South Carolina's lips are tightly sealed with regards to its baseball coach, as well as a story painting a picture of a bottomed-out program. The silence is ear-splitting.
There's been no official word concerning Paul Mainieri's future other than Mainieri himself insisting he's staying put. That's normally a non-issue, but perhaps warranted these days considering USC just concluded arguably the worst season in school history.
Regardless, Mainieri has conducted standard exit interviews with players since things wrapped up on May 20. It indicates he'll continue coaching the Gamecocks despite going 28-29, 6-24 in the SEC (both program-highs in losses).
USC presumably feels his $5.2 million buyout (along with another $2 million-plus for his staff) is too costly and improvement should be attainable in 2026. That's logical given the bar was set ridiculously low during his first season with the Gamecocks.
That was prior to TheBigSpur.com web site dropping a story on May 22, though. Its report outlined a toxic culture engulfing one of USC's signature athletic programs that was cultivated by a disconnected 67-year-old coach.
The report said Mainieri berated and belittled players, refused to leverage contemporary technology as well as USC's strength and conditioning program and is disinterested in practicing some of baseball's finer areas. Perhaps most concerning are accusations of how Mainieri handled a pitcher coming off of arm surgery. It's a legacy-bruising piece.
The 4,100-word report had a variety of sources ranging from people inside the program to outside members of the college coaching community, Major League Baseball scouts and agents. None were named, leaving the story naturally vulnerable to skepticism.
If nothing else, it opened the door for USC to respond pretty much as it desired.
Yet it declined.
Damning silence?
South Carolina's answer to a request for comment by The Post and Courier was a one-sentence email from an athletic department spokesperson.
"Thanks for giving us that chance but we will pass on the opportunity."
Don't pop the messenger. The spokesperson's succinct response was undoubtedly filtered by others before being sent. Bravo for the brevity.
Still, it only makes things worse.
There are three things possible when you're accused of something: Deny, apologize or explain. We've gotten none of those.
No rebuking TheBigSpur.com's story or its author; no voicing regrets; no clarifications. Our minds are left to wander.
USC relinquishing those options isn't a good look under ideal circumstances. This climate definitely isn't great.
Not just because of the losing, either. And make no mistake about it -- the losing was awful, historically and optically.
Twenty-two of its losses came by five runs or more, including three double-digit defeats over the final month that were low-lighted by a 22-3 home drubbing to Florida and a 24-2 loss at Auburn. Those kinds of beatings -- particularly down the stretch of a lost season -- indicate something more than a shortage of talent is to blame.
Let's assume, however, it is a talent issue.
That's fixable in this age of pay-for-play when rosters can be immediately flipped with enough bucks. Besides, USC is already dumping massive amounts of cash into the program and may keep doing so when revenue-sharing becomes a reality. Money won't be an issue for the Gamecocks.
But how can any program expect to succeed in a free market if the accusations are accurate? No player of any value would allow themselves to endure the conditions outlined in TheBigSpur.com's report, if they're true. Calmer pastures with winning records are more appealing even at a discounted rate.
To his credit, Mainieri received checkmarks by his name on May 23. That's when third baseman K.J. Scobey and catcher Talmadge LeCroy announced they were returning.
Otherwise, the transfer portal is expected to be clogged with Gamecocks when it opens June 2.
Run it back (into a ditch)
It's fitting the return announcements of LeCroy and Scobey each included a graphic that read "Run It Back." After all, history has shown that's the USC way.
It's certainly what former athletic director Ray Tanner craved, at any rate.
There's no other explanation for signing the retired Mainieri to a five-year deal that pays $1.3 million annually. Tanner wanted to recapture the Mainieri magic that resulted in the 2009 College World Series title and 641 victories during his 15 seasons at LSU.
But the methods and means behind all of that success is as outdated as uniform stirrups. It bears repeating that the span between Mainieri's 2021 retirement to his return could be measured like dog years -- things have changed that much.
Most notably, players have more power, specifically not facing repercussions for leaving uncomfortable situations. No doubt they want to be coached and perhaps coached hard, though there's a difference in that from being coached down.
And believe this truth: Players talk.
Word of what went down (or didn't go down) in Columbia this season will spread. Some of it will be unassailable; other parts distorted as if through a game of Telephone.
Yet, it will spread. And it'll take strong sales pitches to complement the cash regardless of who's running the show. Good luck closing.
Once more, that's if the report is spot-on.
At minimum, it could be twisting things; at worst, it could be completely inaccurate. Either would seem to empower a baseball program that desperately needs a win of any sort to speak out.
Instead, keeping quiet makes us inclined to believe what we read. And to wonder if USC is questioning its silence about the baseball coach.
Or at least its intentions regarding him going forward.