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Rice Baseball wins one of three in David Pierce debut at FAU

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Rice baseball picked up its first AAC win of the season but dropped the series on the road to Florida Atlantic in the first games under new head coach David Pierce.

FRIDAY | FAU 9, Rice 3

A solo home run from Blaine Brown got Rice baseball on the board first, turning the ball over to starter Davion Hickson, who was coming off two weeks of rest. Hickson put together one of his better outings of the season, but still got himself on the hook for four runs (three earned) across 5.1 innings pitched.

More: Why Wait? David Pierce hired as Rice baseball head coach

He left trailing 3-1 and watched from the dugout as his relief, Marco Fuentes, gave up a two-run home run to put Rice in an even further hole. FAU would tack on another run in the seventh and three more in the eight to run away with the opening game by the final score of 9-3.

SATURDAY | Rice 3, FAU 1

Florida Atlantic struck first in the second game, going ahead of the visiting Owls 1-0 on an RBI single in the second inning against Rice starter JD McCracken. That would prove to be one the only productive innings FAU would have against McCracken, who tossed six innings of one-run ball, limiting FAU to just five hits while striking out three.

Last Weekend: Rice Baseball splits weekend series with Houston Christian

While McCracken did his work on the mound, Rice made the most of some opportunistic hitting, scoring a pair of runs on a two-out single from Hiram Bocachica in the fifth before Bocachica added an insurance run in the seventh, driving in one more run to account for all three of the Owls’ RBI on the afternoon. That would prove to be enough for Rice to notch their first win under new head coach David Pierce.

SUNDAY | FAU 6, Rice 4

Rice struck first in the rubber game, taking a 1-0 lead on an RBI single from Tobias Motley in the fourth inning. FAU would even the score in the bottom of the inning, picking up a run against Tucker Alch, who would only be charged for two runs through five innings of work that afternoon.

FAU went in front momentarily in the sixth on an RBI double down the left field line but Trey Duffield answered with a massive one-out 2 RBI single to catapult Rice back in front in the top of the seventh inning. The back-and-forth would not stop there, though, FAU launched a three-run bomb to retake the lead, 6-3.

Rice would get the trying run to the plate in the ninth, but only managed to get one run across, dropping the game and the series.

THREE FOR THE ROAD

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“Why Wait?” David Pierce dives in as Rice Baseball coach right now

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Rice baseball welcomed a familiar face back to South Main this week as they named former Owls’ assistant David Pierce their next head coach.

There wasn’t an empty seat in the Brian Patterson Center as the clock ticked toward noon on Wednesday, March 19. It was spring break on campus, the middle of the lunch hour for fans and alumni and the press conference had been scheduled with barely 24 hours’ notice, but none of that seemed to matter as a host of Owls’ faithful gathered to welcome their new head baseball coach.

Less than a week from the dismissal of Jose Cruz Jr as the Owls’ baseball coach, David Pierce was introduced as his successor, set to take over the team immediately, starting with practice scheduled just hours after his introductory remarks.

If the unconventional, whirlwind week bothered him, Pierce didn’t show it. “It’s Rice,” he remarked. “We didn’t have a lot of hesitation. It was a pretty easy decision for us.”

As Athletic Director Tommy McClelland had alluded just moments before in his comments, that Rice would look into Pierce as a potential candidate shouldn’t have surprised anyone. However, McClelland acknowledged he had two driving motivations when it came to his search. How could he make the most out of the rest of this current baseball season and how could he best position Rice baseball going forward?

“The answer to both of those questions happened to be the same person, David Pierce,” McClelland said.

Podcast: Unpacking the Pierce hire and midseason start

It was Pierce who first suggested the process move at this rapid pace, prompting McClelland to ponder his first question again. McClelland noted Pierce’s insistence and passion stood out to him and helped drive those conversations.

“He brought up the idea and that concept that it should happen sooner rather than later. Why not start now?” he said. “Why wait til the end of the season when I can jump in the boat with the players and the staff now and get to rowing with them.”

And just like that, Pierce was on the road from San Marcos to South Main set to inherit a head coaching position in media res. Pierce began the year as an assistant at Texas State, having made a promise to his wife that he wasn’t going to chase a job this year. That if the stars aligned and a situation fell into place, they’d know. Months later, he was on the road to Houston.

He shook familiar hands, donned a cap with the famous Old English R embroidered on top, excited to start work and, in his words, “win now.”

“What I really want from the players is to really start with a clean slate,” he said. “There’s goals in front of us that we can attain now if we truly believe that and we’re truly willing to put in the work for that. You never know.”

A week ago, many would have considered it impossible to hire an accomplished coach who had almost a decade of experience at the institution and even more postseason success since he left. But here we are. And here is David Pierce, ready to take on the challenge and get Rice baseball back to where it once was.

“College baseball is much better when Rice University is playing in the postseason,” he said.

The above-capacity crowd at the Patterson Center hung on every word. Pierce was hired to get Rice back to the postseason. The first stop, though? Boca Raton for conference play in three days time.

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Rice Baseball drops 4-2 decision to Incarnate Word

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Rice Baseball came up two runs short, falling to Incarnate Word in a midweek bout, their final game managed by interim skipper Parker Bangs.

The final game under the management of Rice baseball interim head coach Parker Bangs got off to an inauspicious start with the visiting Incarnate Word Cardinals scoring two in the first off freshman opener Blaine Brown. Jack Ben-Shoshan entered and prevented further damage, giving the Owls a chance to get back in the game, which they did an inning later.

A groundout from Treyton Rank scored one before Max Johnson singled to right field, leveling the score at two runs, apiece. Things would were quickly for both teams in the third before Incarnate Word got Jackson Blank for for the go-ahead run in the fourth and added one more insurance run off Von Baker in the seventh.

More: Rice baseball hires David Pierce as head coach

Rice would have their chances, getting runners to second and third with one out in the seventh but failing to score. A leadoff walk in the ninth was spoiled by a double-play, followed by back-to-back singles. But even though Rice tallied 10 hits, they were limited to just the two runs, falling by a final score of 4-2.

What it means | Bring on the David Pierce era

Parker Bangs ends his time as skipper with a 2-3 record across four games. That’s not too shabby considering the 2-14 team he inherited and the whirlwind of stress and emotions that have surrounded the program this week. It’s what comes next that is most important, though, more specifically, who comes next.

Podcast: Unpacking the Pierce hire and midseason start

On Wednesday, former Rice baseball assistant David Pierce will be introduced as the Owls’ next head coach and get to work immediately. He’ll fly with the team to Boca Raton and coach the Owls for the first time on Friday night against FAU.

To say this season has been unusual would be an understatement, but both Pierce and these players hope their second act is one worth remembering. We’ll all find out whether or not that’s for the better soon enough.

ON DECK | vs Florida Atlantic x3 (Fri-Sun)

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The Roost Podcast | Ep 197 – David Pierce takes over Rice Baseball right now

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Fresh off the presses, Rice baseball has a new head coach, right now. David Pierce will lead the Owls beginning this week. Let’s break down the details.

The last time The Roost Podcast was recorded we ran through offseason news on the football front and mused about what might come when spring arrived. Rice Baseball was just beginning to take shape at that time. Since then, everything has changed, including the Owls’ head coach.

The Roost broke the news last Thursday that Cruz was out and reported late Monday afternoon that Pierce was in. Now it’s time to talk through the logistics of the move, something that might just be a first for Rice and the sport.

You can find previous episodes on the podcast page. For now, give a listen to Episode 197.

Episode Notes

DCTF

The Roost Podcast is now part of the Dave Campbell’s Republic of Football Podcast Network. You’ll still get the same content with the same hosts, but now under the DCTF banner.

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We’re thrilled to partner with Homefield Apparel, the premier proprietor of college football clothing. First-time buyers can use the code ROOST for 15% off their order. The Owls hoodie is a personal favorite as is the Luv-Ya-Owls shirt. Make sure you check out the brand-new sailor hat (pictured below) as you shop the Rice collection or pick up something else (or both)!

Homefield

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Rice Baseball to hire David Pierce, right now.

  • The timing of the coaching change and how Pierce’s availability figures into the logistics
  • Why the Owls believe Pierce is the right fit for the program right now
  • Pros and cons of installing Pierce right now rather than after the season

Where can you find us?

The Roost Podcast is part of the Dave Campbell’s Republic of Football Podcast Network. You can find this podcast and all of our partner podcasts on Apple, Spotify and wherever you get your podcasts.

Subscribe on Patreon for exclusive Rice football recruiting updates, practice notes and more.

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BREAKING: David Pierce to be named Rice Baseball head coach this week

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In a potentially unprecedented move, David Pierce is expected to be introduced as the next Rice baseball head coach, effective this week, The Roost has learned.

On Thursday, Rice baseball made a change, dismissing head coach Jose Cruz Jr. A week later, the Owls expect to have a new coach in place. David Pierce, currently serving as the assistant to the head coach at Texas State, will be officially appointed Rice baseball head coach this week and will be the manager as Rice Baseball opens conference play against Florida Atlantic on Friday, The Roost has learned.

Pierce’s availability as an assistant and the timing of the Owls’ coaching vacancy set up a first for the Owls, and perhaps most of college baseball. Pierce will get hands-on experience evaluating the roster, managing the team, and familiarizing himself with the program.

Typically, this would happen in the offseason. With Pierce available right now, the Rice administration is moving with much more urgency. Pierce will be formally introduced at a press conference during the week.

Roost Pod: David Pierce takes over for Rice Baseball… midseason!

Pierce is an alum of the University of Houston who had two stints as an assistant with Rice, the first in 1991 and the second from 2003 to 2011 where he was part of the Owls’ national championship-winning team. He then went on to head coaching stops at Sam Houston, Tulane and Texas.

Although Pierce shares ties to the program as Cruz did, his track record as a successful college baseball coach spanning multiple stops across a decade-plus of work is thought to be the differentiator here. He won six conference championships, went to the College World Series in 2018 and was named Baseball America’s Coach of the Year that season.

Stay tuned to The Roost on Patreon for updates as well as game analysis and more as the Owls look to finish out the season.

The athletic department has since issued a release with comments from Athletic Director Tommy McClelland and coach David Pierce:

From McClelland

We are excited to bring David Pierce back to South Main as the next head coach of Rice Baseball,” McClelland stated “Although it is unconventional to bring a new head coach in during the season, as soon as Coach Pierce and I came to an agreement that he would be our next head coach, he expressed his strong desire to start immediately. It is a testament not only to the bright future ahead for Rice Baseball but also to the potential of our current team.

“I want to thank Parker Bangs for his leadership as our interim head coach during this transition. He provided a calming presence during a challenging time and remains an important part of the coaching staff.

From Pierce:

Rice represents a very special place for my family and me, and I am truly honored to have this opportunity to return to Reckling Park as the head coach of the Owls. I owe a great deal of my success as a head coach to my time at Rice, and I firmly believe we have all the elements in place to add to the great tradition here.

I did not want to wait until the end of the season because I believed that we have great potential and a lot of baseball in front of us this year. I can’t wait to get on the field with these players and coaches and prepare for the start of conference play on Friday.

**Updated to reflect comments from Rice Athletic Director Tommy McClelland and David Pierce **
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