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Paul Mainieri to Become Head Coach at South Carolina

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Paul Mainieri to Become Head Coach at South Carolina


Here’s something I never thought I’d write: Paul Mainieri is back in the coaching game.

Monday afternoon it was reported that the former Tiger skipper has been lured out of retirement to take the head coaching position at South Carolina. Teddy Cahill of Baseball America and Kendall Rogers at D1 Baseball were among the first to have the scoop.

If we’re looking at this from just purely a credentials standpoint, this is a home run hire by South Carolina. Mainieri has amassed over 1,500 wins in his 39-year career. He’ll be the active leader in wins (1,505) when the 2025 season begins. At LSU he led LSU to the 2009 national championship and took the Tigers to Omaha on four other occasions, including a runner up finish in 2017. LSU won the SEC West six times, the SEC regular season title four times, and the SEC Tournament six times in the Mainieri era.

Mainieri posted a 641-285-3 record in his 15 seasons at LSU and his .692 winning percentage is the third best in league history behind only Skip Bertman and, fittingly enough, former South Carolina head coach Ray Tanner. Tanner is now Mainieri’s AD at South Carolina. The Tigers earned a national seed for the NCAA Tournament nine times, including a run of six consecutive seasons from 2012-2017. Stanford is the only other program to accomplish a similar feat, doing so between 1999-2004.

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There is no doubt in the world that Mainieri is qualified to be a head coach of an SEC program. But Carolina tapping Mainieri now, heading into the 2025 season, is…interesting to say the least.

Mainieri will be 67 years old by the time first pitch rolls around next February. He also of course retired following the 2021 season and has been out of the game in each of the past three seasons. His 2009 national championship is going on 16 years ago and his last Omaha trip will have been eight years ago.

Mainieri also got out of college athletics before NIL became a thing and the transfer portal has turned into what it is now. And for a man who by his own omission retired because of health issues, is this really something he wants to do?

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Brianna Paciorka/News Sentinel via Imagn Content Services, LLC

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Who knows, maybe the three years away has recharged Mainieri’s batteries. Remember, a year ago his name was being floated for the head coaching job at Miami, and the year before that he was being linked to Notre Dame, where he spent 11 years at before coming to Baton Rouge. Maybe he truly misses coaching and getting to return to the SEC was too good an opportunity to pass up.

Mainieri will replace Mark Kingston, who was fired after the Gamecocks were knocked out of the NCAA Tournament. And if you’re wondering, yes LSU will play the Gamecocks in Columbia next season. Sorry Coach, but you’ll be Tiger Bait when that weekend comes around.



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South-Carolina

South Carolina Elections Commission deputy executive director fired after internal investigation

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South Carolina Elections Commission deputy executive director fired after internal investigation


COLUMBIA, S.C. (WIS) – The deputy executive director for the South Carolina Elections Commission has been fired amid an ongoing SLED investigation.

According to a spokesperson from the elections commission, Paige Salonich was fired after an internal investigation was made into her conduct. She was initially suspended while the investigation was ongoing.

In Salonich’s termination letter, the elections commission said that she was caught by agency security cameras placing “an unauthorized device in the SEC training room a clear violation of state and agency policy,” on Sept. 17.

In the letter, the commission said that placing the unauthorized device “constitutes the unauthorized use and misuse of state property and raises serious concerns regarding trust, confidentiality, and workplace integrity.”

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Salonich also allegedly used profane language and raised her voice at leadership on Sept. 17, saying that she “was being held hostage at you own (explicit language) job,” and that she “would never be a hostage in this (explicit language) place again,” per her termination letter.

Her termination comes after former Executive Director of the South Carolina Elections Commission, Howard Knapp, was also fired on Sept. 17.

SLED is currently investigating Salonich’s placement of the unauthorized device.

The full letter can be found below.

This is a developing story. Stay with WIS for the latest details.

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Firefighter hospitalized after McDonald’s restaurant catches fire in South Carolina

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Firefighter hospitalized after McDonald’s restaurant catches fire in South Carolina


SPARTANBURG, S.C. (WBTV) – A firefighter was hurt after a McDonald’s restaurant caught fire in South Carolina on Tuesday.

The Sept. 23 fire broke out around 12:30 a.m. at the McDonald’s on Cedar Springs Road in Spartanburg, per sister-station WHNS.

The local fire marshal told WHNS that the injured firefighter was taken to the hospital, but was released later Tuesday morning. The nature and extent of the firefighter’s injuries were not immediately clear.

According to online information, that McDonald’s was open until 12 a.m. Despite the fire starting only a half hour after closing time, WHNS reported that nobody was inside the restaurant when flames broke out.

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The fire marshal said the fire started in the restaurant’s HVAC system above the ceiling tiles. Drone video taken by WHNS appeared to show black marks on the McDonald’s roof; however, officials said the roof did not collapse.

Once the fire was put out, two paper signs were taped to the restaurant door. One said “CLOSED” while the other said “WARNING THIS BUILDING IS UNSAFE.” It is unclear how much damage was caused by the flames, or long the McDonald’s could be closed.

The restaurant is about 15 minutes off I-85 Business, on the southern side of Spartanburg.

A McDonald’s in Spartanburg, S.C. caught fire just after midnight on Tuesday, Sept. 23.(WHNS)

Also Read: Historic train depot burns down amid early-morning fire in South Carolina

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South Carolina High School Football Top 25

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South Carolina High School Football Top 25


There wasn’t a lot of shakeup in the fourth. week of the 2025 season. We did see ac top five battle between Northwestern and South Pointe that produced a new No. 2 in Irmo. Two new additions to the Top 25 are A.C. Flora and Stratford.

Previous rank: 1

Defeated Gray Collegiate 42-14; next at Oceanside Collegiate

Previous rank: 3

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Defeated Carolina Forest 51-21; next at Myrtle Beach

Previous rank: 4.

Defeated then-No. 2 Northwestern 27-23; next at No, 24 A.C. Flora

Previous rank: 5

Idle; next at Chapin

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Previous rank: 2

Lost 27-23 to then-No. 4 South Pointe

Previous rank: 6

Defeated Strom Thurmond 37-13; next vs. Gilbert

Previous rank: 7

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Defeated Westside 42-6; next vs, Palmetto

Previous rank: 8

Defeated North Myrtle Beach 53-14; next at Socastee

Previous rank: 10

Defeated Woodmont 48-6; next vs. Chesnee

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Previous rank: 11

Defeated Lexington 36-30; next at T.L. Hanna

Previous rank: 12

Defeated Chapin 45-22; next vs. Fairfield Central

Previous rank: 13

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Defeated Chester 34-14; next vs. Southside Christian

Previous rank: 14

Defeated Cane Bay 34-14; next at St. James

Previous rank: 16

Defeated Crestwood 28-0; next vs. Spring Valley

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Previous rank: 17

Idle; next vs. Gray Collegiate

Previous rank: 19

Defeated Fort Dorchester 65-7; next vs. Crestwood

Previous rank: 20

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Idle; next vs. Riverside

Previous rank: 21

Idle; next at Woodmont

Previous rank: 23

Defeated then-No. 9 Camden 56-13; next idle

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Previous rank: 22

Idle; next at Cane Bay

Previous rank: 24

Idle; next vs. Boiling Springs

Previous rank: 25

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Defeated Wren 40-27; next vs. Greenwood

Previous rank: 9

Lost 56-13 to Ridge View; next at Richland Northeast

Previous rank: unranked

Defeated Laurens 49-0; next vs. No. 3 South Pointe

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Previous rank: unranked

Defeated Socastee 56-12; next vs. Colleton County



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