Chad Holbrook out as South Carolina baseball coach – The State
South Carolina coach Chad Holbrook resigned on Tuesday after five seasons as the head coach of the Gamecocks.
Holbrook met with Carolina Athletics Director Ray Tanner earlier this week to make his case to return to USC, but after the meetings Holbrook decided to resign.
“I want to thank our fans, players, coaching staff and everyone that touched Carolina baseball,” Holbrook said in a statement. “This will always be a special place for me and my family. Wearing that jersey, being a part of two national championships, and meeting so many great people are things I will always treasure. I will always be a Gamecock! At the end of the day, this was the best decision for us,” continued Holbrook. “I wish Coach Tanner and this program I love so much nothing but the best. Forever to Thee!”
Tanner will address the future of the baseball program in a news conference at Founders Park on Wednesday at a time to be announced.
“We thank Coach Holbrook for his dedication and commitment to the program and wish him the best in his future endeavors,” Tanner said in a news release. “He and his family were part of some great memories at South Carolina and we will miss them.”
USC missed the postseason this year for the second time in three seasons after making it 15 consecutive years from 2000-2014.
Holbrook finishes his time at USC with a record of 200-106, including an 81-67 mark in SEC play.
Holbrook was an assistant coach under Ray Tanner for USC’s back-to-back national titles in 2010 and 2011 and was also an assistant when the Gamecocks returned to the national championship series in 2012.
But he was unable to enjoy that success as a head coach.
In his first season in charge of the program, South Carolina lost to North Carolina in a Super Regional in Chapel Hill.
The following season the Gamecocks did not get out of the Columbia Regional, falling at home to Maryland. The loss marked the first time USC did not advance from a home regional since 1976.
Carolina was 16-0 in the postseason at Founders Park before failing to make it out of the regional in 2014.
The Gamecocks then missed the NCAA tournament entirely in 2015 before bouncing back last season and reaching and hosting a super regional, but Oklahoma State swept Carolina to keep Holbrook from reaching Omaha as a head coach.
This season was supposed to be South Carolina’s best chance under Holbrook for a deep postseason run with proven veteran pitchers Clarke Schmidt, Wil Crowe and Adam Hill in the starting rotation and an All-American closer in Tyler Johnson to go along with setup guys Josh Reagan and Reed Scott.
But the Gamecocks were never able to put it together, dropping their final eight SEC series and falling from preseason top five to out of the NCAA tournament.
About Us
Free Shipping
If your order is $35 or more, you may qualify for free shipping. With free shipping, your order will be delivered 5-8 business days.
