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‘It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…’
Dickensian paradigms rarely find their way into articles about college baseball, but this turn of phrase originating from the mid-nineteenth century quill of the famed author Charles Dickens certainly applies to the state of South Carolina’s two prominent programs.
For Clemson University, it’s all systems “go.” The Tigers – in their third season under head coach Erik Bakich – enter a pivotal three game series with No. 17 Louisville ranked No. 3 nationally and sporting a record of 33-6. Not only do the Tigers appear to be a lock for the postseason, but Clemson could easily find itself playing at home all the way through the super regional round.
Bakich has posted a sterling 121-41 (.747) mark since taking the reins of this program, and while Clemson doesn’t face nearly as tough a slate as its in-state rival… Bakich’s team swept the Gamecocks earlier this year in their head-to-head battle.
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For South Carolina, the program’s glory days continue to fade further in the rearview mirror – with the sad irony being the same coach who built Gamecocks into a perennial championship contender has presided over the ongoing collapse as athletics director.
Coach Paul Mainieri was billed as a trajectory-reversing hire when outgoing athletics director Ray Tanner tapped him to lead the program last June. Unfortunately, the former LSU coach’s tenure thus far has failed to live up to expectations – like Tanner’s previous hires. Earlier this year, Mainieri passed former Texas Tech coach Larry Hayes to become the sixth-winningest Division I coach of all-time – but that individual milestone been one of the few bright spots this season.
The nadir? Last week’s collapse against unranked Texas A&M. After getting humiliated by the Aggies last Friday by a score of 17-0 – the program’s worst defeat in six years – A&M overcame a ten-run Gamecock lead on Saturday to sweep the series.
“South Carolina baseball has officially reached rock bottom,” fan site Gamecock Central noted.
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“Paul Mainieri is no doubt a legend of the game, but the experiment has failed!” Sideline South Carolina added. “It’s time to get a young, up-and-coming coach into our program and let them lead us back to being a powerhouse.”
Tanner’s first two choices for the Gamecock head coaching job certainly failed to live up to the standard he set. Former head coach Mark Kingston was fired last year after the Gamecocks were bounced from the NCAA regional. Kingston posted a 216-155 (.583) mark through seven forgettable seasons. Prior to Kingston, Tanner’s hand-picked protégé Chad Holbrook posted a 200-106 (.654) record in five seasons at the helm of the program.
Notably, neither Holbrook nor Kingston reached the College World Series (CWS).
South Carolina has limped to a 21-17 record – including an abysmal 2-13 mark in conference play – in its first campaign under Mainieri. The primary culprit? Pitching. The team’s ERA this season has ballooned to an astronomical 5.46 – more than a full run higher than two years ago.
The Gamecocks host No. 11 Ole Miss this week – part of an absolutely brutal SEC slate that has included nearly twenty games against top ten opponents. Still remaining on South Carolina’s schedule? Series on the road against No. 8 Auburn (May 8-10) and No. 9 LSU (May 15-17).
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In addition to the Louisville series, Clemson will travel to Tallahassee early next month to play three games against No. 7 Florida State. They’ve also got a huge non-conference matchup against at home against No. 5 Georgia next Tuesday (April 22, 2025).
Clemson’s series with Louisville begins tomorrow (April 17, 2025) at 7:00 p.m. EDT with Friday’s game set for 5:00 p.m. EDT and Saturday’s scheduled for 1:00 p.m. EDT. All three games will be played at Doug Kinsmore Stadium in Clemson, S.C.
South Carolina’s series with Ole Miss starts tomorrow at 6:30 p.m. EDT with Friday’s game scheduled for 4:00 p.m. EDT and Saturday’s tilt set to start at 2:00 p.m. EDT. All of those games will be played at Founders Park in downtown Columbia, S.C.
For those of you keeping score at home, South Carolina hasn’t been to the CWS since 2012, while Clemson hasn’t been since 2010. Bakich led the Tigers to their first super regional appearance in fourteen years last season, while the Gamecocks have advanced to the super regional round four times in the past dozen years – losing all four times.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR…
Will Folks is the founding editor of the news outlet you are currently reading. Prior to founding FITSNews, he served as press secretary to the governor of South Carolina. He lives in the Midlands region of the state with his wife and eight children.
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