It did not take long for Rice to find a successor. David Pierce was named head coach on Monday, returning to South Main where he was an assistant to the legendary Wayne Graham from 2003-11. “It was an easy decision to come back to Rice,

After leaving Rice, Pierce was the head coach at Sam Houston State and Tulane from 2012-16. He then took over at Texas and coached the Longhorns for eight seasons. While in Austin, Pierce compiled a 297-162 record and led Texas to three conference championships and three College World Series appearances.

Rice University Vice President and Director of Athletics Tommy McClelland announced Monday that former Texas Longhorns Head Coach David Pierce has been named the Bixby Family Head Baseball Coach, returning to South Main after previously serving as an assistant under Wayne Graham from 2003-11.