FROM CBD NEWS SOURCE
BATON ROUGE, La. — LSU baseball coach Paul Mainieri, a three-time National Coach of the Year and the second-winningest coach in Fighting Tiger history, was granted a three-year contract extension Friday by the LSU Board of Supervisors.
The Board’s action extends Mainieri’s contract through the 2017 season.
“Coach Mainieri’s program excels in each of the areas that we emphasize at LSU – competition, classroom and community,” said Vice Chancellor and Director of Athletics Joe Alleva. “His teams compete for championships every year, the players enjoy academic success, and they are active participants in public service endeavors. This extension rewards Coach Mainieri for running our baseball program the right way.”
Mainieri has a 258-122-2 record in six seasons at LSU, ranking behind only Skip Bertman (870 wins from 1984-2001) on the school career list for baseball coaching victories.
Just three years after taking over the LSU program, Mainieri led the Tigers to the 2009 National Championship, directing his squad to a 56-17 overall record and a 10-1 mark in NCAA Tournament competition. LSU defeated Texas in the CWS Championship Finals to win the national title, its first since 2000.
The 2009 national championship is one of the many highlights of Mainieri’s tenure at LSU, which has featured two College World Series appearances, three NCAA Regional titles, two Southeastern Conference championships, three SEC Tournament titles and three SEC Western Division crowns.
Mainieri most recently guided the 2012 Tigers to the SEC Championship and the No. 7 National Seed in the NCAA Tournament.
Mainieri’s commitment to academic excellence has been illustrated by the Tigers’ performance in the classroom as 64 LSU players have received SEC Academic Honor Roll recognition over the past six seasons.
Mainieri has established an active community service function within the baseball program, as the Tigers regularly visit hospitals and schools in the Baton Rouge area. The team also participates in the ALS Walk — promoting awareness of the treatment of Lou Gehrig’s Disease — and in the Buddy Walk, which is designed to encourage acceptance and inclusion of people with Down Syndrome.
Mainieri is personally involved in several philanthropic causes, including Cancer Services of Baton Rouge, the ALS Association, the Mental Health Association of Greater Baton Rouge, Prevent Child Abuse and the McMains Development Center for Children.
Thirty-four LSU players have been chosen in the Major League Baseball Draft during Mainieri’s tenure, including a first-round selection in each of the past four seasons – outfielder Jared Mitchell in 2009, pitcher Anthony Ranaudo in 2010, outfielder Mikie Mahtook in 2011 and pitcher Kevin Gausman in 2012. All four players developed into first-round selections under Mainieri after being drafted out of high school (Mitchell, 10th round; Ranaudo, 11th round; Mahtook, 39th round; Gausman, 6th round).
Four of Mainieri’s LSU players have already reached the Major Leagues, including pitcher Louis Coleman (Royals), infielder DJ LeMahieu (Cubs/Rockies), pitcher Charlie Furbush (Tigers/Mariners) and pitcher Ryan Verdugo (Royals).
