Over the past 58 seasons, Clemson has had two coaches: Bill Wilhelm and Jack Leggett.
This season marks the beginning of a third coach’s tenure as Monte Lee takes over the Tigers after Clemson dismissed Leggett after 22 seasons.
Lee, a native of Spartanburg, S.C., was hired after guiding his alma mater, the College of Charleston, for seven successful seasons. His final two seasons produced a record of 99-34 and included a Super Regional berth in 2014. Before he arrived back at Charleston, he spent six years as an assistant at South Carolina, helping Ray Tanner build the Gamecocks into a powerhouse.
Now Lee is charged with doing what Leggett did: replace a legend. Worth noting is that Leggett was 39 at the start of his first season with the Tigers. Lee turned 39 earlier this month.
After thriving at Charleston, you had talked with several big-name programs about their coaching vacancies. What made Clemson the right fit?
Clemson is in my home state of South Carolina. I’ve been here all my life. I grew up admiring Clemson from afar. It’s one of the best programs in the country. So the transition has been very easy because I was so aware of all the success the program has had.
How tough was it to leave Charleston, your alma mater?
It was very hard to leave because it was my alma mater, and I love it dearly. I had great relationships there. I knew if I were to leave, it had to be for a destination job like Clemson.
You’ve coached against and gotten to know Jack Leggett. Describe the feeling of replacing him.
I have a lot of respect for Coach Leggett and all the things he accomplished as a head coach. Not only is he a Hall-of-Fame coach, he is a great man as well. His former players have a tremendous amount of respect for him, and he did things the right way. If I end up having as good a career as Coach Leggett, I’ll be very proud.
What are some of your immediate goals for the Tigers?
To play as hard as we can. To compete as hard as we can. To play pitch-by-pitch baseball as focused as we can be every single game. We want to maximize each and every day.
What are some of the team’s strengths entering the 2016 season?
We have a veteran lineup and a lot of players returning. Our pitching staff will be better than people think. We don’t have a lot of experience on the mound, but we have quite a few guys who are capable of having success at this level.