Rice University formally introduced David Pierce as its Bixby Family Head Baseball Coach in front of a packed crowd at the Brian Patterson Sports Performance Center during a press conference March 19. Players, media, family, friends and Rice representatives joined to witness the official return of an Owl to South Main.
“This is very special,” Pierce said. “I’m so fired up to be back home in Houston and to be at Rice University. It was an easy decision to come back.”
Pierce comes with an impressive track record of success. During his nine seasons as an assistant at Rice, the Owls won a national championship in 2003, made four College World Series appearances overall and reached the NCAA Tournament every year. Since 2012, he has compiled 494 wins as a head coach at Sam Houston State University, Tulane University and the University of Texas at Austin, leading his teams to 11 NCAA Regionals, four Super Regionals and three College World Series. Most recently, he spent eight seasons at Texas, where he was named Baseball America’s National Coach of the Year in 2018 and won two Big 12 Conference titles while guiding the Longhorns to three College World Series appearances.
Rice President Reginald DesRoches and Tommy McClelland, vice president and director of athletics, welcomed Pierce and his family to the Rice campus.
“This is truly a great day for Rice baseball and an exciting moment for our great university,” DesRoches said. “Today, we welcome back a familiar face — someone who knows what it means to lead this program at the highest level.
“Coach Pierce, we are thrilled to have you back at Rice. You know what this program is capable of, and we have full confidence in your ability to lead it to new heights. Welcome home.”
McClelland, whose relationship with Pierce began during his days as the athletic director at McNeese State University while Pierce was the head coach of Sam Houston, said Pierce checked every box and more when it came to the characteristics he was looking for in a new head baseball coach.
“Not only did David express a strong desire to return to South Main as the head coach, but as our conversations continued, it also became clear to me that he was indeed the right person to lead our program,” McClelland said. “Rice baseball is not only one of the great programs in all of college baseball but in all of college athletics. Our student athletes, our fans, our university and this city deserve to see it on an upward trajectory and become the program that we all know it can be.”
Pierce steps in as Rice prepares to begin conference play. Given the option to begin his tenure next season, Pierce preferred to get started as soon as possible, McClelland said.
“During one of our conversations, he brought up the idea that it should happen sooner than later,” McClelland said. “I remember (Pierce) commenting, ‘Why wait till the end of the season when I can jump in the boat with players and staff now and get to rowing with them?’ The more I thought about it, the more excited I got, and I knew this was the right decision.”
For Pierce, his vision and goal is clear: to work hard and compete at the highest level from start to finish.
“The goal is to play for championships,” Pierce said. “College baseball is much better when Rice baseball is playing in the postseason.
“The day-to-day grind is the most important thing to get what we want. There’s no magic dust there, and we understand that.”
Pierce took time to recognize the current Rice baseball team and coaches, who all attended the event, as well as many former players and coaches who played for and worked with Pierce during his tenure as an assistant coach at Rice.
“Without these players, I wouldn’t be standing up here,” he said. “We had so many memories. I had the best nine years here just being part of an exceptional group of young men.”
He recalled the Houston Chronicle headline after the Owls’ 2003 national championship, reading “Rice guys finish first.” The term “Rice guys” encapsulates the type of players who are going to represent Rice baseball during his tenure, Pierce said.
“We’re going to be kind, and we’re going to be the right type of young men and coaches,” Pierce said. “But at the same time, when we cross the lines, we’re going to compete — and that’s the goal.”
Pierce’s 494 wins since 2012 ranked third among active coaches in Texas heading into the 2025 season. He is a four-time conference coach of the year and a two-time ABCA Central Region Coach of the Year. Most recently, Pierce went 297-162 in eight seasons coaching at Texas from 2017-24, leading the Longhorns to six NCAA Tournament berths and four Super Regionals. In his first season with the Longhorns, Pierce led Texas to a 39-24 record, a 14-win improvement from the 2016 campaign.
“David Pierce can absolutely take Rice to the next level and do it quickly,” said Austin Davis, who played for Pierce on the 2003 national championship squad. “He’s the right man for the job.”