In-season firings are commonplace in college athletics, even moves that take place closer to the beginning of the season than the end. Recall back in 2021 when USC football fired Clay Helton on Sept. 13, two games into what ultimately became a 4-8 season.
As that timeline has advanced, so, too, has the pace with which programs hire new head coaches. Recall, again, Helton was named Georgia Southern's next head coach on Nov. 2, 2021. In a time when players are free to leave essentially any time they choose, schools understandably wish to leave their head coach's office vacant for as short a time as possible.
Even still, what's happening with Rice baseball is extremely rare.
On March 13, the Owls hired head coach Jose Cruz, Jr. A former Owl who re-wrote the school's record book on his way to making three All-America teams before an 12-year MLB career, Cruz was off to a 2-14 start to his fourth season when AD Tommy McClelland decided to make a change. "I do not take lightly the dismissal of a legendary Owl such as Coach Cruz," McClelland said. "However, I came to the decision that it was in the best interest of our student-athletes and our baseball program to make a coaching change now while there is so much of the season remaining."
Pitching coach Parker Bangs was appointed the interim head coach while Rice immediately began its search for a new head coach. Emphasis on immediately.
Four days later, last Monday, Rice announced David Pierce as its new head coach. The Owls played Tuesday night. Rice then held an introductory press conference for Pierce on Wednesday morning, and its first Pierce-led practice that same afternoon. Rice then boarded a plane Thursday to begin its American Athletic Conference opening series at Florida Atlantic on Friday.
Mind you, none of the players knew Pierce, at least not as their head coach. He assisted the late, great Wayne Graham at Rice from 2003-11, long before the current Owls entered college baseball. Pierce spent the past eight seasons as the head coach at Texas, and was an off-field assistant at Texas State until last Monday.
"I remember (Pierce) commenting, why wait until the end of the season when I can jump in the boat with the players and the staff now and get to rowing with them," McClelland said. "The more I thought about it, the more excited I got, and I knew this was the right decision, albeit different."
"I'm absorbing the team to win now," Pierce said. "Like I told the coaching staff, I'm coming in to help. I'm not coming in to be any kind of savior, I'm here for support, to be an extra set of eyes and do everything we can to right the ship."
Picked to finish last in the AAC preseason poll, Rice took one of three from FAU over the weekend, recording Pierce's first win on Saturday in a 3-1 decision. Preseason favorite East Carolina comes to Houston next weekend. The waters won't get any easier from here, but Pierce hasn't let industry norms stop him from grabbing an oar.