Reports: Texas targeting former Baylor head coach for assistant role
Texas is targeting former Baylor baseball head coach Steve Rodriguez for a role on David Pierce’s staff, per multiple reports. Rodriguez, who played in the Major Leagues for a total of 18 games with the Detroit Tigers and the Boston Red Sox, would bring over two decades of coaching experience to the Longhorn baseball program.
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Rodriguez’s coaching focuses include hitting and infield. As a head coach, Rodriguez compiled a 598-436 record at Pepperdine and Baylor. He led the Waves to the NCAA tournament eight times in 12 years before taking over in Waco. The Bears reached the postseason three consecutive seasons from 2017 to 2019 under Rodriguez and won the Big 12 tournament in 2018. He reached the super regional round once during his career in 2014 with Pepperdine. Rodriguez was the Big 12 coach of the year in 2017.
Baylor produced eight All-Americans and three freshman All-Americans during Rodriguez’s time leading the Bears. He also produced a Big 12 player of the year in 2019 in infielder Davis Wendzel. Fourteen draft picks also came out of Waco during his days leading the BU program.
Rodriguez joins the staff after Pierce saw all three assistant coaching roles open up following the end to Texas’ season at the hands of the Texas A&M Aggies in the College World Series. Pitching coach and recruiting coordinator Sean Allen was let go, while volunteer assistant Troy Tulowitzki elected not to return to the staff. Assistant coach Philip Miller was reassigned within the program.
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Pierce just completed his sixth season as head coach of the Longhorns. He’s made three appearances at the College World Series, including back-to-back appearances in 2021 and 2022. Pierce was named national coach of the year by several publications in 2018, and has won two Big 12 regular season titles during his time in Austin.
During his Texas tenure, Pierce is 219-116. His overall record is 416-225 including his time spent as head coach at Tulane and Sam Houston State.
Two openings, one for a full-time assistant and one for a volunteer assistant, remain for Pierce to fill this offseason.
