The day Paul Mainieri announced his retirement, Connor Simon flew home from a trip.
An infielder from St. Paul’s who committed to LSU his freshman year, Simon had heard rumors about the possibility Mainieri would retire, but he didn’t believe them until his dad called when the plane landed.
“It was a shock, but also a feeling of anticipation of, 'What's going to happen now?'” Simon said. “I'd say that same feeling is still there because we still don't really know yet.”
Three weeks have passed since Mainieri’s announcement, and LSU continues to look for a new coach, a process that is expected to stretch into this week and possibly further as LSU evaluates candidates coaching at the College World Series, sources said.
Mike Bianco reaffirmed his commitment to Ole Miss as part of a statement released by the school late Sunday night, ending the possibility he could become LSU's next baseball coach.
As the search continues, LSU’s incoming freshman class has waited with everybody else to know who will coach them next season. At the same time, assistant coaches have taken new jobs, and the players have less than a month until the Major League Baseball draft, an event that will shape many of their futures as professional teams consider picking them before they ever reach campus.
“The best way I can describe it is probably the most hectic waiting game of all time,” said Carter Jensen, a catcher from Kansas City considered the No. 79 prospect in the draft by MLB.com. “I'm waiting to see who the new coach is, waiting to see if something happens in the draft or waiting to go down to school. I'm pretty much trying to wait it all out, see what happens and go with the flow until then.”
LSU’s recruits found out about Mainieri’s decision around when LSU made the announcement, some the day before and others through social media that morning. Their minds soon drifted to what came next. Many of them committed to LSU two or three years ago, and suddenly the coaches who convinced them to pick LSU were leaving.
With each day that goes by without LSU hiring a new baseball coach, the speculation only increases by factors of unknown tension, anxiety and drama.
Over the last few weeks, the signees have tracked rumors on social media, trying to find any insight. They saw Kevin O’Sullivan’s name floated as a candidate until he announced he would stay at Florida. They heard LSU was considering former Oregon State coach Pat Casey, though sources told The Advocate he was unlikely to become the next coach. They’ve watched Mike Bianco and Cliff Godwin emerge in the search.
And now they’ve seen Bianco sign a new contract extension with Ole Miss, removing him from the search.
“We get our hopes up like we're about to find out who's going to get it and it all goes away and restarts,” said Josh Pearson, an outfielder from West Monroe. “It's confusing.”
LSU athletic director Scott Woodward interviewed Mike Bianco and Cliff Godwin to become the school’s next baseball coach, but the search is expected to stretch into next week and possibly further as LSU evaluates candidates coaching at the College World Series, sources told The Advocate | Times-Picayune.
At the same time, two LSU assistant coaches departed since Mainieri’s retirement. Hitting coach Eddie Smith accepted a job as the head coach at Utah Valley, and late last week, recruiting coordinator Nolan Cain reportedly joined the staff at Texas A&M. Most of LSU’s coaches have emptied their offices.
As all of this has unfolded, LSU’s signing class has communicated through a group text thread. They share rumors, discuss possibilities and guess who the school will hire. The topic has dominated conversation for nearly a month. People pepper them with questions about their futures, especially those who may get drafted next month.
After Cain left, the players got a text from Mainieri. They said he told them he would become their primary point of communication until LSU hires a new coach.
LSU recruiting coordinator Nolan Cain took a similar position at Texas A&M, ending an eight-year tenure in multiple positions for the former pitcher at his alma mater, according to a report Friday evening from D1 Baseball.
“He's keeping us all calm, letting us know that no matter what, LSU will make the right decision,” Pearson said. “They'll put a coach in there that we'll love.”
Simon plans to move into his dorm July 3 and start summer classes a few days later. As he recovers from surgery on a stress fracture in his elbow, he hopes he can start workouts and training for the season when he gets there.
“I'm hoping,” Simon said, “I don't show up to campus with no coaches.”
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As LSU's coaching search continues, recruits anxiously wait to know who gets hired - The Advocate
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