AUSTIN, Texas — Texas parted ways with baseball coach David Pierce on Monday after eight seasons in which the Longhorns won the Big 12 three times but made only three appearances in the College World Series.
The Longhorns' best season under Pierce was in 2021, when they finished third in the CWS. Pierce had a 295-162 record with the Longhorns and is 494-271 overall at Texas, Tulane and Sam Houston State.
He was hired at Texas in 2017 as just the sixth coach to lead the Longhorns since 1911. Texas has won six national championships, but none since 2005. Pierce had two years left on his contract that paid him $1.2 million a year. .
In statements released by the school, Pierce and athletic director Chris Del Conte said they met after the season ended and agreed it was time to make a change.
“It has been an honor and a privilege to lead this program for the past eight years,” Pierce said. “It's certainly a moment I will always cherish as a coach.”
Pierce had fired the team's pitching coach after last season and assumed those duties himself. The Longhorns' team ERA soared from 4.18 to 4.91, their worst mark since 1999. The team's ace, Lebarron Johnson, struggled as the Longhorns finished third in the Big 12, were eliminated from the conference tournament and did not They managed to advance to a super regional for the first time since 2019.
Texas leaves the Big 12 for the Southeastern Conference on July 1. The SEC is the largest conference in college baseball. SEC teams have won four straight national championships and will add a fifth in a row when Tennessee and Texas A&M play in the CWS final on Monday night.
“Coach Pierce and I had some time to talk about the year, the future of our program, where we are and where we're going,” Del Conte said. “It was a difficult decision for both of us, but we have mutually agreed that we must make a change.”
