After eight seasons and a 297-162 record on the Forty Acres, Texas Longhorns head coach David Pierce was fired on Monday morning after a 36-24 season that included early exits from the Big 12 Tournament and the College Station Regional.
“CDC and I had a meeting following the season, and we both felt that changing course would be best for the program. For the past eight years, it has been a pleasure and a privilege to be the program leader. In a statement issued by the university, Pierce stated, “It is undoubtedly a time I will always treasure as a coach, and I am so appreciative of The University of Texas for the opportunity.”
“We are grateful to Longhorn Nation, our supporters, our student assistants, our support staff, and the media for their excellent coverage of us. I want to thank our coaches and players, both past and present, in particular, as they helped us win a lot of games and did an excellent job representing our program. We appreciate all of your efforts, devotion, and support of Texas Baseball. I will always have a special place in my heart for you, and I am excited to support you both in baseball and in other endeavors.
Chris Del Conte, the athletics director, made his choice more than three weeks after the season concluded in a defeat to Louisiana. During that time, Del Conte was notably silent, despite the fact that Pierce had two years remaining on his contract with a $1.68 million buyout.
Del Conte stated, “Coach Pierce and I had some time to visit after the season to talk about the year, the future of our program, where we are, and where we’re headed.” We both felt that it was a tough choice, but we’ve decided that things need to change. For the past eight years, Coach Pierce has given so much of himself to our baseball program, and for that, I am incredibly grateful. It has been a pleasure working with him; he is an amazing person. As our head coach, he has done so much for Texas Athletics and our whole university community. I am grateful for his enthusiasm, pride, and unwavering devotion to coaching and working with our student-athletes. I’m hoping for the best for Coach Pierce and his family going forward.
After two seasons of junior college play, Houston native Pierce joined the Cougars as a player. He started coaching in 1989 and worked as a high school coach for the following ten years at several high schools in the Houston area before joining his alma mater as an assistant. Following his tenure as an assistant under the late great Rice head coach Wayne Graham, Pierce took over as head coach of Sam Houston in 2012. He then went on to lead Tulane in 2015, where he stayed for two years before being recruited by Texas in 2016 to take Augie Garrido’s place.
After many other coaches signed contract extensions, interim sports director Mike Perrin’s uninspired coaching search ultimately resulted in Pierce being selected.
After rebuilding under Pierce in 2017, Texas unexpectedly advanced to the College World Series in 2018 thanks to a standout season by Kody Clemens. However, the team collapsed in 2019, finishing 26-26 overall and last in the Big 12.
Pierce began his tenure steadily in the 2020 season, which was cut short due to COVID-19. He carried over that success into 2021, finishing with a 50-17 record, which culminated in a deep run in the College World Series that was thwarted by Mississippi State, the ultimate champions.
With high expectations and a preseason No. 1 rating in 2022, the Longhorns suffered due to a demanding schedule and the loss of pitcher Tanner Witt, a rising star, to Tommy John surgery. They finished the season tied for fifth in the league with a 14-10 record. After Texas lost both of its games in the College World Series, Pierce reorganized his coaching staff, removing pitching coach Sean Allen and promoting assistant Philip Miller to an administrative position.
Pierce had fewer victories in 2023—a season that ended tragically in the Palo Alto Super Regional when right fielder Dylan Campbell missed a fly ball in the lights at Sunken Diamond—despite Texas sharing first place in the Big 12.
In response, Pierce reorganized his staff once more, firing pitching coach Woody Williams after just one season and taking on the position himself. However, there were more indications of regression under Pierce, who also saw Miller leave the program during the season, as Texas staggered to a 36-24 record, embarrassingly lost four of five games in the postseason, and struggled against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and UTRGV in midweek. The pitching staff also included Big 12 Preseason Pitcher of the Year Lebarron Johnson Jr.
Pierce was left to shoulder the blame alone since there was no one else to blame for the pitching staff’s poor performance for the Longhorns.
The Houston Chronicle reports that Del Conte’s decision was influenced by an altercation that occurred off-field between Pierce and one of his players. In addition, Pierce’s firing was influenced by changes in the coaching staff, his lack of success in the NCAA transfer portal, and the prospect of joining the SEC, the best baseball conference in the country, despite his eight years at Texas and three College World Series victories.
Del Conte is anticipated to act swiftly in selecting Pierce’s replacement, given that the MLB Draft is just one month away and the transfer portal is now available.
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