Names to watch in South Carolina’s baseball coaching search

The South Carolina Gamecocks are searching for a new baseball coach.

Mark Kingston has been dismissed after seven seasons leading the Gamecocks, the university announced Monday morning.

The search to replace Chad Holbrook with Kingston in 2017 took about three weeks. The next coach will be the 31st in program history.

Before his firing, Kingston was making $725,000 in annual salary under a deal that ran through 2024. Kingston’s annual salary ranked in the bottom half of the SEC, according to research from The Tennessean, in a conference where nine of 14 coaches made at least $1 million in base salary.

In no particular order, here’s a look at some possible names who could get phone calls from USC athletic director Ray Tanner during the search process.

Kendall Rogers, a national insider for D1Baseball.com, hinted at the Gamecocks making a splashy hire in a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Monday.

“I love SC’s chances of landing a big fish in this cycle,” Rogers wrote.

Chris Pollard, Duke head coach

Consistent winner with regional ties who pops up on hot boards annually. Pollard is the first coach to lead Duke to the NCAA Tournament since the Kennedy administration. His Blue Devils just made their sixth NCAA regional appearance in 12 seasons and won a second ACC Tournament championship in four years. Pollard previously coached at App State and Pfieffer.

Skylar Meade, Troy head coach

Former Gamecocks pitching coach who just completed his third season at the Sun Belt school. Meade took Troy to its first NCAA regional in five years in 2023, and the Trojans were 37-22 and third in the SBC this year but didn’t make the field. In Meade’s four seasons as a South Carolina pitching coach under Kingston, 14 Gamecocks pitchers were selected in the MLB Draft.

Cliff Godwin, East Carolina head coach

One of the sport’s most productive mid-major coaches who’s maintained the standard for the Pirates. ECU has been a top 16 seed and regional host in the NCAA Tournament five times in the last six years, and Godwin has taken the program to four super regionals while winning 67% of his games. Godwin, an ECU alum, has turned down interest from other jobs in the past.

Landon Powell, North Greenville head coach

Former South Carolina catcher who just completed his 10th season as head coach with the D2 Crusaders. Powell has won 75% of his games at North Greenville, reached six NCAA Tournaments and won the 2022 D2 College World Series. He has strong ties to the program as a former Gamecock. The SEC would be a big jump.

Kevin O’Sullivan, Florida head coach

A veteran SEC coach and friend of Tanner’s who has turned Florida into a College World Series regular. The Gators were the CWS champion in 2017, the CWS runner-up in 2023 and are currently competing in a 16th straight NCAA regional. O’Sullivan knows the state, as he spent nine years as a Clemson assistant. This would be a splashy hire – and an expensive one.

Josh Elander, Tennessee assistant coach

A hot name working as an assistant for the No. 1 overall seed in this year’s NCAA field. Elander primarily works with Tennessee’s hitters and has been part of two College World Series teams under Tony Vitello. He’s young — Elander just turned 33 years old in June — and is well-versed in SEC baseball (and SEC baseball recruiting). He also has no formal head coaching experience.

Monte Lee, South Carolina assistant coach

Former Clemson head coach who’s currently on staff at South Carolina as an associate head coach. Lee’s considered one of the good guys in the business, won a lot with the Tigers and College of Charleston before that and has drawn rave reviews for his work with USC hitters the last two years. But he never got the Tigers past the NCAA regional round in seven seasons.

Dan McDonnell, Louisville head coach

An annual winner in the ACC who’s seen his stock fall a bit after missing back-to-back tournaments. McDonnell had the third-best winning percentage among all D1 coaches entering 2024 (.698) and has taken Louisville to nine super regionals and five College World Series appearances in 18 years. McDonnell is also a former player and assistant coach at The Citadel.

Tom Walter, Wake Forest head coach

Experienced coach who recently led the Demon Deacons to their first College World Series appearance in 68 years. In his 15 seasons at Wake Forest, Walter has elevated the program’s standard and turned it into an annual winner and producer of pro talent. That peaked in 2023 as Wake won a program-record 54 games and reached its first CWS since 1955. The Demon Deacons were the preseason No. 1 team but failed to hosted a regional and exited in disappointing fashion this weekend in ECU’s regional.

Chris Lemonis, Mississippi State head coach

SEC standout who became the first D1 coach to reach the College World Series in his first two full seasons in the super regional era (since 1999). Lemonis and the Bulldogs won the 2021 national championship, and he has two 50-win seasons under his belt. Mississippi State missed the field in 2023 and was eliminated as No. 2 seed this year. Lemonis, who makes over $1 million in annual salary, is a Myrtle Beach native and played and coached at The Citadel.