LSU baseball coach Paul Mainieri coached his final game on Sunday afternoon — a 15-6 loss to Tennessee that sends the Vols to Omaha and Mainieri into retirement.

For Mainieri, the loss wraps up a 39-year coaching career, including the last 15 with the Tigers.

He led LSU to Omaha five times in those 15 years, including the National Championship in 2009 and runner-up honors in 2017.

During the waning moments of the game, Mainieri appeared to get emotional as the Tigers were up at the plate in the ninth inning. Asked after the game what he was thinking of, Mainieri mentioned family.

“I was thinking about my dad,” he told reporters. “I was thinking about my son in South Bend. I was thinking about my wife, my family. I’m the luckiest guy in the world. These are not tears of sadness, but of joy.”

Mainieri finishes his career in 11th place all-time in college baseball history with 1,505 wins. His coaching tenure also included stints with Notre Dame, Air Force and St. Thomas.

39 seasons. 15 with us. A National Champion and Hall of Famer.

Thank you for everything, Coach Mainieri. #ForeverLSU pic.twitter.com/xtDwpu0lTk

— LSU Baseball (@LSUbaseball) June 13, 2021

“I don’t want people to be sad for me,” he told reporters. “I’ve been the luckiest guy in the world. 39 years of being able to live out a childhood dream. Who could ask for more?”

Spenser Davis

Spenser is a news editor for Saturday Down South and covers college football across all Saturday Football brands.