Paul Mainieri's first South Carolina-Clemson series is far from his first-ever marquee matchup

Paul Mainieri is approaching a half-century of time in college baseball as both a player and a coach. Mainieri quickly learned the gravity that some high-profile matchups had early in his career.

“When I transferred for my sophomore year to play for my father, he was at Miami-Dade North Community College. Our biggest rival was Miami-Dade South Community College. We didn’t like each other too much,” Mainieri said. “So, I’m kind of used to that kind of a rivalry, where it seems more than a game.”

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48 years later, Mainieri will be leading South Carolina in a rivalry that is among college sports’ best. The Gamecocks are set to play in-state rival Clemson in a three-game series this weekend.

Mainieri only recently took South Carolina’s head coaching job, making Friday’s game his first in-state rivalry matchup in the role. Despite this, he has plenty of previous big-game experience to lean on.

“I’ve coached a lot of games in my life, and a lot of big games in and out of the SEC, Omaha, and Super Regional, championship games, and everything. I’m as excited as I’ve ever been about baseball games as I am this weekend,” Mainieri said. “I’m not afraid of it, and our players aren’t afraid of it. They’re embracing it. They’re looking forward to it.”

There will be something about South Carolina’s rivalry series that is completely novel to Mainieri, though – the concept of playing the same opponent in three different locations over three days.

The series will be bookended by games at each team’s respective home stadium. Friday’s contest will be at Doug Kingsmore Stadium, while Sunday’s will be at Founders Park.

The middle game of the series takes place in a minor league ballpark and rotates between Columbia and Greenville each year. This season, it will be held at Fluor Field, home of the Greenville Drive, the High-A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox.

“Going to play at Clemson is going to be the most hostile environment that we’ll be in until, maybe, somebody in the SEC. Then, playing in a minor league ballpark, where, from my understanding, they might have 9,000 people or so at the game… And then, of course, coming back here on Sunday after the women’s basketball game and playing a five o’clock game. (I’m) pretty certain that we’re going to have a good crowd for that game,” Mainieri said.

“I just think it’s wonderful for college baseball. I think it’s wonderful for the state. It’s going to be great competition.”

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Mainieri understands, though, that the competitive flair the Gamecocks’ and Tigers’ players show each game isn’t the only thing that makes the rivalry unique. The vibrant atmosphere both teams’ fans create adds to the allure.

Mainieri spent the early parts of his career at St. Thomas University, the Air Force Academy, and Notre Dame, trying to get people to care about baseball. Since then, that job has gotten easier, and the South Carolina-Clemson rivalry is a prime example of that.

“When South Carolina and Clemson get on the field, you don’t have to convince people it’s important. And I love that. I just love that people are so passionate about it,” Mainieri said. “What makes me get out of bed every day and come to work is this kind of competition.”

There’s a lot on the line each year when the Gamecocks and Tigers face off. Bragging rights are a big deal in the state of South Carolina – as are points in the South Carolina Education Lottery’s Palmetto Series, which the Gamecocks lead 5-2.

No matter the outcome, Mainieri wants to practice what Dawn Staley preaches to South Carolina’s women’s basketball team – to not get too high with the highs or too low with the lows. The Gamecocks will still have 44 games on their schedule once the series is over.

“If we’re fortunate enough to win three games, I (don’t want) want our players to think, ‘Oh, well, we’ve arrived. That’s it. We’re at the top of the mountain. The rest of the season doesn’t matter.’ If we lose all three games, I don’t want our players walking around saying, ‘Oh, our season’s lost,’ because it’s not,” Mainieri said.

“If something in between that happens, somebody’s going to win the series, somebody’s going to lose the series. But for the team that lost the series, for the team that won the series, there’s still going to be a lot of baseball yet to play.”

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