Former Mississippi State head baseball coach Chris Lemonis has been named as the next head coach at Coastal Carolina.
Coastal Carolina’s athletic department announced Thursday that it had reached a deal with Lemonis following the departure of Kevin Schnall to South Carolina.
“Chris Lemonis is one of the most respected coaches in college baseball,” said Coastal Carolina’s Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics and University Recreation Chance Miller. “He knows what it takes to get to Omaha, and more importantly, he knows what it takes to win there. Chris has proven himself everywhere he has been, and we’re excited to bring a national championship-winning coach home to Conway. Just as importantly, he understands this community because it’s home. He knows what Coastal Carolina Baseball means to our university, our fans and this region.”
Lemonis coached at Mississippi State from 2019-2025, including winning a national title in 2021, before being fired midway through the 2025 season. Firing aside, he built an impressive resume over seven seasons with the Bulldogs, becoming the first Division I coach to reach the College World Series in his first two seasons as a head coach since 1999.
Lemonis was also the fastest head coach in Mississippi State history to reach 100 wins and was named National Coach of the Year by Baseball America in the same season they won it all, leading the Bulldogs to a 50-18 record and a championship. His overall record in Starkville rounded out at 232-135.
Despite all of the success and impressive resume boosters he accumulated over the years, things didn’t work out between him and the school, who has since moved on to hire Brian O’Connor.
Before Mississippi State, he was the head coach at Indiana from 2015-2018.
Lemonis, a South Carolina native, returns to his home state to coach the Chanticleers for the 2027 season. This is his first coaching role since Mississippi State.
