Clemson Makes Coaching Change in Baseball Program
CLEMSON, S.C. — All Clemson has learned there will be a coaching change for the Clemson baseball program.
New Clemson Athletic Director Graham Neff has decided to go into a different direction with the baseball program and has dismissed Monte Lee as his head coach.
Sources told All Clemson that the team met with school officials Tuesday afternoon and were informed Lee was no longer the head coach.
Neff later released a statement on his decision to let Lee go.
“Monte and his staff have been nothing but professional in their approach to Clemson Baseball, and we appreciate the manner in which they’ve represented Clemson University,” said Neff. “The expectations for Clemson Baseball are very high, and the team’s recent on-field performance has not met those of our administration, our coaching staff, our student-athletes or our loyal fanbase.
"Clemson Baseball is a proud program, and we, as a department, are committed to doing all we can to return our program to national prominence. We will work with our student-athletes to ensure that the transition process is successful.”
Lee just concluded his seventh season at Clemson. The Tigers went 35-23 this past season, finished tied for 11th in the ACC and did not receive a bid to the NCAA Tournament for a second straight year – a first for the program since the 1985 and 1986 seasons.
Clemson was coming off a losing campaign in 2021, the program’s first since 1957.
Lee posted a 242-136 record in his seven seasons at Clemson. He led the Tigers to the 2016 ACC Baseball Championship in his first year and each of his first three teams hosted an NCAA Regional.
Unfortunately, Clemson did not make it to a Super Regional in any of those three years and in his fourth year the Tigers did not make it to the championship round of the Oxford, Miss., Regional in 2019.
After the pandemic cancelled the majority of the 2020 season, the Tigers went 25-27 in 2021, the program's first losing season since 1957.
Clemson started off the 2022 campaign with a 14-0 record, but it went 21-23 the rest of the way, including two lopsided defeats in the ACC Tournament to North Carolina and Virginia Tech.
The Tigers were 13-16 in ACC regular season play and finished tied for 11th in the ACC standings, the program's all-time worst finish. Their 6th place finish in the ACC Atlantic was also their worst since the league went to divisions in 2005.
Over the past two seasons, Clemson was 60-50 (.545) overall and 29-36 (.446) in ACC play.
Assistant Coach Bradley LeCroy and Director of Operations Brad Owens will oversee the program while the search is conducted.