Former Clemson head coach Monte Lee joins South Carolina baseball staff

Monte Lee’s next coaching job will be at a familiar place.

The former Clemson baseball coach will join Mark Kingston’s staff at South Carolina, the school announced Thursday night. It will be Lee’s second stint as a USC assistant, and he will serve USC’s associate head coach/recruiting coordinator.

Lee was most recently the head coach at Clemson from 2016 until he was fired at the end of May. The Tigers replaced him with Michigan’s Erik Bakich.

“I am super excited to come back to Columbia and help coach Kingston, the staff and most importantly the players in our pursuit to get back to Omaha,” Lee said in USC’s official release.

Lee will replace assistant coach Chad Caillet, who is stepping away from the program after one season due to “personal and family reasons.”

“I would like to thank Chad for being everything we hoped he would be,” Kingston said in USC’s release. “His work has set us up to be very successful as we move forward. We admire his decision to meet the needs of his family and wish them well moving forward. We are fortunate that Monte is available to return to the Gamecock family. I have respected his work for a long time, and welcome his passion, experience and knowledge to our team. I look forward to many great days ahead.”

Lee, 45, has spent his entire baseball career in South Carolina, playing at the College of Charleston, serving as an assistant at Spartanburg Methodist and South Carolina, and coaching his alma mater for seven seasons in Charleston before taking over for Jack Leggett at Clemson in 2016.

Lee spent six seasons on Ray Tanner’s staff at South Carolina between 2003 and 2008 prior being hired as the head coach at College of Charleston.

“Well, look, I would selfishly love to stay in state because it’s all that I know. It’s all that I’ve ever known,” Lee told The State in June shortly after he was let go by Clemson. “But realistically, I understand that whatever the next opportunity could be, it may be somewhere else.

“... So you can coach baseball anywhere. I’m certainly not opposed by any means to go elsewhere to do what I love. But shoot, this will always be home. I mean, South Carolina will always be home to me. If I can stay in state, great. But if not, I’ll certainly cross that bridge when I get there.”

Lee was 242-136 (102-86 ACC) in seven seasons as Clemson’s coach, which included four trips to the NCAA tournament from 2016-19, as well as the ACC championship in 2016.

Said Rogers via Twitter: “Getting Monte Lee in at @GamecockBasebll is a terrific get for Ray Tanner, Mark Kingston and the program. Clearly had a terrific track record as an assistant the last go-round.”

Lee is the latest former Tiger to join the USC baseball program this offseason. Clemson players Dylan Brewer, Ricky Williams and Jonathan French announced plans to transfer to USC.

South Carolina is coming off a 27-28 season — the Gamecocks’ first losing season since 1996.

The State’s Michael Lananna contributed to this story