Paul Mainieri stood on the grass of Fluor Field in Greenville Saturday — having already lost his first Palmetto State series before every even facing Clemson at home — and sounded like a man who lost his wallet and was prepared to trek through a sewer if that’s what was needed.

Following an 8-2 loss to No. 13 Clemson on Sunday, South Carolina head coach Paul Mainieri met with the media. Here’s everything he had to say after the Gamecocks were swept by the Tigers this weekend.

South Carolina and Clemson finished their three-game baseball series at Founders Park on Sunday night. The Gamecocks were swept for the 2nd time in 3 years.

The idea that tensions would rise to that extreme between himself and current Clemson coach Erik Bakich seems impossible to Mainieri. Though the first-year USC coach admitted he didn’t know Bakich much, they have a great mutual friend in East Carolina coach Cliff Godwin, who has always said great things about Bakich, his former college teammate.

Clemson's three-game sweep of rival South Carolina moved the Tigers into Baseball America's top five teams on Monday.