Head Coach Paul Mainieri
The Paul Mainieri File Pronunciation: Muh-NAIR-ee
INTRO
Career Record: 1324-674-8 (.662, 34 seasons) at LSU: 460-182-3 (.716, 10 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) Birthdate: August 29, 1957 Hometown: Miami, Florida Education: 1980 - B.S. in physical education from Florida International 1982 - M.S. in sports administration from St. Thomas (Fla.) Wife: Married to the former Karen Fejes of New Orleans, La. Children: Nicholas (33), Alexandra (32), Samantha (30) and Thomas (22) Grandchildren: Holden Brooks Roth; Jonathan Demie Mainieri; Wren Violet Rauber Coaching Awards 2015 Skip Bertman Award - National Coach of the Year 2015 NCBWA National Coach of the Year 2015 Southeastern Conference Coach of the Year 2015 Louisiana Sportswriters Association Coach of the Year 2014 ABCA Hall of Fame Induction Class 2013 Louisiana Sportswriters Association Coach of the Year 2012 Louisiana Sportswriters Association Coach of the Year 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 2001, 2002 & 2006 ABCA Mideast Region Coach of the Year 2001 Big East Coach of the Year 2000 National Coach of the Year (College Baseball Insider) 1984 Sunshine State Conference Coach of the Year
Paul and Karen Mainieri with grandsons Holden (left) and Jonathan (right) 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
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 championshipcaliber 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 AllAmerica 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
National Champs
Mainieri celebrates LSU’s 2009 national championship on the Rosenblatt Stadium field with his wife, Karen.
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
7th Inning at Wrigley
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
Mainieri Field
Mainieri sang “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” at Wrigley Field on July 26, 2009 St. Thomas University in Miami honored Paul Mainieri in March 2013 by naming its during the Chicago Cubs’ game with the Cincinnati Reds. new baseball facility Paul Demie Mainieri Field. LSU played a game in Baton Rouge on the night of the ceremony, so Mainieri was represented by his dad, Demie.
2017 BASEBALL OFFICIAL YEARBOOK
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