Stories Inside the Man Cave
Stories Inside the Man Cave
Ep 378, End of an Era: David Pierce's Legacy and the Future of Texas Baseball
What happens when you follow a legendary coach and face the evolving storm of NIL and the transfer portal? Join us as we uncover the complex legacy of David Pierce, a man whose tenure with University of Texas baseball was marked by both remarkable victories and daunting challenges. We'll give you an insider's look at his impressive track record, including multiple College World Series appearances and a high win rate, all while navigating the immense pressure of succeeding Augie Garrido. Listen closely as we reveal how the shifting landscape of college athletics tested Pierce and shaped his time with the Longhorns.
As Texas baseball turns the page, we bring you the latest on the program's significant changes, including the return of Frank Anderson for his second stint as pitching coach and the transition to the SEC. Be the first to hear about the strategic timing behind Chris Delconte's announcement and Kirk Bohls breaking the news. Plus, we're reintroducing "Clinch's Clyps," so submit your sports clips for a chance to be featured. We'll also discuss potential head coaches like Tony Vitello, Josh Elander, and Jim Schlossnagel, each with strong ties to Texas baseball. Get ready for an exciting future as we express our gratitude to David Pierce and eagerly anticipate the next chapter for this storied program.
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Speaker 2:Well, an end of an era for university of Texas baseball the story program, which some may call it the gold standard for college baseball. Not many head coaches have led this great program, but the David Pierce era has come to an end. Let's talk about it. Well, here we are, the night of the third and decisive game of the championship series of the College World Series. Bittersweet day, but I have to give a shout out to Chris Del Conte, the Texas Athletic Director. You know some may call this an insight. His tweet on Sunday, a biblical verse and then comments began to stroll in and follow that. Like Josh here says, I feel like he's talking about Texas baseball.
Speaker 2:24 hours later, a change is made, or officially made, that on the night or the day of the third and decisive game of the championship series in which Texas A&M is playing in Texas' biggest rival playing for the national championship against Tennessee, texas decides to announce they're making a change, as Kurt Bowles, who now works for the Houston Chronicle, followed by the American Statesman his former employer Kurt Bowles, by the way, legend shout out to him no longer with the American Statesman, now with the Houston Chronicle, no longer with the American States, but now with the Houston Chronicle makes it official David Pierce is no longer the head coach of UT baseball. Kind of bittersweet, because I am friends with David Pierce and a lot of people will say he's a great guy and he really is and he knows baseball. He knows baseball, he comes from the old school. You talk about baseball with him, you learn a lot. But he had the unenviable task of following a legend in Augie Garrido and if you look at the history of any sport college professional, following up a legend is extremely difficult, very difficult, and considering that, I thought David Pierce did a great job, a really good job, considering he followed what was once the winningest coach in college baseball history. In his eight years he averaged 37 wins, three shy of 300 wins at Texas from 2017 to 2018.
Speaker 2:2024. One season with 50 plus wins, or 50 wins almost making it to the championship series, took the Longhorns to the promised land three times. That makes it 38 times UT has been to the College World Series. He only had one non-winning season. And, of course, 2020, we all know what happened there. Ut won 14 of the first 17 games that season, but the season ended early due to COVID. Four trips to college baseball suite 16, being the Super Regionals, six regional appearances and one win from the College World Series title series, like the one that Texas, a&m and Tennessee are playing in. That was three short years ago.
Speaker 2:Things change quickly, as they always do in life with things like this, and I want to. Some people have their own opinions and I just have to say David Pierce did a pretty damn good job as the head coach at Texas, but as so many things do occur, and things have changed quickly in college athletics, including college baseball, things have changed, but there's still only 11.7 scholarships. David Pierce had to deal with the entrance or the emergence of NIL and the transfer portal. Transfer portal was something that I thought that I'm not going to say he struggled with, but adapt to and, of course, with the NIL. There is so many things that you have to adapt to and manage as a coach nowadays and with Texas going to the SEC, I kind of had the feeling that after this season, which ended basically Texas finishing third in a regional or fourth out of one of the 16, 14 regionals, losing to Louisiana, which ended the season 10-2 to the Ragin' Cajuns, you know, hats off, tip the cap to David Pierce. He did some great things. He did and, regardless if people want to admit it, he did. He was always so willing to talk. We texted, talked on the phone, but I remember my times, mostly when I was in the media up to June of 2019. David Pierce was a great person. He and his wife Susan lovely wife Susan very active in the community, especially with RBI Austin, and I have nothing but great things to say about what he did and his wife. And you know he's going to find a job. There is no doubt and it wouldn't surprise me if he finds a job on the collegiate level in the city of Houston, where he's from. David Pierce did great things and upheld the tradition but a program that marks its success according to how successful a coach is in Omaha. It's tough and it's not a job for everybody, but it does not mean that an individual is a failure.
Speaker 2:But the question now is who succeeds David Pierce? I think it's down to three guys, three guys who have ties to Texas and has ties to one of UT's key rivals and we'll begin with the head coach of the man. And both these head coaches are playing in the College World Series National Title Series as we speak. I think Tony Vitello is that guy. I think one of his assistants right there. I'll take this off.
Speaker 2:Josh Elander from Round Rock played for Jim Schlossnagel and Tony Vitello when they were at TCU Josh Elander and Tony Vitello when they were at TCU. Josh Elander he is the key guy to their recruiting at Tennessee. And then Jim Schlossnagel, the head coach at Texas A&M, has turned them around. They have been fun to watch. They're well coached. So I think it's one of these three guys Now.
Speaker 2:Elander, I think, is the wild card here. I could be totally off, but in my opinion I don't think Chris Del Conte issues a statement that David Pierce is fired without having his successor locked up and loaded and ready to go. I think it's one of these three gentlemen right here. Personally, I would love to see Tony Vitello because he's fiery, he has a great, he has a personality and he develops teams and he would bring Elander with him. One of the best pitching coaches is going to return to Texas, frank Anderson. He was Augie Garrido's pitching coach in the early 2000s. I enjoy, I really enjoy, talking to Frank because it's funny. He is deeply rooted to developing pitchers, as he did with Texas and as he's done with Tennessee, and he was once the head coach at Oklahoma State, and this is a soundbite. Early in the year, nutella was asked about Frank Anderson and how he develops those pitchers so well.
Speaker 1:You know, in this day and age you'd like to think any pitcher in the country would be interested in Tennessee if they look at his resume. But in this day and age most people look at Twitter or they want to see a video or a mechanism or some kind of formula. You know, like a pitching lab where a pitching coach has got a beaker and a. I went to science class but I don't remember all that stuff Creating pitches and I don't think any of that's there. I think at the heart of it is you've got a very competitive person that is incredibly intelligent.
Speaker 2:Sums it up, frank Anderson. That's who he is. He will soon be a member of the Stories Inside the man Cave VIP alumni group. As we're on episode 377, frank will make an appearance on here soon and maybe we'll be talking about him being the pitching coach of the University of Texas for a second stint, I think. As Texas enters the SEC one, the coach has to be proficient with the transfer portal and have an NIO program and manage that as a coaching staff where you're on top of it. So that's my two cents. I may be completely off base, but I think it's hilarious that Chris Delconte announced that David Pierce the end of his era on the day of the third indecisive game where all eyeballs, a lot more eyeballs, are on college baseball. It was well done, well played, and Kurt Bowles breaks it while working for the Houston Chronicle. Hey, before we wrap up a staple of my media career, which was something I enjoyed doing I think a lot of people enjoyed it's coming back, but on these platforms.
Speaker 1:Pick it up, pick it up, pick it up, pick it up. Hi, this is Guillermo, and Clinch's clips are next. That's right, Pick it up, pick it up, pick it up. I've been on the flex, flex, flex zone Neighborhood, all in your eardrums.
Speaker 2:I ain't never scared like Bone Crush Boy. I got that. Don't fear nothing. That's right. Clinch's clips are coming back soon, but I need your help. If you have any sports clips, sports related clips to you and your life or something comical that it happened in your life, submit that short video to our Twitter handle at stories man cave a short video clip, less than a minute, and I will include it on a clenches clips real soon and I really appreciate that. And be sure to like our social media platforms TikTok, twitter, facebook, youtube and Instagram.
Speaker 2:But as far as what's going on now, the end of a David Pierce there and big shout-out to David Pierce and his lovely wife Susan. It was a pleasure to get to know you guys. I'm grateful to call you a friend, too, of what you did for RBI Austin, but he's going to land on his feet, guys. I'm grateful to call you a friend, too, of what you did for RBI Austin, but he's going to land on his feet and I'm going to be just as big a fan of his wherever he lands and looking forward to see who will be the next head coach of the University of Texas baseball program. We'll follow it here on Stories Inside the man Cave. So whenever in doubt it's always good, regardless of what it is. If it's coaching, change anything about college baseball, it is always good to talk about.
Speaker 1:Music.