Aiming Even Higher
6/16/2011 8:31:00 AM | Baseball
By Tom Waddill - The Huntsville Item
Sitting comfortably in the Bearkat Lounge above Bowers Stadium, David Pierce wanted to respond to all the well-wishers who called him or sent congratulatory notes Wednesday.
Before he could start making calls and sending texts, Pierce had to attend to other pressing business. The Bearkats' new head baseball coach needed to call a few recruits, players who may be wavering on their commitment to Sam Houston State.
"We've got to get those guys here," Pierce said bluntly. "We don't need them going anywhere else."
An assistant coach at Rice for the past nine seasons, Pierce was sure glad to be in Huntsville on Wednesday afternoon. Earlier in the day, he was hired to take over a rebuilt Bearkat baseball program, one he believes has a higher ceiling even than the one reached by his predecessor, Mark Johnson.
"This is a growing program," Pierce said. "I think we've got a chance to do some really good things here."
A lifelong Houstonian who has coached at both the high school and college levels, Pierce believes the Bearkats can improve on the job done by Johnson in the past five seasons. A once-proud baseball school, Sam Houston State suffered through 10 years of hard times since beating Miami in the NCAA's Austin Regional in 1996.
Johnson, the longtime Texas A&M coach, took over at SHSU in 2006 and quickly turned the Bearkats into consistent winners again. The veteran coach led his first Bearkat bunch into the championship round of the Oxford (Miss.) Regional. In three straight seasons, from 2007-09, Johnson guided Sam Houston to NCAA regionals.
Pierce, who for years has been tracking the SHSU program while watching from the opposing dugout, says there is no doubt about the Bearkats' ability to compete on the national stage. Under Johnson's guidance, Sam Houston turned things around and became one of Texas' top baseball schools again.
"Five years ago, this job had a different setting," Pierce explained. "What coach Johnson has done, and with the new stadium, I think we have an opportunity to make this one of the best jobs in the country. The foundation is set. Just look at the recruiting base and the area we're in. There are tons of talented players within a 100-mile radius. The university is growing and what Don Sanders has done with the stadium, we are able to reach a lot of recruits.
"There is a great opportunity for players here to get a nice degree, to win and advance into professional baseball, if that's what they want to do."
The pitching coach for a Rice team that has been one of the best in college baseball, Pierce said he's always dreamed of becoming a head coach in college. He learned a lot working for Owls head coach Wayne Graham, and now he's ready to take over and be the top guy at Sam Houston.
"I think everything I've done has been in preparation for this. I have worked for great baseball programs at the University of Houston and Rice, plus I've had some good high school coaching experience," Pierce said.
"It's always been one of my goals to be a Division I head coach, and this is just a multitude of things coming together to allow me this opportunity."
Sam Houston State director of athletics Bobby Williams chose Pierce over three other candidates who interviewed last week for the job. Pierce made a strong impression on Williams, then the endorsements the coach was given sealed the deal.
"I received an overwhelming amount of positive feedback from both the baseball and the Sam Houston communities about his candidacy for this job," Williams said of Pierce. "He is very respected by everyone I talked to, both inside baseball and out.
"David Pierce has an excellent track record not only on the college level, but also in high school as well," Williams added. "He is very familiar with this area in terms of recruiting, especially Houston, and that was a big factor for us."
Early in his coaching career, Pierce served one season at Rice (1991) under the late David Hall. He was also the head coach for five seasons at Pasadena's Dobie High School, where he led the Longhorns to three district championships and three berths in the region semifinals.
Among his honors at Dobie was winning the district coach of the year award three times, being tabbed a coach for the Houston area all-star series and coaching in the United States Junior Olympic trials.
Other coaching stops were at Episcopal and St. Pius X, two high schools in Houston. He also worked as a batting practice pitcher for the Houston Astros from 1994 through 2000.
He rejoined the college coaching ranks at Houston in 2001. He helped coach the Cougars to an appearance in the NCAA tournament in his first season. In his second year, he helped take Houston further with an NCAA super regional appearance, a game away from the College World Series.
Pierce's playing career began at St. Pius X High School in Houston. He went on to Wharton County Junior College (1982-83) and the University of Houston (1984-85). He helped the Cougars make an appearance in the NCAA tournament as a senior in 1985, then completed his degree at UH in 1988.
Pierce said he's glad his career path has brought him to Huntsville where he believes the fun for the Bearkats has just begun.
"I know Bobby had some great candidates and I'm really blessed that he chose me for the job," Pierce said. "Once he gave us the word, our whole family was very excited. My wife, our daughter and myself got in the car and drove up here last night. We drove through campus, then got out and looked at the (Don Sanders) facility.
"I've got to thank Rice University, the athletic department there and especially coach Graham. We have been part of that community for nine years. My son Shea grew up in the dugout at Rice; that was home for us. I also want to thank Dr. (Dana) Gibson and Bobby Williams because they have put trust in me to lead this program."
