Monte Lee Lays Out How He Would Fix South Carolina Baseball
South Carolina interim head baseball coach Monte Lee is a candidate to become the permanent leader of the program. Lee has a plan to fix the Gamecocks and return South Carolina Baseball to its glory days.
We recently had a chance to catch up with Lee and discuss what his plan would be and how he would execute it if given the chance to lead the program.
Based on those responses, it seems quick and drastic changes would be implemented from how the program was managed by previous head coaches Paul Mainieri and Mark Kingston.
Assemble a completely aligned coaching staff
When Mainieri was hired, he chose to keep Lee as his hitting coach, but the rest of the staff was new to the program. That is generally expected when a new head coach is hired.
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However, the decisions to strip Lee of his recruiting duties and not retain pitching coach Matt Williams turned out to be colossal mistakes.
Both of those roles went to Terry Rooney and Williams escaped to Conway, S.C. to become Kevin Schnall’s pitching coach in his first season at the helm of Coastal Carolina’s program.
Williams was named the National Assistant Coach of the Year by the American Baseball Coaches Association and D1Baseball.com. Coastal reached the College World Series finals.
Rooney’s pitching staff posted the worst ERA in program history in 2025.
As has been previously written, Mainieri and Rooney elected to cut the large majority of the 2024 recruiting class. Recruiting since then has taken a nosedive.
After just one full recruiting cycle under Kingston, Lee returned the Gamecocks to the top 20 recruiting rankings in 2024 as posted by Perfect Game. Then the change was made and the 2025 class did not register in the Top 100 as Rooney and Mainieri changed the model to mostly target the transfer portal. The 2026 class currently ranks 50th and the 2027 class checks in at 44.
The 2026 recruiting class is being impacted by the program’s instability created by Paul Mainieri’s departure.
Lee’s plan is to change the recruiting strategy immediately.
An aligned outlook on recruiting is a must for whoever gets the job. Lee added he will make sure to hire a staff that “completely understands” why it is important to sign Palmetto State players. For a hunk of the Kingston era and during the very short tenure of Mainieri, it was not deemed as important.
“The mission is simple, draw a circle around the Carolinas and close the borders. If you are an elite player in this state, you belong in Columbia. But while we win the backyard to build our floor, we are going to use a relentless national pipeline to raise our ceiling. We’re going after the blue chip Friday night starter in California just as aggressively as the best shortstop in James Island. We are building a roster that is locally rooted but nationally feared and respected.”
As important to Lee, a staff underneath him will completely align on what type of program they are building. It will also be a staff that believe in the Gamecocks.
“This program doesn’t need ‘yes men’; it needs elite winners who are comfortable with friction. I will assemble a staff that is deeply rooted in the Southeast but carries a national reputation. We need coaches who understand the weight of this jersey and have the conviction to challenge me every single day. If we aren’t pushing each other in the coaches’ offices, we can’t expect to push our players on the field.
“South Carolina does not need to hire a coach who always compares Carolina to somewhere else. This is the University of South Carolina. We have an amazing tradition here and the leader needs to understand that. Even if I am not chosen, that would be feedback I would give to our administration and to the next staff. Be true to who you are. This place is amazing. Embrace the Gamecock tradition.”
He continued, “The key for me is having a staff from the beginning that knows how to fix our problems and knows what the program needs. The head coach sets that standard and needs to actively recruit. My plan will be to hire the best baseball coaches I can hire, without sacrificing the foundation of the program. If I am the (head coach), my staff will believe in the same things I believe in here. That is critical and it’s non- negotiable.”
Lee went on to say structurally, he would step back and be the head coach, relinquishing the hitting coach duties, but he plans to hire a hitting coach that aligns with who they will be offensively. His choice for pitching coach will center around coaches who can recruit pitchers who have “pitch-ability,” but who also know how to develop and sharpen those tools once the players are on campus.
“(The pitching coach) isn’t just a recruiter or a developer,” Lee said. “He has to be able to recognize guys who can help us here at South Carolina. Then, he has to be able to find those players roles and develop those guys.”
The most important hire will be at recruiting coordinator.
“Again, if they choose me to lead the Gamecocks, my RC will be critical. I have some ideas as to who that could be here. Guys who are elite at creating a plan to find talent and then executing that plan. So, yeah, that hire will be the critical piece. The recruiting coordinator is just that, a coordinator. He will have a plan for everything. In-state, out-of-state, the portal. This position will be organized and pointed. We won’t sacrifice one way for another.
“That will be fixed immediately.”
We have done our own cross-checking with industry contacts to flesh out a coaching staff if the Gamecocks were to pull his interim tag.
One source said told us “He certainly has the contacts and runs in the same circles of the guys you would want coaching in that program. He’s well connected and great to work for.”
While Lee declined to discuss specific names publicly, he made one thing clear: the next staff at South Carolina must be fully aligned in recruiting, development, culture, and expectations.
“There are coaches across this country with Carolina roots, ties to winning programs, and proven track records in their areas of expertise,” Lee said. “People who understand this state, understand the recruiting hotbeds that matter to South Carolina Baseball, and understand the standard that built this program.”
Lee emphasized that recruiting alone is not enough. The next staff must be able to connect with players personally, develop them professionally, and lead them competitively.
“You have to win the living room before you can win the dugout,” Lee explained. “We need coaches who can build relationships, develop a team, and develop the man at the same time.”
According to Lee, character and alignment inside the building will be just as important as resumes.
“This program needs people of high character, high energy, and a high standard of excellence,” Lee said. “Everybody pulling in the same direction. That’s how you build consistency. That’s how you build toughness. That is how you build a program that lasts.”
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Lee also told us he would create a Director of Program Development position on his staff. This would be a multipurpose role that would focus on connecting the past to the present and to the future.
Currently, Stuart Lake is listed in this role, but it is temporary as Lake was added to the Gamecocks coaching staff the weekend Mainieri departed the program.
“A Director of Program Development is key for me, personally,” Lee said. “We have way too many loose ends right now in this program. We have to focus on reconnecting our alumni to the program, focus on rebuilding donor relationships, and have a plan for all of our future Gamecocks. It all should intertwine and I would need a guy to lead that department.”
Restore and develop the Player Support Staff
South Carolina has, for whatever reason, not fielded a Team Psychologist since the late Dr. Ron Kasper was last in the dugout under Chad Holbrook.
That would also change immediately, according to Lee.
“Ask anyone who was a part of Gamecock Baseball during those years. Ask them about Doc Kasper. Talk to Coach Tanner about how much he meant. Hell, ask Chad (Holbrook). Dr. Kasper may have been the most important member of that staff,” Lee said.
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“Look, every day just is not going to be a good day. Teams, players, coaches, we all have a day or a week. He took so much of that off of us. He was very important to me. Look at the outfield wall and look at all of those postseason years. Doc Kasper was a major part of that.”
Kasper passed away in 2021.
Lee vows to return a sports mental performance coach to Gamecock Baseball. The position would handle the sports side of psychology, but Lee wants to make sure the life side is just as important.
“We have kids who don’t see their families for months. They have class issues, relationship issues, whatever personal stuff they are going through. Then they come out here and are expected to perform at a high level. Now, with NIL and money involved, it is even more demanding.
“The SEC is won between the ears. I saw how Doc Kasper gave our championship teams ‘mental armor,’ and we’re bringing that psychological edge back. In an era of social media and outside pressure, our players need to be bulletproof. We’re going to provide the tools to ensure that when the lights are brightest, our kids are the ones who are most at home.”
The mental performance coach will be in the dugout during the games and available to meet with players and staff weekly or daily if needed. Lee also pointed out there is a Mental Sports Performance Staff available at South Carolina that “we would absolutely utilize in this program under my leadership.”
Additionally, the Fellowship of Christian Athletes would return to Gamecock Baseball. This was a part of the program for years under Tanner, Holbrook, and Kingston. Paul Mainieri did not utilize FCA during his tenure.
“It is another tool that players have at their disposal if they choose to use it. I would make it permanent,” Lee stated. “I personally have seen the benefits of FCA. It has always been a positive influence on our players and our program. Guys have expressed they want it back. So, I’d do that too.”
Recruiting the Right Talent
The recruiting angle has been discussed in this briefing and fluently for weeks. Simply put, the Gamecocks need better players.
But, what does that mean? Fans want to know specifically what any potential head coach would look for in signing players who make a good baseball program.
“We’re hunting for dirtbag ballplayers. Tough, competitive kids who play with a chip on their shoulder and take pride in the name on the front of the jersey,” Lee Stated. “It’s not about flash. It’s about toughness, character, competitiveness, and having players who genuinely care about representing South Carolina.
He continued by saying “When you fill a locker room with guys who take this place personally, who compete for each other, and who embrace the standard every single day, you build the kind of team nobody wants to play when postseason baseball starts.”
Lee expressed his plan to sign “athletic kids” who are “versatile” and can change the dynamic of the roster quickly.
“We are not going to just sign power arms and power bats if i’m the next guy here. That’s a byproduct of signing great players and development. We need on base bats with defensive versatility. I need pitchers who can throw three pitches.”
Lee presented an interesting way of describing the types of players South Carolina needs to flip their program.
“Draw a line from home plate to the center field wall. We want as many guys as possible who can play close to that center line and compete offensively. Athletic players. Versatile players. Tough players. We’re bringing edge back to the batter’s box.”
“On base percentage here is not just a statistic. It’s pressure. It’s discipline. It’s refusing to give away at bats. We want to be the kind of offense that forces an opponent to throw 100 pitches by the fifth inning because every single plate appearance feels like work,” Lee continued.
“We’re going to compete offensively in every phase of the game. Situational baseball. Two-strike approaches. Taking extra bases. Creating pressure. Making defenses uncomfortable.
“That’s the style of baseball this place was built on.”
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By pointing out that pitchers, catchers, middle infielders, and center fielders are the key pieces to building a dynamic roster, Lee is emphasizing that the staff can develop their players and change their positions once they get to campus. He made it clear “we will not sacrifice defense.”
He also stated “every single player won’t be that way. I mean, the Justin Smoak’s of the world are going to come along and you sign Justin Smoak one hundred out of one hundred times. But, general roster construction? Yes, we need to be much more athletic and we can create a much more dynamic lineup.”
Left handed hitters and on-base percentage would be other critical pieces of offensive roster construction.
“You have to have power, but I would get away from just recruiting power, power, power. We need good hitters who can do more with the bat and know how to get on base. Of course we are going to recruit kids we think can hit .300 in the SEC, but if you aren’t hitting, what are you doing to help us?
“That’s on base percentage.”
To his point, Kingston’s offenses were struggling mightily until he lured Lee back to Columbia in the summer of 2022. The 2023 and 2024 offenses then turned around back to back seasons with higher than a .400 team wide on base percentage, which led to 82 games where the team produced a “big inning” in those two years. They also produced two of the top five run scoring offenses this century by Gamecock Baseball.
Big innings are described as three runs or more scored by the offense in a half inning.
South Carolina’s record in those 82 games was 67-15 and the Gamecocks were in the postseason both years, making it to the Gainesville Super Regional in 2023 and the NC State Regional in 2024.
Lee was asked about the roster construction in those two seasons and how that impacted the Gamecocks from the paltry offensive performances in previous years.
“Really, we just prioritized guys who we knew could help us at this level. Guys who could get on base and make things happen. The portal was kind of just getting going and it was a different time. So I went out and got guys like Blake Jackson, Parker Noland, Austin Brinling, Kennedy Jones, Dalton Reeves. Those guys. Multiple guys on base over 40 percent of the time. They may not be everybody’s ideal player, but they were good players for us and we were able to get it turned around here.
“So, if you’re asking me how would I recruit? I would point to a lot of that and say let’s lay out our plan and be consistent in doing it. Let’s have a team full of those guys. Good players, good athletes, who want to be Gamecocks.”
Coach Lee also spoke about the need to grow older as a unit and explained how this has impacted other programs compared to South Carolina.
“Look at the elite programs in Division I baseball. Their best rosters are usually built around older players who have been in the program for multiple years. That continuity matters. Retention is like compounding interest. You identify talent, invest in development, and over time the experience, confidence, chemistry, and understanding of the standard start paying dividends,” Lee stated.
“This year, we had nine returning players from last season and only three from the year before that. So naturally, a large portion of this roster is still learning what it takes to navigate this league over the course of an entire season.
“That’s not a criticism of our players. Our guys continued to work and compete. It’s simply the reality that experience, continuity, and long-term development are major parts of what separates the most established programs in college baseball.”
Expanded Analytics
Another division of the program that would change under Lee is the analytics department. Lee said he would hire a Director of Player Development to spearhead the analytics side of things inside of the program.
“This operation will be cleaned up and expanded,” Lee said. “I will hire a very specific person for this role and it will be crucially important to our development and our recruiting.”
Lee said the “DPD” must be a “baseball guy” and must be able to “connect the data to real baseball.”
“Yeah, look, again, if I am the guy they choose, this is going to be a critical part of our staff here,” he said. “This person has to have an analytics background, but he has to also understand baseball. The two have to connect at a high, high level.”
Under the Director of Player Development, Lee said there will be a Director of Pitching Analytics and a Director of Hitting Analytics. Additionally, there will be numerous analytical roles on the staff and each will be specific and detailed.
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“We will be organized and the flow of information will be well structured. These people will be so important and they will know that. I will make sure, like every single person in this building, you are important and you have value.”
Alumni Relations
Lee spoke about his relationships with Gamecock Baseball alumni and what he could do to make sure the program was doing everything it can to stay connected to them.
“These guys made this place. All of those banners, records, the trophy case. Heck, this ball park. This is theirs. Sarge Frye. All of it. Those guys made the pitches, made the plays, got the hits. They signed the autographs. This is your program. I don’t know if I will get the chance to lead it, but if I do, I will lead it for them too.”
Lee said he would create an Alumni Relations Liaison position for those who played here to be able to connect themselves to the program.
He said anything from game tickets, to practice drop-in’s, event planning, special appearances, and more would fall under this umbrella. Lee says he wants to “streamline and connect.”
“Let’s make sure it is a simple process to be around the program and let’s work hard to connect this program to it’s roots. I think that is critical for any athletic department and it will be a priority.”
Lee also indicated he has found a place in Founders Park that he believes would be perfect for a Gamecock Baseball Wall of Fame.
Program Investment and Upgrades
A crucially important piece to the future of the Gamecocks is on the financial side. But, it is more than just NIL and Lee has pointed out multiple items that need to be on the upgrades list for South Carolina.
Lee explained that inside of Founders Park, the training facility and the weight room need major upgrades.
This summer, the Gamecocks are finally set to revamp their locker room area as well, but Lee also believes there are some things that should change in those plans.
“Founders Park is awesome. I have been everywhere. Literally everywhere. We have it good here. Coach Tanner was really phenomenal in how he made sure this places operates,” Lee said. “But, we also need to get some things updated and upgraded, starting with the weight room. If I am the guy, that is something I want to get with Billy and our strength staff on and figure out what we can do to bring it up to speed. Our training facilities are good, but they can be better and that would be a priority.”
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On the locker room area, Lee said “The plans already include some positive improvements. I simply believe the next head coach should have the opportunity to collaborate on the final details, so the facility reflects the future direction and identity of the program.”
Lee pointed out a lot of different atmosphere inducing ideas that would probably catch the attention of the fan base.
Ideas from changes to Founders Park, special promotions, and content were mentioned.
“Yeah, certainly,” Lee said when asked if there are things he thinks could enhance the game day atmosphere in Columbia. “I look around and see some wonderful fans who have stuck it out with us. Thick and thin. They’re there cheering for the Gamecocks every game. Win, lose, rain, hot, cold, whatever. They are there. They deserve the best place we can give them.
“I’d like to see a party pavilion or something like that out in the left field area. Something that is a little more part of today’s game atmosphere. We need to actively engage our students. Get on campus, get these kids out here watching baseball. Fraternity nights, sorority nights. We need to actively engage in those things and we will do it if I am around here.”
Lee went on to say “I’d like more content creation around our kids. Mic them up, let the public come in here and see their program. This is their program. They need to know their kids, know their coaches. We represent you. Things like that.”
He expressed that, if hired, he wants to meet with the South Carolina athletics administration to develop new marketing ideas and promotions and wants to be involved instead of being asked to be.
When the topic of financial investments came up, Lee also stated he would have a plan for that to “hit the ground running.”
Lee said he would utilize his South Carolina roots to continue to grow the Gamecocks financially.
“We would certainly use our connections. Stuart Lake, Tyson Lusk, these guys know how to do it. I have great relationships with those guys. But, the relationships don’t stop there.
“Look, there are so many people who want to invest in the Gamecocks. I know those people and if I don’t, I want to meet them. That means a lot to me. Being in the community and understanding our supporters. Being around our fans. It means so much that these people choose to spend their time around the Gamecocks. I have a plan for that and it starts with using my connections.”
Up Next
South Carolina will play 10th seeded Tennessee on Tuesday around 5:30pm eastern time in the first round of the SEC Tournament. The game will be televised on the SEC Network.
That also could be Lee’s last game in a Gamecock uniform.
Our understanding is the administration will work to move quickly in finding their next leader of Carolina Baseball. We may not know publicly, but leadership may privately.
For Lee, he understands the business and has no regrets with how everything has unfolded since he returned to Columbia.
“When I say I understand what South Carolina Baseball is supposed to look like, I’m not speaking from theory. I’ve lived it,” Lee stated.
“I’ve stood in this dugout during some of the greatest moments this program has ever seen, and I’ve stood in it during some hard ones too. I know what this place feels like when it’s connected. When the players believe in each other. When the standard is being lived every day. There’s nothing like it.
“I understand there are people who question whether I’m the right person for this job. I respect that. This profession humbles everyone eventually. If you stay in it long enough, you experience success, criticism, disappointment, and growth. That’s part of it,” he said.
“But I also know what I’ve done.
“I’ve won championships in multiple leagues. I have built winning programs with tough, homegrown players who competed for each other and took pride in the jersey they wore. I’ve coached great players here, and I understand the toughness, discipline, and culture it takes to win in this league.”
Proudly Lee told us “This isn’t just another opportunity to me. This is home.”
“And if given the opportunity, I’ll pour everything I have into making this state proud of South Carolina Baseball again.
“I truly believe that. I truly believe I can fix the Gamecocks.”
