.jpg) Lee atClemson in 2016 | |
| Current position | |
|---|---|
| Title | Associate head coach Hitting coach |
| Team | South Carolina |
| Conference | SEC |
| Biographical details | |
| Born | (1977-02-09)February 9, 1977 (age 48) Lugoff, South Carolina, U.S. |
| Alma mater | College of Charleston (Class of 1999) |
| Playing career | |
| 1996–1999 | College of Charleston |
| Position | Outfielder |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 2001–2002 | Spartanburg Methodist (asst.) |
| 2003–2008 | South Carolina (asst.) |
| 2009–2015 | College of Charleston |
| 2016–2022 | Clemson |
| 2023–present | South Carolina (Assc. head coach/Hitting coach) |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 518–281 |
| Tournaments | NCAA: 12–10 |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
| NCAA Regional: 2014 CAA: 2015 CAA Tournament: 2014 SoCon: 2012 ACC Tournament: 2016 | |
Monte Wesley Lee (born February 9, 1977) is an Americancollege baseball coach who is the associate head coach and hitting coach for theSouth Carolina Gamecocks. He playedcollege baseball for theCharleston Cougars from 1996 to 1999. He then served as the head coach of theCollege of Charleston Cougars from 2009 to 2015. Under Lee, the Cougars reached fourNCAA tournaments, including one NCAA Super Regional.[1] As the head coach of theClemson Tigers (2016–2022), his teams made four consecutiveNCAA Tournament appearances and was nationally ranked in the top 25 in total wins (2016-2022). In addition, the Tigers won theACC Conference Championship (2016) and regular season title (2018).
In 2022, Lee joined theUniversity of South Carolina baseball staff as the associate head coach, helping lead the team to the Super Regionals in 2023 and 2024.
Lee played four seasons of baseball (1996–1999) atCollege of Charleston. An outfielder, Lee was a career .333 hitter and had 22home runs and led his team as both the hits and doubles leader. He is still a top record holder for RBI, Home Runs, Stolen Bases, and Games Played. He became the program's first major-league draftee when he was selected by theSt. Louis Cardinals following his senior year and played two seasons ofminor league baseball with the St. Louis Cardinals and Texas Rangers. Lee was inducted into the College of Charleston Wall of Fame (2004).
Lee began his coaching career with a two-year stint (2001–2002) as an assistant atSpartanburg Methodist, ajunior college located inSpartanburg, South Carolina. During Lee's tenure, the program reached anNJCAA Division I World Series and set a single-season win record. Lee then spent six seasons (2003–2008) as an assistant atSouth Carolina. The Gamecocks qualified for the NCAA tournament in each of Lee's six seasons and also appeared in twoCollege World Series.[1][2] As the head coach for the College of Charleston, Lee lead the Cougars to four NCAA Tournament appearances (2010, 2012, 2014, 2015). In addition, Lee also lead the Clemson Tigers to four consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances (2016-2019) as their head coach.
Lee was hired as the head coach atCollege of Charleston prior to the start of the2009 season.[3] InLee's second season, the Cougars broke the 40-win mark and appeared in their firstNCAA tournament in his tenure. At the Myrtle Beach Regional, the Cougars advanced to the regional final with wins over third-seededNC State and first-seededCoastal Carolina, but were eliminated with consecutive defeats by Coastal in the championship round. In2012, the team shared theSouthern Conference regular season title and advanced to anotherNCAA tournament, where it went 1–2. In2014, Charleston won the conference tournament in their first season in theColonial Athletic Association. The Cougars then won theGainesville Regional with a 3–0 record, defeating hostFlorida andLong Beach State twice. In the Lubbock Super Regional, the Cougars were defeated byTexas Tech in consecutive 1–0 games. In2015 season, the Cougars won the CAA regular season crown with a 21–3 record, before falling to theUNCW Seahawks in the CAA Championship game. Charleston was selected as a #2 seed inFlorida State's Tallahassee Regional, where they went 2–2, finishing second behind the host Seminoles.[4][5][6][7]
In Lee's seven seasons at Charleston, 21 players were selected in theMajor League Baseball Draft. PitcherHeath Hembree was taken in the 5th round by theSan Francisco Giants in2010 and reached the major leagues in2013. A total of six Cougars were taken in that draft, the highest total of Lee's tenure. In his final season at Charleston, theArizona Diamondbacks selected pitcher Taylor Clarke in the third round, making him the program's highest ever selection.[8][9][10]
On June 18, 2015, Clemson hired Lee to be their 28th head coach in program history; he became only the third head baseball coach at Clemson since 1958.[11]
Monte Lee guided the 2016 Tigers to anACC baseball tournament title in his first season, defeating the defending ACC ChampionFlorida State Seminoles in a marathon game by a score of 18–13 at theDurham Bulls Athletic Park inDurham, NC. The win produced the program's first conference title in ten years and Lee's first Clemson team captured the program's 10th conference tournament title and 15th overall ACC championship - both league records. Lee also became the third consecutive Clemson head coach to win the ACC in his first season, joiningBill Wilhelm (1958) andJack Leggett (1994). The Tigers' 44 victories in 2016 are the second-most victories by a first-year head coach in Clemson history. A strong finish to the season propelled the Tigers to their 41st appearance and the #7 overall national seed to the NCAA tournament.[12]
In2022, Lee earned his 500th career victory. The Tigers defeatedCollege of Charleston on March 29 to give Lee the victory.[13] At the end of the season Lee was fired as head coach after failing to make the NCAA tournament. It was the second consecutive season that Clemson did not qualify for the tournament.[14]
On August 18, 2022, Lee returned to South Carolina as the team's associate head coach and recruiting coordinator, helping lead the South Carolina Gamecocks back to post-season play by advancing to Super Regionals.[15]
Upon the firing of head coachMark Kingston on June 3, 2024, Lee was named the interim head coach for South Carolina.[16] On June 11, 2024, Lee was given an extension and raise whenPaul Mainieri was named head coach of the program. He was also moved to associate head coach and as the hitting coach.
The following is a table of Lee's yearly records as a collegiate head baseball coach.[7][17]
| Season | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Postseason | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| College of Charleston(Southern Conference)(2009–2013) | |||||||||
| 2009 | College of Charleston | 35–22 | 17–13 | 5th | |||||
| 2010 | College of Charleston | 44–19 | 22–8 | 2nd | NCAA Regional | ||||
| 2011 | College of Charleston | 39–22 | 18–12 | T–3rd | |||||
| 2012 | College of Charleston | 38–22 | 21–9 | T–1st | NCAA Regional | ||||
| 2013 | College of Charleston | 31–26 | 18–11 | T–2nd | |||||
| College of Charleston: | 96–53 (.644) | ||||||||
| College of Charleston(Colonial Athletic Association)(2014–2015) | |||||||||
| 2014 | College of Charleston | 44–19 | 15–6 | 2nd | NCAA Super Regional | ||||
| 2015 | College of Charleston | 45–15 | 21–3 | 1st | NCAA Regional | ||||
| College of Charleston: | 276–145 (.656) | 36–9 (.800) | |||||||
| Clemson(Atlantic Coast Conference)(2016–2022) | |||||||||
| 2016 | Clemson | 44–20 | 16–14 | 4th (Atlantic) | NCAA Regional | ||||
| 2017 | Clemson | 42–21 | 17–13 | 3rd (Atlantic) | NCAA Regional | ||||
| 2018 | Clemson | 47–16 | 22–8 | 1st (Atlantic) | NCAA Regional | ||||
| 2019 | Clemson | 35–26 | 15–15 | 4th (Atlantic) | NCAA Regional | ||||
| 2020 | Clemson | 14–3 | 3–0 | Season canceled due toCOVID-19 | |||||
| 2021 | Clemson | 25–27 | 16–20 | 5th(Atlantic) | |||||
| 2022 | Clemson | 35–23 | 13–16 | 6th(Atlantic) | |||||
| Clemson: | 242–136 (.640) | 102–86 (.543) | |||||||
| Total: | 518–281 (.648) | ||||||||
National champion Postseason invitational champion | |||||||||