Ray Tanner

Entering his 11th season as head coach at the University of South Carolina, Ray Tanner continues to lead the Gamecock baseball program to new heights with his commitment to excellence. Over the last decade, Tanner has established one of the premier programs in all of college baseball with milestones and accomplishments piling up each season.

Atop the list includes three consecutive trips to the College World Series from 2002-2004. Included in those journeys to Omaha was a national runner-up finish in 2002, a victory over SEC champion LSU in 2003 and three straight wins over perennial powers LSU, Miami (Fla.) and Cal State Fullerton in 2004.

Over the past seven years the Gamecocks own a 342-135 record, the fourth highest win total in Division I Baseball in that time frame as well as an SEC-best 130-79 in conference matchups. Since the 2000 season, Tanner's squads have reached the NCAA Regionals seven times, made six NCAA Super Regionals, clinched four SEC Eastern Division titles, earned two SEC Championships and won the school's first SEC Tournament title. In addition, Tanner has produced 21 All-Americans as well as 29 All-SEC performers to go along with 55 players that have signed professional baseball contracts.

South Carolina recorded its seventh consecutive 40-plus win season in 2006 and achieved a ranking as high as No. 1 during the year. Carolina earned a trip to the postseason and won the NCAA Charlottesville Regional before falling one win shy of a trip to Omaha and the College World Series by winning the first game of the NCAA Athens Super Regional. The Super Regional appearance was Carolina's sixth in the past seven seasons, making the Gamecocks one of only three teams in the nation to achieve that feat since the 2000 season. Under Tanner, USC owns seven consecutive trips to the NCAA Tournament, the longest current streak among all 12 SEC schools.

Despite a young team, Tanner molded together a group that saw four players earn All-SEC honors including first team outfielder Michael Campbell and second team honorees Robbie Grinestaff (designated hitter), Reese Havens (shortstop) and Wynn Pelzer (relief pitcher). In addition to freshman Reese Havens earning All-SEC accolades, first baseman Justin Smoak, outfielder Andrew Crisp and starting pitcher Mike Cisco were named to the SEC All-Freshman team. The seven Gamecocks honored were the most players from an individual school to be recognized by the conference coaches in 2006. Smoak and Crisp also received national recognition with freshman All-America honors. Carolina finshed 2006 ranked 12th by Collegiate Baseball as well as 13th by Baseball America and 15th in the Sports Weekly/ABCA coaches' poll.

Since coming to South Carolina in 1997, head baseball coach Ray Tanner has compiled a 454-200 record, winning over 69 percent of baseball games USC has played. The winning percentage is second highest all-time among SEC coaches behind legendary LSU coach Skip Bertman. Coach Tanner will enter his 20th year of coaching and owns an overall record of 849-373-3 with 15 appearances in the NCAA Tournament as a head coach at NC State and South Carolina.

Tanner became the fourth fastest active coach to reach the 800 win plateau in the 2005 season. He has averaged over 44 wins a season and is currently the eighth winningest active coach in Division I college baseball by winning percentage.

Tanner has also gained valuable experience at an international level in his association with USA Baseball. He has served five stints with Red, White & Blue including his latest in 2003 as head coach for the USA National Baseball Team. At the helm of some of the top freshmen and sophomores in the country, Tanner's club finished with a 27-2 record, the best record for a U.S. National Team (.931 winning percentage) and won a silver medal at the 2003 Pan American Games. Tanner earned U.S. National Coach of the Year for his work that season. Prior to his head coaching stint, Tanner served as an auxiliary coach for the 2000 Olympic Team under Tommy Lasorda that won a gold medal at the XXVII Olympiad in Sydney, Australia. He was also an assistant with the 1995-1996 USA teams under former LSU coach Skip Bertman that culminated in a bronze medal win at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, Ga. Tanner also served alongside current Mississippi State coach Ron Polk on Bertman's staff. Tanner's first stint with USA Baseball came as an assistant coach to the national team in the summer of 1993.

Tanner was named the South Carolina head coach June 14, 1996 after nine successful seasons at North Carolina State.

The 1997 Gamecocks compiled a 33-24 record in Tanner's initial season and qualified for the Southeastern Conference post-season tournament. The 1997 team produced a first team All-America player in designated hitter Ryan Bordenick. Bordenick and pitcher Brett Jodie were named to the All-SEC team and shortstop Adam Everett was chosen to play with the USA National Team. Bordenick and catcher Rob Streicher were named All-South.

The 1998 team was ranked among the top 20 in the nation, compiled a 44-18 record and earned a bid to the NCAA playoffs with Tanner earning SEC Coach of the Year. Pitcher Kip Bouknight, outfielder Mike Curry and shortstop Adam Everett were named first team All-SEC. Bouknight, Everett, Curry and Bordenick picked up All-America recognition and pitcher Peter Bauer was named freshman All-America. Seven 1998 Gamecocks signed professional contracts.

The 1999 team won South Carolina's first Southeastern Conference Eastern Division championship and finished with a 35-23 record. It produced a first team All-SEC designated hitter Tim Angiolini with shortstop Brian Roberts making the second team. Roberts led the NCAA in stolen bases with a school record 67 and also earned All-America recognition. Four players from the 1999 squad signed professional contracts.

Tanner's 2000 South Carolina team won the Southeastern Conference championship, a regional championship, advanced to a super regional and finished with a 56-10 record. The 2000 team was ranked first in the final Ratings Percentage Index (RPI) compiled by the NCAA and among the top ten in the three national final polls. Baseball America ranked the Gamecocks fourth, Baseball Weekly eighth and Collegiate Baseball ninth. In addition, Tanner was named National Coach of the Year as well as SEC Coach of the Year for a second time. Pitcher Kip Bouknight, 2000 consensus All-America, won the Golden Spikes Award for the nation's top amateur baseball player and finished the year with a 17-1 record. Bouknight and pitcher Scott Barber were first team selections on the 2000 All-SEC squad and pitcher Peter Bauer, outfielder Nate Janowicz and shortstop Drew Meyer were on the All-SEC second team.

His 2001 Gamecocks finished with a 49-20 record, won a regional and advanced to a super regional finishing in the top 15 in the national final polls. Carolina was 12th in the Baseball America poll, 13th in Baseball Weekly and 15th by Collegiate Baseball. The 2001 Gamecocks battled through the loser's bracket to win a second straight regional championship but lost a 3-2 heartbreaker to Stanford in the third and deciding super regional game at Palo Alto, Calif. Tanner's 2001 squad produced two All-America players in pitcher Lee Gronkiewicz, the nation's leader in saves, and catcher Tim Whittaker, who was also a semi-finalist for the Johnny Bench Award. Outfielder Garris Gonce, Gronkiewicz and outfielder Marcus McBeth were All-SEC.

In 2002, Tanner and his Gamecocks made it to Omaha and stayed 12 days to finish as National Runner-up. It was the first trip for Tanner and culminated in a national championship showdown between South Carolina and Texas. The Gamecocks won their second SEC championship in three years and Tanner was named 2002 America Baseball Coaches Association South Region Coach of the Year and South Carolina was ranked as the number two team in the nation in all of the final polls. The final 2002 record was 57-18, topping the school record of 56 wins set two years earlier. The 2002 team won four games in the SEC Tournament after winning the official conference title with a 21-8 record in conference games. The Gamecocks then defeated Virginia Commonwealth and North Carolina twice to advance to the super regional for the third year in a row. The Gamecocks won two of three from defending national champion Miami (Fla.) to advance to the College World Series in Omaha. It took a five run ninth inning rally to defeat the Hurricanes in the deciding game. After being shut out 11-0 by Georgia Tech to open the 2002 World Series, Tanner's team fought back. Carolina defeated home state favorite Nebraska 10-8, Georgia Tech, 9-5, and Palmetto State archrival Clemson twice, 12-5 and 10-2, before losing the title game to Texas 12-6. It was South Carolina's third second place finish in Omaha. The Gamecocks were also runners-up in 1975 under coach Bobby Richardson and in 1977 under coach June Raines.

Three of Tanner's players; first baseman Yaron Peters, pitcher Blake Taylor and shortstop Drew Meyer earned All-American honors. Peters was the SEC Player of the Year, and Taylor led the nation in saves with 21. Meyer was a first round pick, the 10th overall choice in 2002 and the third consecutive Gamecock shortstop to be drafted in the first round.

South Carolina returned to the College World Series in 2003 and notched one win, an 11-10 slugfest over fellow SEC member LSU wrapped around a pair of losses to CWS runner-up Stanford. The final record in 2003 was 45-22 and in the final national polls the Gamecocks were ranked 6th by Collegiate Baseball, seventh by Baseball Weekly and 10th by Baseball America.

To get to Omaha a second straight time South Carolina won its fourth SEC Eastern Division championship, a fourth consecutive NCAA regional championship and a second consecutive super regional.

The 2003 Gamecocks swept the Atlanta regional tournament hosted by Georgia Tech with a win over East Carolina and two over Stetson and then swept two super regional games against North Carolina at Sarge Frye Field. Two of Tanner's 2003 players, pitcher David Marchbanks and third baseman Brian Buscher, earned All-America recognition. Marchbanks was also SEC Pitcher of the Year and he, Buscher and Landon Powell were named All-SEC. Seven 2003 Gamecocks were drafted and three others signed as free agents.

South Carolina made its third straight trip to Omaha in 2004 when the Gamecocks finished with a 53-17 record and in the process set or tied 20 school records. Four of Tanner's players earned All-American honors in 2004, catcher Landon Powell and pitchers Chad Blackwell, Matt Campbell and Aaron Rawl. Powell and Blackwell also earned All-SEC honors along with Brendan Winn. Six Gamecocks were drafted and signed professional baseball contracts in the 2004 season including Powell and Campbell, who were selected in the first round of the MLB draft, the first time in history that two USC players were taken in the first round. Carolina finished the year ranked third in the country in all three national polls.

USC had another successful season in 2005 that saw the Gamecocks earn a spot in the NCAA Atlanta Regional. Carolina finished 41-23 and reached the final game of the NCAA Regional. Senior first baseman Steve Pearce earned All-American honors and was named NCBWA District IV Player of the Year. Junior shortstop Steven Tolleson joined Pearce on the All-SEC team. Pearce, Davy Gregg, Aaron Rawl and Zac McCamie all signed professional baseball contracts at the end of the season. The Gamecocks finished the season ranked 21st by Sports Weekly and 25th by Baseball America.

Before arriving to Columbia as head coach of the Gamecocks, Tanner led his alma mater NC State to seven appearances in the NCAA postseason tournament and ranked second for most wins in school history. He was the 1990 Atlantic Coast Conference Coach of the Year and in 1993 was named Atlantic Region Coach of the Year when his team won 49 games.

While he was head coach a NC State for nine seasons, Tanner was affiliated with the Wolfpack baseball program for more than 20 years. He came to the Raleigh campus in the fall of 1976 as a player following an outstanding career at South Johnston High School in Four Oaks, N.C. A four-year starter at shortstop and third base, he earned All-Atlantic Coast Conference honors his senior season and still ranks among the Wolfpack's all-time leaders in several categories.

Following his playing career, Tanner served as an assistant on the staff of NC State coach Sam Esposito, overseeing the recruiting efforts and coaching third base.

When Esposito retired, Tanner moved up at the age of 28, becoming one of the youngest head baseball coaches in the nation. During his tenure as an assistant, the Wolfpack reached the NCAA Tournament twice. He had additional duties as assistant to the athletics director and as assistant athletics director in charge of game operations.

Tanner received the Bachelor of Arts degree in Recreational Administration from NC State in 1980 and the Master of Public Affairs, Public Administration in 1983.

Born Donald Ray Tanner, Jr., March 25, 1958 in Smithfield, N.C., Tanner grew up in Benson, N.C. He is married to the former Karen Donald, a native of Charleston, S.C. A University of South Carolina graduate, she was formerly head women's athletic trainer at NC State. During the summer of 1997 she served as trainer for Charlotte in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She is the former director of athletics and director of sports medicine at Columbia College.

They have two daughters, Bridgette Grace ("Gracie") and Margaret Pearl ("Maggie") and one son, Joseph Luke ("Luke").