Monte Lee apologizes for South Carolina's struggles this season, vows tide is 'going to turn'

The numbers say one thing, but it only takes two eyes to see another. South Carolina drew over 6,000 fans per game this past weekend against Alabama, but those listed attendance figures don’t reflect the scene in the stands, where thousands of garnet seats went unfilled.

And it’s not that the numbers are necessarily wrong — attendance is calculated based on how many fans are there, total tickets sold, or school-provided estimates. But the true tally looked nowhere close to what it otherwise says, and it’s been that way for the better part of the last year and a half.

Amid all the struggles the Gamecocks have endured the last two seasons, many fans have opted not to come out to Founders Park — and it’s not hard to understand why. South Carolina is at its lowest point, currently in the midst of an eight-game losing streak and just became the first team in program history to lose 30 games in a season, breaking last year’s record of 29 losses in 2025.

It’s a mess, to say the least. The coach who’s been left to piece things together has tried everything he can to fix it. But it’s become clear just how difficult that task has been. Few understand the frustrations as well as Monte Lee, who wants nothing more than to see the program succeed.

“We’re doing our very best. We’re doing everything we can, but it hasn’t been enough,” Lee said on Sunday. “That’s the bottom line. So, I’ll take accountability for that.”

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Lee gets it. He’s seen what championship-caliber baseball looks like in Columbia, but he’s also now experienced the other end of the spectrum, watching from the dugout as South Carolina closes out another disappointing season. And he can see the impact that’s had on the fanbase.

“There’s people that the one thing that they look forward to on the weekends is coming to Founders Park and watching baseball. And that’s the people that were here (on Sunday),” he said. “We’re down 7-0, (Ethan) Lizama base hit through the shortstop in a two strike-count, we scored a run, and they’re standing up and clapping for him. You have people whose whole lives, what they look forward to, is Gamecock athletics. I know exactly what that feels like and what that’s all about.”

It’s far from Lee’s fault. He’s simply trying to make the best of a difficult situation after taking over as interim head coach on March 21. There’s a reason he’s in charge now, and much of it stems from circumstances that were well beyond his control.

Still, Lee felt the need on Sunday to apologize to the fanbase for how things have gone this year.

“The first message that I would give them is, ‘Thank you so much for continuing to support the players, even in a really tough season.’ It says a lot about our fan base when you keep showing up and keep pulling for the players,” Lee said. “The second thing I will say to them is, ‘I’m sorry.’ I’m sorry because I’m a part of this. … I’m sorry that we haven’t been able to be more consistent.

“We’ve had our moments, and we’ve had some games here this year where we’ve brought a lot of joy and excitement to the fan base. But look, over the last couple of weeks, it’s been really hard, and I’m sorry that we haven’t been able to find a way to win some games for them.”

Lee has tried to downplay whatever happens next once the season ends. The questions about his future have already started, and there will likely be more before the offseason arrives. He’s made his stance clear that he would love the opportunity to become the full-time head coach moving forward, but he also understands that decision is ultimately out of his hands and up to others to decide.

“I will tell them that it’s going to turn,” Lee said about his message to the fans. “Whoever the next leader is of the program will find a way to make this program better and get this program back to where they want it to be. And I just hope they keep showing up, keep pulling for the players and, eventually, it’ll turn.”

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