NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — Former LSU head coach Paul Mainieri was the keynote speaker at the inaugural Greater New Orleans Quarterback Club’s First Pitch Luncheon at The Cannery on Tuesday afternoon.
It was very well attended.
Mainieri looked great.
WGNO Sports asked him if he would consider a return to coaching.
“I don’t know, possibly,” the four-time national coach of the year, who retired in 2021 after 15 years at LSU that included a national championship in 2009. “I have to start feeling better. My neck is still giving me a little bit of issues.”
The 65-year-old West Virginia native compiled a coaching record of 1,501 wins, 775 losses and eight ties, and is 71-43 in tournament play.
During his 15-year tenure with the Tigers, Mainieri’s teams captured four SEC titles and won six conference tournaments.
“I had a couple of opportunities to go back in last summer, and I just didn’t feel like I was ready to. I don’t really know, Ed, to be honest with you. I feel like I got more in me, and I would like to do it, but the game has also changed a lot with the transfer portal and NIL, all the kind of stuff. I think it would depend on where the opportunity was and if it were really something I wanted to do.”
Mainieri joined the other local college baseball coaches at the luncheon, which also included first-year program Dillard and new head coach Trennis Grant.
The event was held three days prior to the first team practices for Division I schools, with opening day for the Green Wave and Privateers scheduled for Feb. 17. NAIA and junior college programs will begin their playing seasons even sooner – Loyola opens its season Jan. 27, Nunez on Jan. 28, Xavier on Jan. 29 and Delgado Feb. 3.