Report: Ole Miss’ Mike Bianco Top Candidate for LSU Baseball Coaching Vacancy
Another name has come to the forefront as a leader to become the next head baseball coach of the LSU Tigers.
Ole Miss coach Mike Bianco is in talks with LSU to possibly become the next skipper of the Tigers, sources close to the LSU baseball program told the Daily Advertiser on Monday night. The sources have asked not to be identified because LSU has not released details of the coaching search.
LSU fans are no stranger to Mike Bianco as the 54-year-old played for the Tigers in 1988-1989. He was also an assistant there from 1993-1997.
Baton Rouge is also where Bianco met his wife Camie (a Baton Rouge native) while the two were students at the university. And to top it all off, his son Drew is a junior outfielder for the Tigers.
Bianco's head coaching career began at McNeese State where he led the Cowboys from 1998-2000. He left there in the summer of 2000 to take over the Ole Miss Rebels and has been there ever since.
The Rebels have been in the NCAA tournament all but three of Bianco's seasons, having made seven super regionals and one trip to the College World Series (2014).
Bianco was given a four-year contract extension last June and makes approximately $1.2 million a year.
Of course, the reason for the opening at LSU is the retirement of 15-year head coach Paul Mainieri. He coached his last game on Sunday as the Tigers fell to Tennessee in the Super Regional in Knoxville.
Another name circulating is East Carolina coach Cliff Godwin, who was LSU's hitting coach during Mainieri's first two seasons at LSU back in 2007 and '08. The 43-year-old was also Bianco's hitting coach at Ole Miss from 2011-14 before taking over the East Carolina job.
Godwin's team just lost in the Super Regionals at Vanderbilt over the weekend.
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