winning season in nearly a decade (28-22), with a school-record 21 wins at home. He coached three All-Americans, two Freshman All-Americans and two Academic All-Americans with the Falcons.

Mainieri coached six seasons (1983-88) at St. Thomas University in Miami, Fla. Four of Mainieri’s teams at St. Thomas were ranked in the NCAA Division II Top 10 during the season. The 1984 Sunshine State Conference Coach of the Year saw his St. Thomas teams average 30 wins per season (after an average of just 18 wins in the six previous years).

St. Thomas in March 2013 named its new baseball facility in honor of Mainieri, who also worked as the school’s director of athletics for three years.

Fifteen of Mainieri’s St. Thomas players entered pro baseball, with Joe Klink, Dane Johnson and Dan Rohrmeier each going on to appear on Major League rosters. Klink played with the 1987 Minnesota Twins and 1989 Oakland A’s World Series championship teams while also pitching with the Florida Marlins in 1994.

Mainieri played two seasons as a minor-league infielder in the Chicago White Sox organization before beginning his coaching career began at his alma mater, Columbus High School in Miami, where he served as assistant baseball and football coach for three years. Mainieri was inducted into the Columbus High School Sports Hall of Fame in October 2009.

A four-year letterwinner in college, Mainieri played one season at LSU, one season for his father – legendary JUCO coach Demie Mainieri – at Miami-Dade North Community College, and two seasons at the University of New Orleans. The second baseman helped the Privateers win two Sun Belt Conference titles and advance to the 1979 NCAA Tournament during his senior season.

After completing his undergraduate degree requirements at Florida International (1980), Mainieri earned a master’s in sports administration from St. Thomas in 1982.

Born August 29, 1957, in Morgantown, W.Va., Mainieri and his wife, Karen, have four children – Nicholas, Alexandra, Samantha and Thomas; three grandsons, Holden, Jonathan and Rocco; and one granddaughter, Wren.

Mainieri’s Mentors

Paul Mainieri grew up around the game of baseball on a daily basis and, as the son of a Hall of Fame coach, had the good fortune to be exposed to several outstanding coaches.

Mainieri cites three primary influences in his development as a coach, headed by his father Demie

Mainieri, who coached Miami-Dade North Community College to 1,012 wins and a national title in his 30-year career. Demie Mainieri passed away in March 2019 at the age of 90.

“My father laid the foundation for identifying the correct reasons to enter into the coaching profession,” says Mainieri. “Despite his success that he may have encountered, my father emphasized to me that a coach was a teacher first and foremost. Watching how he made such a positive impact on young people’s lives was the greatest factor for me wanting to follow in his footsteps.”

Mainieri spent his final two seasons as an infielder at the University of New Orleans, where he had the good fortune of playing for legendary former UNO coach Ron Maestri.

“Coach Maestri showed me how a high intensity level and work ethic can translate into success,” recalls Mainieri. “He used to do the little things-like drag the field and go into the community to raise support – and his charisma resulted in the construction of a beautiful ballpark for our team.

“He pushed his team hard but would do anything for his players, and his players were very loyal to him. Coach Maestri also relayed to me the importance of recruiting the best athletes – meaning shortstops – and we had six or seven high school shortstops in our everyday lineup.”

During his early days in coaching, Mainieri had the chance to meet legendary MLB manager Tommy Lasorda and maintained a friendship with one of the game’s greatest ambassadors.

“Tommy advised me in so many areas, it’s hard to specify any areas of emphasis,” says Mainieri of Lasorda, the keynote speaker at the 2008 LSU?First Pitch Banquet. “I think from him I really realized how important it is to bring joy to the ballpark every day. The players definitely follow your lead as the coach and the enthusiasm you show for your job will rub off on them.”

Mainieri readily credits his success to the guidance of those three Hall of Famers.

“I think it’s safe to say I’ve learned from the best!” he says.

Coaching Awards
2023 – Hall of Fame Induction (Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame)
2022 – Hall of Fame Induction (La. Baseball Coaches Association)
2022 – Selected as a “Louisiana Legend” (PBS)
2018 – USA Baseball Rod Dedeaux Coach of the Year Award
2018 – USA Collegiate National Team Head Coach
2017 – Stan Musial Sportsmanship Award
2017 – Louisiana Sportswriters Association Coach of the Year
2015 – USA Collegiate National Team Assistant Coach
2015 – National Coach of the Year (Skip Bertman Award, NCBWA)
2015 – Southeastern Conference Coach of the Year
2015 – Louisiana Sportswriters Association Coach of the Year
2014 – Hall of Fame Induction (American Baseball Coaches Association)
2013 – Baseball field at St. Thomas University renamed in his honor
2013 – Finalist for the Skip Bertman National Coach of the Year Award
2013 – Louisiana Sportswriters Association Coach of the Year
2012 – Louisiana Sportswriters Association Coach of the Year
2009 – Hall of Fame Induction (Christopher Columbus High School)
2009 – Hall of Fame Induction (St. Thomas University)
2009 – Hall of Fame Induction (La. American-Italian Sports HOF)
2009 – National Coach of the Year (ABCA, Baseball America, Collegiate Baseball, Rivals.com)
2009 – Southeastern Conference Coach of the Year
2009 – Louisiana Sportswriters Association Coach of the Year
2008 – National Coach of the Year (Rivals.com, Collegebaseballinsider.com)
2008 – Louisiana Sportswriters Association Coach of the Year
2006 – ABCA Mideast Region Coach of the Year
2002 – ABCA Mideast Region Coach of the Year
2001 – Big East Conference Coach of the Year
2001 – ABCA Mideast Region Coach of the Year
2000 – National Coach of the Year (College Baseball Insider)
1984 – Sunshine State Conference Coach of the Year

Mainieri’s Proteges 
Paul Mainieri’s influence extends throughout the game of baseball, as several of his former assistant coaches and players presently work as coaches or administrators:

Former Assistant Coaches
Al Avila General Manager, Detroit Tigers; Former Head Coach, St. Thomas University
Eric Campbell General Manager, Team USA; Former Head Coach, United States Air Force Academy
Brian O’Connor Head Coach, Virginia
Mike Kazlausky Head Coach, United States Air Force Academy
Cliff Godwin Head Coach, East Carolina
Blake Dean Head Coach, University of New Orleans
Will Davis Head Coach, Lamar
Dave Schrage Head Coach, Butler
Terry Rooney Asst. Coach, Houston; Former Head Coach, UCF
Cory Mee Former Head Coach, Toledo
David Grewe Former Head Coach, Michigan State
Cory Mee – Associate Head Coach at Akron; former Head Coach, Toledo

Former Players 
Allen Greene Director of Athletics, Auburn
Mike Kazlausky Head Coach, United States Air Force Academy
Blake Dean Head Coach, University of New Orleans
Will Davis Head Coach, Lamar
Marty Smith Head Coach, College of Central Florida
Rick Hitt Head Coach, South Florida State College
Nolan Cain Asst. Coach, LSU
Eddie Smith Asst. Coach, LSU
Nate Fury Director of Operations, LSU
Mitch Mormann, Asst. Coach, Ohio University
J.J. Brock, Asst. Coach, Farleigh Dickinson University-Florham
Jeremy Barnes, Hitting Coordinator, Houston Astros

The Paul Mainieri File
Pronunciation: Muh-NAIR-ee

Career Record: 1,505-777-8 (.659, 39 seasons)
at LSU: 641-285-3 (.692, 15 seasons)
at Notre Dame: 533-213-3 (.714, 12 seasons)
at Air Force: 152-158 (.490, six seasons)
at St. Thomas: 179-121-2 (.598, six seasons)

Personal
Birthdate: August 29, 1957
Hometown: Miami, Florida

Education
1980 – B.S. in physical education from Florida International University
1982 – M.S. in sports administration from St. Thomas (Fla.) University

Family (as of 2022)
Wife: Married to the former Karen Fejes of Belle Chasse, La.
Children: Nicholas, Alexandra, Samantha and Thomas
Grandchildren: Holden, Jonathan, Wren and Rocco

Mainieri’s Coaching Record

Year School Record Pct. Notes/Honors
1983 St. Thomas
19-25-1
.445
1984 St. Thomas
37-14
.725
Set school record for wins, Sunshine State Conference Coach of Year
1985 St. Thomas
32-21
.596
1986 St. Thomas
23-24
.489
1987 St. Thomas
35-21
.625
Led nation with .340 team batting avg.
1988 St. Thomas
33-16-1
.670
6-yr St. Thomas Totals
179-121-2
.596
Winningest coach in St. Thomas history
1989 Air Force
27-27
.500
Set school records for Western Athletic Conference wins (13)
1990 Air Force
26-34
.433
1991 Air Force
22-27
.449
1992 Air Force
23-24
.489
1993 Air Force
28-22
.560
Team led nation in triples, second-most wins in team history, best AFA record since ’82
1994 Air Force
26-24
.520
Team led nation with .360 batting average
6-yr Air Force Totals
152-158
.490
Second-winningest coach in Air Force history
1995 Notre Dame
40-21
.656
Midwestern Collegiate Conf. Western Div. champs, most wins by first-year ND coach
1996 Notre Dame
44-18
.710
Participated in NCAA South I Regional ( Tuscaloosa, Ala.)
1997 Notre Dame
41-19
.683
BIG EAST National Division champions, top winning percentage (15-6) in Big East
1998 Notre Dame
41-17
.707
Notre Dame’s 10th straight 40-win season; Irish finish 12th in nation for team ERA
1999 Notre Dame
43-18
.705
National Coach of the Year (CBI); BIG EAST regular-season champ (20-5); NCAA host
2000 Notre Dame
46-18
.719
Reached title game of NCAA Starkville Regional; fourth-most wins in school history
2001 Notre Dame
49-13-1
.786
Big East/Midwest Region Coach of the Year; #1 ranking; Big East champs; NCAA host
2002 Notre Dame
50-18
.735
Mideast Region Coach of the Year; Big East champs; College World Series participant
2003 Notre Dame
45-18
.714
First Big East Tournament repeat champion since 1986; NCAA Regional participant
2004 Notre Dame
51-12
.809
First team to win three straight BIG EAST Tournament titles; NCAA Regional participant; school-record win total for 3rd time in 4 years
2005 Notre Dame
38-24-1
.611
Extended unprecedented run of Big East Tournament titles to 4; NCAA Regional finalist
2006 Notre Dame
45-17-1
.722
ABCA Mideast Region Coach of the Year; Extended unprecedented run of Big East Tournament titles to 5; NCAA Regional participant; Big East reg.-season champs; set ND record with 23-game win streak (nation’s longest in ’06)
12-yr Notre Dame Totals
533-213-3
.714
Has seen 50 of his ND players be drafted or sign professional free-agent contracts
2007 LSU
29-26-1
.527
LSU wins four SEC series against Top 25 teams, including CWS participant Mississippi State
2008 LSU
49-19-1
.717
LSU wins SEC West and SEC Tournament; advances to College World Series for first time since 2004
2009 LSU
56-17
.767
LSU wins College World Series for sixth time; first time since 2000; Wins SEC Tournament and SEC Regular Season
2010 LSU
41-22
.651
LSU wins third straight SEC Tournament title; first team to win three in a row in current tournament format
2011 LSU
36-20
.643
LSU wins 12 of final 15 games and posts a 23-3 mark in non-conference action.
2012 LSU
47-18
.723
LSU wins its second SEC title in four seasons and is selected as the NCAA Tournament No. 7 National Seed.
2013 LSU
57-11
.838
LSU advances to the College World Series and ties the SEC record for single-season victories with 57.
2014 LSU
46-16-1
.738
LSU earns the NCAA Tournament No. 8 National Seed; Tigers win fifth SEC Tournament title in seven seasons.
2015 LSU
54-12
.818
LSU wins SEC championship and advances to the College World Series; Tigers post the nation’s highest victory total with 54 wins.
2016 LSU
45-21
.682
LSU becomes just the second school in NCAA history to earn five straight NCAA Tournament National Seeds.
2017 LSU 52-20 .722 LSU finishes as College World Series runners-up; Tigers win SEC regular-season and tournament titles
2018 LSU 39-27 .591 LSU plays in NCAA Tournament for seventh-straight year and advances to NCAA Regional final
2019 LSU 40-26 .606 LSU wins the NCAA Baton Rouge Regional and plays host to an NCAA Super Regional
2020 LSU 12-5 .706 LSU posts victories in nine of its final 11 games and ends pandemic-shortened season on a five-game win streak
2021 LSU 38-25 .603 LSU wins NCAA Eugene Regional; earns Super Regional berth for 15th time
15 yrs. LSU Totals 641-285-3
.692
39 yrs. Overall 1,505-777-8
.659