Is Mark Kingston fired? Exploring potential reasons behind South Carolina Baseball HC's departure

The South Carolina Gamecocks parted ways with head coach Mark Kingston. Kingston was fired after the Gamecocks lost back-to-back games in the Raleigh Regional against NC State and James Madison. Associate head coach Monte Lee will serve as interim head coach.

Kingston was in charge of the Gamecocks for seven seasons, with an overall record of 217-155 and an SEC mark of 83-96. During his tenure, the school reached the NCAA tournament twice and the Super Regional phase twice (2018 and 2023).

At one point of the season, the South Carolina Gamecocks were ranked No. 13 in the nation and seemed poised to host the Colombia Regional for the second consecutive season. Nonetheless, they were swept in their last two three-game series of the year by Georgia first and then by Tennessee to close out the year.

When was the last time South Carolina reached the College World Series?

The Gamecocks haven't been to Omaha since over a decade ago under the leadership of then-head coach Ray Tanner (current athletic director of the school). Between 2010 and 2012, South Carolina attended three consecutive College World Series. That period also saw the only two baseball national titles the Gamecocks have (2010, 2011).

The Mark Kingston era showed glimmers of hope at several points, but not being able to reach the College World Series in seven seasons ultimately went down as a disappointment for the school.

Mark Kingston's South Carolina's performance in the SEC tournament

If there's been a bright spot in the Gamecocks' performances as of late, it has to be the show they put up in the SEC tournament where they reached the semifinals for the first time since 2017. On their way there, they defeated Alabama, Arkansas and Kentucky. However, they fell twice to the LSU Tigers, the eventual runner-ups of the tourney.

As for Mark Kingston, he played college baseball at North Carolina, where he helped the Tar Heels win an ACC championship. He was drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers in 1992 and played five seasons in the MLB between them and the Chicago Cubs.