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South Carolina baseball assistant Chad Caillet says he has retired for family reasons
By Sydney Hunte
Published:
South Carolina’s baseball coaching staff will look a little different in 2023.
Chad Caillet wrapped up his first season with the Gamecocks this spring as an assistant coach and the team’s recruiting coordinator under head coach Mark Kingston, coming to the program after 2 years at Texas A&M. That followed 12 seasons at Southern Miss, his alma mater.
However, Caillet is not just leaving the team, but leaving the sport altogether. He told D1Baseball.com managing editor Kendall Rogers that he was retiring for family reasons:
COACH SCOOP: @GamecockBasebll assistant Chad Caillet reached out to me to let me know that he is retiring from baseball to spend more time with family. Chad is a terrific coach and an even better person. He had some great times, especially with @SouthernMissBSB. #Gamecocks
— Kendall Rogers (@KendallRogers) August 18, 2022
And the Gamecocks will turn to a familiar face to replace him.
Monte Lee, an assistant under former head coach and current South Carolina athletic director Ray Tanner before head coaching stints at the College of Charleston and Clemson, will return to Columbia for the first time in nearly 15 years. Lee was first with the Gamecocks from 2003 to 2008, ultimately leading College of Charleston to 4 regionals in 7 years as head coach.
He then replaced longtime Clemson skipper Jack Leggett ahead of the 2016 season, with the Tigers making regionals in his first 4 seasons. But he was fired on May 31 after the program failed to make the NCAA tournament in 2 straight seasons.
Sydney is an Atlanta-based journalist who has covered everything from SEC and ACC football to MLS, the U.S. men's national soccer team and professional tennis. His work has appeared on such platforms as SB Nation, Cox Media Group and FanSided.
