Coach Paul Mainieri Awarded

[LSUDad]

LSU head coach Paul Mainieri receives Rod Dedeaux Award in Dodger Stadium

 

 

LSU baseball head coach Paul Mainieri (Source: Josh Auzenne)

By Josh Auzenne | August 11, 2019 at 2:41 PM CDT - Updated August 11 at 2:51 PM 

LOS ANGELES (WAFB) - LSU head coach Paul Mainieri was given the 2018 Rod Dedeaux Award for his performance as head coach of the USA Collegiate National Team last summer.

Mainieri was given the award in Dodger Stadium Saturday night by Hall of Fame manager Tommy Lasorda and USA Baseball General Manager Eric Campbell.

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“When I received the news that I was to receive the Rod Dedeaux Coach of the Year Award, it literally brought tears to my eyes,” Mainieri said in January when USA Baseball made the award announcement. “To receive something with the name ‘Rod Dedeaux’ on it moved me to tears because of the immense respect that I have for Rod. He is the ‘godfather of college baseball coaching,' a pioneer in the development of international baseball, and he was Tommy Lasorda’s best friend. The interactions that I had with him are times that I will always cherish. That along with this being an award from USA Baseball, our nation’s baseball organization, and seeing the list of previous winners, including two of my mentors, Skip Bertman and Tommy Lasorda, makes this one of the most special recognitions that I’ve received in my career.”

Mainieri led the Collegiate National Team in the summer of 2018 to series wins over Chinese Taipei, Japan and Cuba.

Mainieri is the second LSU head coach to receive the award. Skip Bertman won it after coaching the 1996 US Olympic Team.

Rod Dedeaux was a USC and US Olympic head coach. He led the Trojans to 11 national championships and guided Team USA to the silver medal in the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games.