First-year South Carolina Gamecocks head coach Paul Mainieri earned his 1,509th career win, passing Larry Hayes for sixth on the all-time NCAA Division I wins list, as South Carolina defeated the Big South Conference’s Winthrop Eagles 5-3 on the road at Founders Field in Rock Hill, S.C., on Tuesday, February 18.
With 1,509 career wins, Coach Mainieri is now alone in sixth place on the all-time wins list by a Division I head baseball coach!!#Gamecocks | #ForeverToThee pic.twitter.com/RAhm2AAyru
— Gamecock Baseball (@GamecockBasebll) February 19, 2025
The Gamecocks improved to 4-0 on the season, while Winthrop suffered its first loss, dropping to 3-1.
Mainieri, 67, a native of Morgantown, W.Va., is in his 39th season as a head coach. He currently ranks 10th all-time in collegiate coaching wins, trailing Jim Morris (1,594), Denney Crabaugh (1,601), Mark Marquess (1,627), Woody Hunt (1,630), Ed Cheff (1,705), Gene Stephenson (1,768), Gordie Gillespie (1,893), Augie Garrido (1,975), and all-time leader Mike Martin (2,029).
In NCAA Division I history, Mainieri now ranks sixth all-time in career wins, behind Martin, Garrido, Stephenson, and Morris.
South Carolina’s pitching staff—led by starter Jarvis Evans Jr. and relievers Brandon Stone, Parker Marlatt, and Brendan Sweeney—combined for nine innings, allowing seven hits, three earned runs, and striking out nine.
Kennedy Jones got the Gamecocks on the board early, launching a two-run home run over the left field wall in the top of the first inning, scoring Henry Kazcmar to give South Carolina a 2-0 lead.
First of the year for Kennedy!!#Gamecocks | #ForeverToThee pic.twitter.com/EYWUQRqYAl
— Gamecock Baseball (@GamecockBasebll) February 18, 2025
Winthrop tied the game up at two a piece with a two-run home run from right fielder Koby Kropf in the bottom of the first inning over the left field fence, scoring Jaylen Hernandez to even the board up at 2-2.
The Eagles took the lead in the bottom of the fourth, as second baseman Gabe Natividad reached on a fielder’s choice ground ball, allowing center fielder Ethan Wilson to score and put Winthrop ahead 3-2.
South Carolina responded in the top of the fifth when catcher Talmadge LeCroy ripped a two-run double down the left field line, driving in Ethan Petry and Kennedy Jones to reclaim the lead at 4-3.
LeCroy gives us the lead#Gamecocks | #ForeverToThee pic.twitter.com/NLUD1bpon8
— Gamecock Baseball (@GamecockBasebll) February 18, 2025
In the top of the sixth inning, South Carolina center fielder Nathan Hall capitalized the final run of the game with a double to right field, scoring third baseman KJ Scoby to extend the lead to 5-3.
Hall to the gap in right. 5-3 Gamecocks #Gamecocks | #ForeverToThee pic.twitter.com/7gkpIr9q8r
— Gamecock Baseball (@GamecockBasebll) February 18, 2025
Brendan Sweeney entered in the bottom of the ninth, shutting the door by striking out third baseman Colin Crowley swinging for his fourth punchout of the night, securing South Carolina’s 5-3 victory and Mainieri’s 1,509th career win.
South Carolina will return home to face Queens University of Charlotte from the Atlantic Sun Conference at Founders Park in Columbia, S.C., on February 19 at 4 p.m. EST. The game will be streamed on SEC Network+ (subscription required).
Coaching Legacy and Achievements
Mainieri began his head coaching career at St. Thomas University in Miami Gardens, Fla., from 1983-88 before taking over at the Air Force Academy in 1989. He remained in Colorado Springs through the 1994 season before making the jump to NCAA Division I level coaching.
In six seasons at St. Thomas University, Mainieri compiled a 179-121-2 record, becoming the winningest coach in program history. The school retired his No. 1 jersey in February 2012.
At Air Force, he became the second-winningest coach in program history, posting a 152-158 record before taking over at Notre Dame in the Big East Conference for the 1995 season. He quickly transformed the Fighting Irish into a powerhouse.
Mainieri led Notre Dame to five consecutive Big East tournament titles from 2002-06 and secured four regular-season championships in 1999, 2001, 2002, and 2006 before departing for Baton Rouge after the 2006 season.
At Louisiana State University, where he coached from 2007-21, Mainieri led the Tigers to a national championship in 2009, guiding them to their sixth College World Series title with a three-game series win over Texas.
He also captured four Southeastern Conference regular-season titles in 2009, 2012, 2015, and 2017, along with six SEC tournament championships in 2008, 2009, 2010, 2013, 2014, and 2017.
Throughout his career, Mainieri has received several coaching accolades, including being named the 2015 NCBWA National Coach of the Year, winning the Skip Bertman Award in 2015, being nominated for Baseball America Coach of the Year in 2009, and winning Collegiate Baseball Coach of the Year that same year. He is a two-time SEC Coach of the Year, earning the honor in 2009 and 2015, and was named Big East Conference Coach of the Year in 2001.
His extensive postseason experience will be invaluable for South Carolina, as he enters the season with a 71-43 career record in NCAA Tournament play.
Mainieri also served as head coach for the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team in 2018, leading the squad to a 12-3 record with wins over Chinese Taipei, Japan, and Cuba.
He became the first U.S. coach to lead the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team in a series against Cuba in Havana since the 1960 U.S. trade embargo. His team played a five-game series against the Cuban national team from July 10 to 14, 2018, at Estadio Latinoamericano.
Mainieri’s return to the SEC marks a major milestone in his career, bringing him back into one of the most competitive conferences in college baseball after his retirement from LSU in 2021.
