Monte Lee out as Clemson head baseball coach after seven seasons

Clemson has fired its head baseball coach Monte Lee, the school announced Tuesday. 

The decision came just one day after the Tigers missed the NCAA Tournament for the second straight season. 

“Monte and his staff have been nothing but professional in their approach to Clemson Baseball, and we appreciate the manner in which they’ve represented Clemson University,” said athletic director Graham Neff in a statement. 

“The expectations for Clemson Baseball are very high, and the team’s recent on-field performance has not met those of our administration, our coaching staff, our student-athletes, or our loyal fanbase,” Neff added. “Clemson Baseball is a proud program, and we, as a department, are committed to doing all we can to return our program to national prominence. We will work with our student-athletes to ensure that the transition process is successful.”

Lee had replaced Jack Leggett in 2015 to become just the third head baseball coach for Clemson since 1958. 

Lee earned a 242-136 record in seven seasons with the Tigers. His tenure saw the program make it to the NCAA Tournament four times from 2016-19, as well as the ACC Championship in 2016.

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But Clemson missed the NCAA Tournament the last two seasons under Lee. The program had a 60-50 record but struggled in ACC play, going 29-36. 

It was just the third time Clemson missed making the tournament field in the last 36 years. 

The school said the search for its next head coach will “commence immediately.”

Assistant coach Bradley LeCroy and director of operations Brad Owens will oversee the program during the search.

The Associated Press contributed to this report