Anticipation is high for Rice Baseball to embark on its first full season under head coach David Pierce, who has brought with him a renewed energy to South Main.
In some ways, David Pierce is back for another year with Rice Baseball. The Owls’ current skipper did end the 2025 campaign with Rice, coaching them through the conference tournament. But his unusual arrival — during the middle of the 2025 season — made the usual descriptors hard to apply.
On Thursday, March 13, athletic director Tommy McClelland fired Jose Cruz Jr., who had opened the season 2-14. Four days later, on Monday, March 17, The Roost broke the news that David Pierce would be tabbed to take over. His first game? The Owls’ conference opener five days later against Florida Atlantic.
An unprecedented midseason coaching swap set the stage for what’s next: a first Opening Day for a Rice head coach more familiar with the program as a former assistant and current coach in a way that few others ever could hope to be.
