By Steve Habel/Senior Editor
AUSTIN — If the 48 hours running up to David Pierce’s official introduction Thursday as the new baseball coach at the University of Texas were a bit of a whirlwind, just wait until the Longhorns suffer their first significant losing streak or — God forbid — begin to play below the lofty expectations carries by the program.
That’s when the heat will really get turned on the 53-year old coach with just five years of head coaching experience … and that will be the time we see the real mettle of David Pierce.
Pierce, formerly of Tulane and Sam Houston State, has his hands full reshaping a group of players who have underachieved [s2If current_user_can(access_s2member_level2)]the past two years, so much so that Augie Garrido — who, you might remember, has only won more games than any coach in college baseball history — was shown the door after UT’s woeful 2016 campaign.
“As a kid growing up in Texas, I dreamed of being a Longhorn and wearing the burnt orange,” Pierce said. “That dream is coming true. I am truly honored and grateful to become a part of The University of Texas community and to serve as head baseball coach.”
Pierce’s teams have never missed the NCAA tournament in his five years as a head coach, three of which were spent in Huntsville and two in New Orleans. Pierce is 197-109 as a head coach, including a 41-21 mark in 2016 that included a series victory at Texas.
Pierce was the 11th coach mentioned as a potential replacement for Garrido as the likes of Texas Tech’s Tim Tadlock, TCU’s Jim Schlossnagle and Oklahoma State’s Josh Holliday opted to remain at their respective schools instead of moving to Austin.
UCLA’s John Savage, Oregon State’s Pat Casey, LSU’s Paul Mainieri, Virginia’s Brian O’Connor, Florida’s Kevin O’Sullivan, Vanderbilt’s Tim Corbin and Louisville’s Dan McDonnell also were contacted about the Longhorns’ opening.
“I feel like I was the first choice,” Pierce said. “It’s not about where you start. It’s about where you finish.”
Texas men’s athletic director Mike Perrin said that Pierce’s hiring required a great deal of patience from all parties involved and called Thursday a “great day for the University of Texas.”
“We couldn’t be happier with the decision we made (to hire Pierce),” Perrin said. “He’s impressed us mightily. Coach Pierce is a tireless worker and has a passion for the game of baseball.”
Pierce, whose baseball roots run deep in the Lone Star State as a prep player, a stalwart at Houston and as an assistant coach at both his alma mater and in two stints on the staff at Rice, steps into a spot on the 40 Acres that’s been manned by just two coaches — the legendary Cliff Gustafson and Garrido — for the past 49 years.
He becomes the 13th baseball coach in the 122 years of Longhorn baseball and just the sixth since 1911.
Including his time as an assistant, Pierce has been a part of programs that have advanced to the postseason in 16 consecutive years, played in seven Super Regionals and reached four College World Series, winning a title in 2003 with Rice.
Garrido lauded the hiring of Pierce, saying: “I’ve known Dave for quite a while, going back to when he was an assistant at Rice,” Garrido said. “He was great there, and as a head coach, he has turned two programs around quickly and done a tremendous job.
“Truly, I think he is a very fine choice for The University of Texas. He takes great pride in his work. He’s knowledgeable and passionate about what he’s doing and who he’s doing it for. He’s a heart-and-soul Texan who will make every effort for this national championship-caliber program.”
Pierce, much like Garrido was when he was introduced as the Texas coach in 1996, was a little overwhelmed by the amount of media attention his inaugural press conference on Thursday produced. He shrugged off the thought of expectations he’s bound to encounter as he tries to get more out of his players than Garrido has been able to the past two seasons.
“There’s all this talk about pressure, but I don’t feel any of that,” Pierce said. “It’s about getting better every game and developing players. It’s our job to come in here and build a trust with the players and convince them that we can help them be better and to win. That’s our job.
“I think Texas baseball fans are going to be excited to see the energy and passion of our team, the will to go out and play as hard as we can and try to do things that represent both the university and the athletic department well. We’ll look to run a high-paced offense that has the ability to score in multiple ways to go along with the pitching and defense that gives us a chance to win championships.”
I’ll stay on the record saying that I was not supportive of Garrido’s reassignment away from coaching the Texas baseball team, but, as you might remember, I was also against the moves that ended the tenures of Mack Brown and Rick Barnes from their respective positions as coaches for the Longhorns. Call me a coach’s guy, if you want.
The proof will be in the puddling for Pierce and his staff. Here’s hoping the new coach can push the buttons that sends the Longhorns back to where they belong: atop the Big 12 conference and into the College World Series on a constant basis.
Just sayin’, ya know?
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