Baseball Announces Hiring of Chad Caillet as Assistant Coach/Recruiting Coordinator

COLUMBIA – The University of South Carolina baseball program and head coach Mark Kingston have announced the hiring of Chad Caillet as an assistant coach/recruiting coordinator for the Gamecocks. Caillet also will serve as Carolina’s hitting coach.
 
“Chad Caillet has been one of the most respected coaches in our game for more than a decade,” Kingston said. “He has a strong reputation for high level recruiting as well as being regarded as one of the top offensive coaches in the game. He has strong relationships with players but is also a fierce competitor and proven winner. I couldn’t be happier to welcome Chad and his great family to Columbia.”
 
Caillet (pronounced ki-YAY) joins Carolina after spending the past two seasons at Texas A&M. He coached Will Frizzell, who ranked third in the SEC and eighth in the nation with 18 home runs in 2021. In his first season in College Station, the Aggies hit .296 in the Covid-shortened season while Zach DeLoach hit .421 with six home runs in 18 games. He also helped recruit Texas A&M’s 2021 class, which is currently ranked No. 11 in the country by Perfect Game.
 
“My family and I are extremely excited to be a part of the Gamecock family,” Caillet said.  “It’s truly a blessing to be a part of a championship program with such great tradition and culture.  I look forward to doing my part to continue the program’s success.”
 
Calliet spent 12 seasons on the staff at the University of Southern Mississippi, the last three of those as the associate head coach. He served as the Golden Eagles’ recruiting coordinator as well as working with the team’s offense and infield defense.
 
During Caillet’s dozen seasons in Hattiesburg, the Golden Eagles made one College World Series appearance (2009), finished in the Top 25 on three occasions and made eight NCAA Regional appearances.
 
The last four years, the Golden Eagles led Conference USA in most offensive categories. Southern Miss was one of five NCAA Division I programs to register 40 win seasons in each of the last four seasons. The 2017 squad racked up 50 wins for the only time in school history as Caillet earned Conference USA Assistant Coach of the Year. The team combined for a school-record 94 wins in 2017 and 2018.
 
With Caillet in charge of the offense, Southern Miss re-wrote the school record books, setting single-season team marks for runs, RBI, batting average and on-base percentage, among others. He also made a mark on the Golden Eagles’ defense. The team led the nation in double plays for three consecutive seasons from 2009-11. The team also paced the country in double plays per game in 2010, ’11 and ’13.
 
Caillet is nationally recognized for his recruiting efforts. In November 2016, D1Baseball.com named him Conference USA’s top recruiting coordinator. In his first year as recruiting coordinator in 2009, he landed the No. 23 class in the nation. He followed it up with a No. 21 class in 2010. In 2012, he helped Southern Miss pull in a class ranked third by Baseball America and 13th by Collegiate Baseball.
 
During his time in Hattiesburg, he helped recruit 10 different players who achieved All-America status and three players garnered Academic All-America recognition. Mark Wallner became the school’s first National Freshman of the Year in 2017 and Nick Sandlin earned National Pitcher of the Year recognition in 2018. Southern Miss All-Americans during his tenure include Scott Copeland (2010), B.A. Vollmuth (2010), Todd McInnis (2011), James McMahon (2015), Tim Lynch (2016), Sandlin (2017-18), Taylor Braley (2017), Dylan Burdeaux (2017), Wallner (2017-19) and Luke Reynolds (2018). Players to earn Academic All-America included Marc Bourgeois in 2011, Kirk McCarty in 2017 and Sandlin in 2017 and 2018.
 
Eight Golden Eagles to earn Freshman All-America since 2008 include Kameron Brunty (2009), Jared Bales (2011), Bradley Roney (2012), Mason Robbins (2012), Braley (2012), Sandlin (2016), Wallner (2017) and Gabe Montenegro (2018).
 
Wallner became Southern Miss’s highest-ever selection in the MLB Draft, picked by the Minnesota Twins with the No. 39 overall pick. The Golden Eagles have had nine players selected in the first 10 rounds during his 12 seasons. In addition to Wallner in the first round, Sandlin was picked in the second round (2018) and B.A. Hellmuth was selected in the third round (2011).

Three players Caillet recruited earned the Boo Ferris Award, given annually to the top collegiate player in the state of Mississippi, including Tyler Koelling (2011), McMahon (2015) and Sandlin (2018).
 
In his first NCAA Division I stint, Caillet served as an assistant coach at Southeastern Louisiana University for the 2006-07 seasons. SLU’s 2006 and 2007 signing classes ranked in the Top 50 nationally. The 2006 Lions set a school record for Southland Conference victories. Caillet briefly served on the coaching staff at McNeese State University in July-August 2007 before taking the assistant coach position at Southern Miss.
 
Caillet served one year as head coach at Meridian (Miss.) Community College in 2005. During his lone season at the helm, the Eagles sported a 44-14 record, including a spotless home mark. Meridian won the Mississippi Association of Community and Junior Colleges (MACJC) State and Central Division titles and advanced to regional play. That season the Eagles earned a top 10 national junior college ranking and Caillet was tabbed the MACJC Coach of the Year.

Prior to his season as the skipper, Caillet spent three seasons as an assistant coach at MCC from 2002-04. He helped the Eagles win two Region 23 championships and make consecutive Junior College World Series appearances in 2003 and 20`04. They finished ranked in the top 10 nationally both seasons.
 
Caillet also had one-year coaching stops at Mississippi College (2001), Millsaps College (2000) and Copiah-Lincoln Community College (1999). He spent two summers in the Cotton States League, including one year as manager for the Meridian Marauders, which won its first league title.

Caillet played two years collegiately at Copiah-Lincoln before finishing his career at Southern Miss.

The Hahnville, La., native earned his bachelor’s degree (1998) and master’s degree (2000) from Southern Miss.

Caillet is married to the former Jessica Compretta and they have a daughter, Carsyn, and a son, Coby.
 
WHAT THEY ARE SAYING ABOUT CHAD CAILLET
“Chad Caillet and his family are going to be an amazing addition to South Carolina Baseball and to the Columbia community. Chad has been a difference maker on the field and on the recruiting trail for quite sometime. He is so incredibly respected across the country for his high level of consistency and his incredible character. He will do an amazing job and make South Carolina baseball better in every area!!!”

• Rob Childress, Texas A&M Head Coach (2006-21), current director of player development at Nebraska

 
“I’m very happy for Chad and his opportunity to work at the University of South Carolina! He’s an outstanding baseball coach in every aspect. He’s a relentless recruiter that is well connected in the baseball world. His ability to develop players and teach the game was apparent while at USM. Terrific hire for Mark Kingston!”

• Scott Berry, Southern Miss Head Coach

 
“Chad is a proven winner on the baseball field and with recruiting. He has tremendous demeanor with players and is outstanding with player development.  Chad has a great eye for talent and will be an excellent addition to USC. His passion is contagious and his players and recruits will love to play for him. I wish Chad, Jessica, Carsyn and Coby all the best and excited to see the future of the South Carolina baseball program.”

• Mike Federico, UL Monroe Head Coach

 
“Chad is one of the top recruiting and offensive coaches in the country. He has a relentless work ethic and passion for the game and blends it with a very clear scouting judgement of a player. An incredible addition to the Gamecock staff.”

• Lonnie Goldberg, Kansas City Royals Scouting Director

 
“The Gamecocks landed a proven star in the coaching ranks with Chad Caillet. During his outstanding run at Southern Miss, Caillet established a reputation as a tireless recruiter with a knack for identifying talent. But Caillet is also an excellent hitting and infield instructor who always seems to get the most out of his players. He’ll hit the ground running at South Carolina.”

• Aaron Fitt, D1Baseball.com