Sports
Overtime Ed Daniels
Paul Mainieri’s replacement will have a tough act to follow The next LSU baseball coach will have big shoes to fill. That may not be the prevailing wisdom in Baton Rouge, but so be it. As Paul Mainieri’s tenure at LSU ends, it will show one national championship, five appearances in Omaha, four SEC championships, and four 50-win seasons. In other words, consistent excellence. And, for some LSU fans that hasn’t been enough. It is understandable.
But, it is also a tad unreasonable. In the moments after LSU announced Mainieri’s retirement, the hue and cry began for Florida head coach Kevin O’Sullivan. LSU would, theoretically, pursue the coach who defeated the Tigers in the championship series in Omaha in 2017. O’Sullivan quickly withdrew from consideration. But, a quick check of O’Sullivan’s record the past two seasons in the Southeastern Conference regular season is 30 wins and 30 losses. After Florida won the title in 2017, the Gators finished 5th and 3rd in the SEC East. And, that was before the shocking events of the first week of the NCAA tournament. Florida went 0-2 in the tournament for the first time since 2014. A week later, Arkansas opened Super Regional play with a 21-2 win over North Carolina State. But, NC State, who like LSU started 1-8 in conference play, rallied to win the last two games and reach the College World Series for the first time since 2013. Arkansas was the number one national seed. Another coach you might hear to be on LSU’s radar is Michigan’s Erik Bakich. Bakich coached the Wolverines to the championship series two years ago. He’s been the head coach at Michigan
since 2013, and yet to win a Big 10 regular season championship. Michigan won 27 games this season, playing an all Big Ten schedule. The Wolverines were outscored 14-3 in a pair of losses in the NCAA tournament. This season, Mainieri lost potential first round pick Jaden Hill to a season ending elbow injury, and the Tigers won one of their first nine in SEC play. Yet, the head coach was steady at the wheel, as LSU finished with 12 wins and 9 losses in league play. And, on Monday night, there was LSU, coming out of the loser’s bracket to win four straight, beating Oregon twice to reach the Super Regional at Tennessee. Some teams could have and would have folded. To Paul Mainieri’s credit, LSU didn’t. So, for the LSU faithful who believe that the next Skip Bertman is out there, I say good luck. The days of LSU winning five championships in a span of 10 seasons are over. The next LSU coach will be paid handsomely to meet these unrealistic expectations. Director of athletics Scott Woodward has quickly developed a reputation as an executive who lands the big fish, and pays top dollar. And, his next hire at LSU, contrary to what many believe, will have a tough act to follow. BC
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