Tanner began this role after leading the South Carolina Gamecocks baseball program for sixteen seasons.

On April 11, 2010, Tanner recorded the 1,000th win of his career with a 2–0 victory over Vanderbilt, becoming the 44th Division I coach to reach the milestone.

His teams earned bids to the NCAA tournament during seven of his nine seasons as head coach at NCSU, including five straight from 1990 to 1994.

The 2011 South Carolina Gamecocks baseball team completed the season 55-14 and won the program's second national title after sweeping the championship series against the Florida Gators 2-0.

Under Tanner, the Gamecocks have made 14 NCAA tournament appearances, advanced to the Super Regionals ten times, and have posted fourteen 40-win and five 50-win seasons.

The Gamecocks claimed six Southeastern Conference Eastern Division titles (1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2011, 2012) with Tanner as head coach.

During these stints he coached together with college baseball legends such as Skip Bertman and Ron Polk.

During the summer of 2002, Tanner served as the head coach of the USA Baseball National Team, composed of some of the top college players.

He received a bachelor of science degree in recreational administration from NC State in 1980 and is married to the former Karen Donald, a native of Charleston, South Carolina.

On November 10, 2010, Tanner was initiated into the Chi Omega chapter of Kappa Sigma fraternity at South Carolina.