DALLAS, Texas - University of New Orleans alums and current baseball coaches, Paul Mainieri of LSU and Augie Schmidt of Carthage College will be inducted into the American Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame on Friday in a ceremony at the Hilton Anatole in Dallas, Texas.
Both men were coached by current UNO baseball skipper,
Ron Maestri who expressed his joy at the honor to be bestowed on both former Privateers.
"I'm just thrilled. It's going to be a special evening. Two of my former players going into the College Coaches Hall of Fame, it's a tremendous honor and I'm very proud," said Maestri.
Schmidt decided to attend the University of New Orleans despite being drafted by the Cincinnati Reds out of high school in the ninth round of the 1979 MLB Draft. Schmidt won the Golden Spikes Award in the 1982 season, which is given annually to the best amateur baseball player in the nation. He is also one of only two shortstops to win the award since its inception in 1978. During his award-winning season, Schmidt batted .372 with 14 home runs and 56 RBI.
Schmidt was drafted second overall by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 1982 Draft ahead of players such as Dwight Gooden, Bret Saberhagen, and Jose Canseco. Though injuries shortened his playing career, Schmidt has since made an impact at Carthage College in Wisconsin where he still serves as head coach of the baseball program today.
Through 26 seasons, Schmidt has compiled a 798-344-5 record, and has led the Red Men to 16 NCAA Division III regional berths. He has won American Baseball Coaches Association/Diamond Sports NCAA Division II Central Regional Coach of the Year nine times.
Said Maestri about the success for both coaches, "There's two things. Both Augie and Paul, both of their parents were coaches. Augie's father was a very successful coach at Carthage where he's coaching now and Paul's father, Demie was a great coach at Miami-Dade Community College. You had two very good athletes and very good baseball players, but you had two guys that grew up on the baseball field and in the dugout. I knew they were going to be successful coaches because that's what they were brought up with their whole life."
Mainieri is most known for his sterling coaching record, which he continues to add to at LSU. As a player, Mainieri played two years for the Privateers in 1978-79 and helped UNO to two Sun Belt titles and an appearance in the '79 NCAA Tournament.
As a coach, Mainieri has spent 31 seasons between St. Thomas-Florida, Air Force, Notre Dame, and LSU. He picked up his 1,000th career win in 2010 against Centenary. He also guided the Tigers to four SEC tournament titles including three consecutive from 2008-10, and in '09, delivered the first baseball national championship to Baton Rouge in nearly a decade.
In his career, Mainieri has posted a winning record in every season dating back to 1993. He has a career winning percentage of .702, and has achieved at least 50 wins in a season four times including just last season at LSU where his Tigers went 57-11.
Both men have taken different coaching paths. Schmidt has stayed and continued to maintain Carthage at the high level while following in the footsteps of his father, Augie III. Meanwhile, Mainieri has been more traveled in his coaching stops, but they both share a high level of success and many deserved accolades. "Both of them wanted to go into coaching and both of them have the pedigree," said Maestri.
Mainieri and Schmidt have carved out successful careers in the dugout, and their names have been engrained on respective stops. Said Maestri, "Last year they re-named the field at Carthage Augie Schmidt Field. They also just named the field at St. Thomas where Paul started after him and his father. They both work very hard, and it's a tribute to what they've accomplished. There's a lot there and they're quality people."
Seven men in all will be a part of the 2014 class. The rest of the inductees are: Pete Dunn (Stetson), Jack Leggett (Clemson), Jim O'Brien (L.A. Harbor College), Jimmie Wasem (Eastern Washington), and Tink Larson (Waseca High School).The ceremony is slated for 6:30 p.m.
