Tag Archives: David Pierce

AAC champion UTSA prepares to host the David Pierce-coached Rice Owls

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By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

Emotions on the baseball diamond always run a little higher than usual when the Rice Owls show up as the visiting team at Roadrunner Field.

This year, a little more spice has been added with UTSA having already clinched its first conference title in 17 years. In addition, there’s also the impending meeting between head coaches who know each other well.

UTSA beat Oakland (Michigan) 13-3 on Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2025, at Roadrunner Field. - Photo by Joe Alexander

UTSA’s Pat Hallmark has led the Roadrunners to the American Athletic Conference regular-season title. He’ll face a coaching friend in David Pierce this weekend when UTSA hosts Rice at Roadrunner Field.- File photo by Joe Alexander

In another era, UTSA’s Pat Hallmark and Rice’s David Pierce spent six seasons together on the same coaching staff.

From 2006-11, they both toiled at Rice under Wayne Graham, a coaching legend in Texas baseball circles who led the Owls to six College World Series and one national title during his 27 years at the Houston-based private school.

With UTSA and Rice set to meet in a three-game AAC series from Thursday through Saturday, the two have already been in communication.

Pierce worked at Rice as an assistant in 1999 and from 2003-11 and Hallmark from 2006-16. Asked about the possible complications of coaching against someone he knows, Hallmark downplayed it.

“Oh, there’s no complications,” Hallmark said. “I want to beat him more than if I didn’t know him. And he knows that. We’re friends. We texted this morning. I have nothing but respect for David and what he’s done in his career. His resume’ is very impressive … He’s a wonderful coach. Great competitor. Very, very competitive.

“We have that in common. We might get into it this weekend, but in the long run, we’ll be friends.”

After Rice announced a coaching change on March 13, Jose Cruz Jr. was out. By March 17, the Owls had hired Pierce, a veteran with more than 500 victories as a head coach.

Pierce’s nine seasons at Rice saw the Owls win a conference title and qualify for the NCAA tournament each year, earn five national seeds, and advance to five Super Regionals and four College World Series, winning the title in 2003.

As a head coach since 2012, he took Sam Houston, Tulane, and Texas to a combined 11 regionals, four super regionals, and three College World Series. He came to Rice with a 494-271 record in 13 seasons.

This season, the Owls were 4-17 before he took over. They’ve posted a 13-18 record since. Rice will come into San Antonio with a 17-35 record overall, including 10-14 in the AAC.

Hallmark, in his sixth year at UTSA, has led the Roadrunners to a 39-11 record, including 20-4 in the AAC. With one more victory, the Roadrunners will break the program record for victories in a season.

Records

Rice 17-35, 10-14
UTSA 39-11, 20-4

Coming up

Rice at UTSA, Thursday, 6 p.m.
Rice at UTSA, Friday, 6 p.m.
Rice at UTSA, Saturday, 1 p.m.

AAC tournament, at Clearwater, Fla., May 20-25

Notable

Last weekend, UTSA won two of three at East Carolina for its eighth series victory in eight tries in AAC play.

“It was a good weekend for us,” Hallmark said on his weekly zoom call with the media. “You go to ECU and you win two out of three, I think you should be pleased, so we are. Would have liked to have the third one. but we just didn’t close it out. So, a little disappointed in that. But, still a good weekend.”

On May 4 in Tampa, Fla., UTSA clinched a tie for the AAC title with a 3-2 victory over South Florida.

After returning home to San Antonio, UTSA traveled out on the road again and clinched the AAC crown outright in an 8-5 victory over East Carolina last Friday night in Greenville, N.C.

In a Saturday doubleheader, the Roadrunners won their 10th straight game by downing the Pirates, 7-6. But in the second game, East Carolina rallied late with four straight runs over the last two innings to win 8-7.

AAC standings

UTSA 20-4, 39-11
Charlotte 15-9, 31-20
South Florida 14-10, 27-22
Florida Atlantic 13-11, 33-18
Tulane 13-11, 30-21
East Carolina 12-12, 28-23
Rice 10-14, 17-35
Memphis 8-16, 21-30
Wichita State 8-16, 16-34
UAB 7-17, 23-28

x-Top eight qualify for the AAC tournament

Relief pitcher Robert Orloski. UTSA beat Youngstown State 4-3 on James Taussig's walk-off hit on Friday, Feb. 28, 2025, at Roadrunner Field. - Photo by Joe Alexander

UTSA relief specialist Robert Orloski earned the save in both victories at East Carolina last weekend. – File photo by Joe Alexander

Clemens-led Texas advances to College World Series

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Kody Clemens slammed his fifth home run of the NCAA playoffs Monday as the Texas Longhorns advanced to the College World Series by downing the Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles, 5-2.

A sell-out crowd of more than 7,000 fans watched as the Longhorns backed the pitching of junior Matteo Bocchi and five relievers to clinch the Austin Super Regional.

Tennessee Tech won the first game of the best-of-3 series, but Texas bounced back to take the next two. Clemens hit home runs in all three games.

It is the 36th trip to the CWS for Texas, but it is the program’s first since 2014 and the first under second-year coach David Pierce, who kept the Longhorns steady after a shaky 9-9 start to the regular season.

Texas scored two runs in the second inning and two more in the third for a four-run lead on the Golden Eagles, the talented Ohio Valley Conference champions who won 53 games this season.

In the second, UT’s Ryan Reynolds laced a two-run double to the base of the fence in left field.

In the third, Clemens drilled a one-out, opposite-field home run. It was his 24th homer of the season. One out later, D.J. Petrinsky added another solo shot to make it 4-0.

Bocchi, making his 20th appearance and only his fourth start of the season, pitched five innings of four-hit ball. The former member of the Italian junior national team left with a 4-1 lead.

Trailing by the evntual final score, Tennessee Tech loaded the bases with two outs in the ninth. Facing Nolan Kingham, Brennon Kaleiwahea grounded out to end the game.

Records

Texas 42-21
Tennessee Tech 53-12

Texas bounces back to beat Tennessee Tech, 4-2

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Kody Clemens doubled and homered and drove in two runs Sunday as the Texas Longhorns beat Tennessee Tech, 4-2, to tie the best-of-3 Austin Super Regional at one win apiece.

A deciding Game 3 is set for noon Monday at UFCU Disch-Falk Field, with the winner earning a berth in the College World Series.

Shutting down an explosive offense, Chase Shugart pitched six innings and Blair Henley the last three for the Longhorns, who were facing elimination after losing the series opener 5-4 on Saturday.

Shugart experienced some problems with control but pitched effectively when it counted, holding the Golden Eagles to two hits and one unearned run.

The Texas defense also emerged as a factor.

While the UT infield turned a couple of double plays, it also broke down once with a throwing error by Clemens accounting for Tennessee Tech’s first run of the game in the second inning.

UT’s miscue allowed the Golden Eagles to cut the lead to 2-1.

Clemens made up for it in the Longhorns’ next at bat with a long solo homer off Tennessee Tech starter and staff ace Travis Moths, a 13-game winner who took the loss.

Texas scored again in the seventh off Moths to make it 4-1. David Garza answered for Tennessee Tech in the bottom half by greeting Henley with a first-pitch solo homer.

But that was it for the Golden Eagles, who managed only three hits on the afternoon.

Clemens, a third-round draft choice by the Detroit Tigers, continued his torrid offensive pace against Tennessee Tech.

In five NCAA tournament games, the son of former major league pitching star Roger Clemens is batting .474 with three doubles and four home runs.

He has also produced 10 RBI.

Thanks to Clemens and friends, the Longhorns moved to within one victory of their first trip to Omaha under second-year UT coach David Pierce.

The Longhorns are looking for their 36th trip overall.

Quotable

Kody Clemens, in comments posted on the Texas website, on whether he was surprised that the Golden Eagles pitched to him:

“Not really, I was just going up there with the same approach as always. I didn’t know what they were going to try and do, but I knew that pitcher’s sequences. I just got a good pitch and got a good swing on it.”

Coach David Pierce, on electing to pitch Henley in Game 2:

“Well, this is the thing, there’s no tomorrow if we don’t win today. It makes no sense to me to have our next best guy sitting in the bullpen and then we’d never get to him, for the simple fact that we’re waiting on playing him tomorrow. We had an opportunity to win and we went for it. Plus, he gives Parker Joe (Robinson) and Josh (Sawyer) some rest. I knew he was fresh, I knew his stuff would play, and it was the right decision for us.”

Records

Texas 41-21
Tennessee Tech 53-11

Texas edges Indiana for NCAA Austin Regional championship

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Kody Clemens drove in the go-ahead run with a double in the seventh inning, and starting pitcher Blair Henley worked into the eighth, lifting the Texas Longhorns to a 3-2 victory Sunday night over Indiana for the NCAA Austin Regional title.

The win propelled Texas into the Super Regional round of the playoffs for the first time under second-year coach David Pierce. It is Texas’ first Super Regional trip since 2014.

Indiana survived an elimination game earlier in the day, beating Texas A&M, 9-7, and then pushed Texas to the limit in a drama- and controversy-filled ninth inning.

In their last at bat, the Hoosiers loaded the bases against Andy McGuire on a single, a hit by pitch and a walk.

Frustrated at the turn of events, Texas coaches pulled McGuire, their third reliever since the eighth, and handed the ball to Chase Shugart.

Shugart promptly fanned freshman Sam Crail for the second out.

Next, Matt Lloyd stepped to the plate and sent a fly ball twisting into foul territory and toward the left field grandstand.

UT leftfielder Masen Hibbeler raced to the barrier to get in position, reached over the rail and appeared to make the catch.

But when he pulled his glove back, the ball came loose and landed on the outfield turf.

For a moment, Hibbeler thought he had made the grab and so did the fans, who celebrated what they thought was the game-clinching out.

Moments later, officials ruled the play a no catch, giving Lloyd new life. It didn’t last long.

Shugart recorded the strike out, prompting Pierce to turn and clinch his fists in triumph.

Clemens called Hibbeler’s effort a “crazy” play.

“He caught the ball,” Clemens said on ESPN. “Then I saw the ball on the ground. I thought he just tossed it.”

Pierce later told the network that he thought the umpire made the correct call.

“(Hibbeler’s) feet hit the ground, but he never really had total possession of the ball,” the UT coach said.

In discussing his at bat that produced the go-ahead run, Clemens said he was looking for a breaking ball, and he pulled it into the corner in right field.

“I was able to put a good swing on it,” Clemens said.

Records

Texas 40-20
Indiana 40-19