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.

Four days after firing José Cruz Jr., Rice has found its new head baseball coach. On Monday night, the school announced that former Texas head coach David Pierce would serve as the program's new head coach and debut on Friday as the Owls enter their second season of American Athletic Conference play against Florida Atlantic.