David Pierce. an assistant to Wayne Graham during Rice baseball's heyday, takes over the Owls and looks to reverse the program's decline in recent years.

Rice has hired former Texas head coach David Pierce as its new baseball coach as the Owls look to new leadership to turn its 2025 season around.

HOUSTON - Rice University has announced that its baseball team is "parting ways" with head coach José Cruz Jr. According to a statement from the university, Vice President and Athletics Director Tommy McCelland said Rice is "making a change in leadership of its baseball program" and "parting ways" with its head coach.