Welcome to the offseason Texas fans aka misery land.
While the Horns turn their attention to the transfer portal and an impending coaching search, there is a lot of moving parts out there, so lets use this thread to keep things update.
June 3rd:
JUNE 4TH
JUNE 5TH
JUNE 6th
JUNE 10th
UPDATE (6/11):
The silence continues.
Checked in with several folks this morning to see if there is any pending announcement and I was told again that nothing is finalized and that there are still several names that are being discussed.
I did ask around some of the big names and here is what I was advised.
Jim Schlossnagle - all quiet. His team is in Omaha and focused on the first round matchup against Florida. I was told that the new AD Alberts helped settle a lot of his concerns with the $80M pledge for facilities upgrades, and that despite a continued close relationship with CDC, this one is less likely.
Tony Vitello - enquired about Maserati Tony again and was told that while he may very well be the guy, there is no one that believes he is leaving Tennessee. His agent Sexton, who is currently negotiating a contract extension loves the fact that Texas and Vitello are being mentioned though.
Erik Bakich - this one makes all the sense in the world....except for one fact. Does Bakich actually want to leave Clemson? Indications are that he likes where he is at. Could that change with a big formal offer, sure, but that hasn't happened yet.
Brian O'Connor - there continues to be interest from both sides. Difficult is that BOC has his team in Omaha, so nothing would happen till shortly thereafter. This continues to be one to watch.
Where that does leave things. If Texas does strike out on those top four candidates, which is certainly in the realm of possibilities, the Horns will need to take a fresh look at coaches that fit the profile and candidacy of the position....which of course is not even open yet officially.
I continue to hear that it is but a matter of time for when the position opens and the silence from CDC and the athletic department certainly do no dispel that.
It has been mentioned multiple times by folks on the board that if there is not a major upgrade in place, why not keep Pierce? Here are a few thoughts on that.
1. The decision has already been made at the top based on what I have heard from numerous folks.
2. The perceived direction and trajectory of the program is not one with an arrow pointed upward.
3. The constant staff turnover and inability to truly bring in elite assistant coaches has not gone unnoticed.
4. Going into the next season, Pierce will only have two years remaining on his contract and if the school is not going to give him a contract extension, he effectively is crippled and becomes a dead man walking when it comes to recruiting high school prep prospects and in the transfer portal.
5. The feedback from some SEC coaches is that transfer portal entrants is that Texas is not even being considered or in the conversation.
6. Taking over as pitching coach and them having one of the worst seasons was certainly not in Pierce's favor.
7. Miller leaving (see above) mid-season and several incidents with parents over the past two season have not been viewed upon as favorably.
At the end of the day is Pierce a bad guy or a bad coach? Absolutely not. He can micromanage and be tough to work for/with, yes, but he isn't a bad coach.
When looking at the variables above, you have to ask yourself two main questions. Is the program going in the right director and can he win a national championship?
Those are the same questions that were asked about Herman, so it is not anything new.
If the answers to either are no, you have to begin looking for a candidate that you believe can check both those boxes. Augie Garrido is not walking into the building. People need to adjust expectations and understand an unpopular opinion.
Texas Baseball is not the most elite program in all aspects as it once was. It has not won a title since 2005. It has not been in the title game since 2009. The advent of the transfer portal and even NIL has allowed many programs to be able to offer just as much TODAY than Texas can.
Is Texas still an elite job. HELL YES. Does Texas have an allure and a ton of history with the ability to recruit simply based on name alone. YES. The program still needs a steward and care taker though that can manage and develop young men and talent.
JUNE 13TH
Nice entrance into the portal that Texas could kick the tires on. Big 12 All-Freshman Ace Reese of Houston has entered the transfer portal.
Good look at the Top 100 committed players in the transfer portal.....Georgia is on FIRE!
Here are the Top 100 uncommitted players:
You can officially strike Brian O'Connor from the list of candidates for the Texas job.
UPDATE (6/13):
There will not be an official announcement today from Texas regarding the status of David Pierce due to contractual matters, but it has been made clear and the next step will be an official announcement from CDC (Texas) that Coach Pierce has been fired.
As far as who will be the next coach, that name has not been released, but they have narrowed it down to an individual and he has stated that when the official offer is made, which can only be done once Pierce is officially removed, he will say yes.
UPDATE (6/17):
All is quiet on the Western Front. Does that mean nothing is happening? NO.
After talking with numerous folks this weekend and this morning, this continues to be the CDC show. He has a plan and continues to work towards his vision for what he wants to see from Texas Baseball.
At this juncture, it would not surprise me to see this go until the CWS is over, but with CDC, there is no telling what his specific timeline is.
Stay tuned and please.....NO PISSING OF PANTS, but CDC will action his plan when he has everything lined up.
On the recruiting front - the Texas OneFund continues work behind the scenes to bolster the Texas roster. If you have not already done so, make sure to set up those donations to OneFund. In case you have questions around that, reach out to @AgaveHorn
Here is a brief look at some summer ball activity for a few Longhorns.
Will Gasparino got going in the Cape with his first hit of the summer, cranking a HR over to right CF
Dee Kennedy has been a mainstay with Santa Barbara Foresters this summer. In 17 ABs, Dee is hitting .333, while playing a number of different positions.
RHP Cody Howard is also playing for Santa Barbara, having made one start this season.
4.2 IP
1 R
5 H
1 BB
7 K
0.00 ERA
Nik Sanders is also playing for Santa Barbara and in 12 ABs, he is hitting .600 on the season.
Hudson Hamilton is also playing for Santa Barbara this summer. Hamilton has thrown 2.1 innings, giving up 3 runs, 2 hits, 4 walks, 4 strikeouts
Rylan Galvan is playing for Wareham Gatemen in the Cape Cod League. Wareham has only played two games this season, with Galvan getting the nod at catcher in the first game. Unfortunately, he went 0-3 on the afternoon with 1 strikeout.
Blake Peterson is playing for the Yakima Valley Pippins. In 4 games, he has had 11 at-bats, scoring a 1 run, 2 hits, 2 RBI and 6 strikeouts for a .182 batting average.
Casey Cummings is playing with the Walnut Creek Crawdads again this summer. Through 8 games, he has had 28 at-bats with a .250 batting average, 11 runs, 7 hits, 2 doubles, 1 home run, 6 RBI, 9 walks, 9 strikeouts, and 4 stolen bases.
Tommy Farmer and Luke Harrison are both with Healdsburg Packers who have played just one game so far. Tommy did get a single at-bat, but did not record a hit, while Harrison did not appear in the first game.
Casey Borba is playing with the San Luis Obispo Blues this summer, but has yet to make an appearance so far this summer. He may have been a late addition or showed up late.
Cole Selvig is playing for the Eau Claire Express. He has pitched in two games so far with a 0-1 record. 2.2 IP, 3 H, 5 R, 1 BB, 2 K.
While the Horns turn their attention to the transfer portal and an impending coaching search, there is a lot of moving parts out there, so lets use this thread to keep things update.
June 3rd:
- Big news this morning that was expected is that Mark Kingston has been fired as head coach of South Carolina.
- LHP Chase Lummus is calling it quits on his baseball career at Texas per his mom.
- A decision has not been made on whether he is hitting the portal for a smaller school or quitting baseball all together yet
- Transfer News - Texas Tech is feeling the pain of a poor season with a plethora of entrants
- Gavin Kash - (he is draft eligible)
- Owen Washburn
- Garet Boehm (younger brother of Texas RHP Gage Boehm)
- Travis Sanders
- Landon Stripling
- Gage Harrelson
- Transfer News - TCU has a pair of players enter the portal
- Gabe Miranda - freshman from Orange Lutheran - solid stick and defender
- Jake Duer
- Transfer News - Oklahoma
- Jace Miner enters the portal a year after transferring to OU from Wichita State
JUNE 4TH
- RHP Grant Fontenot of Texas, who left the team back on April 10th is in the transfer portal.
- Duke Ellis has been called up by the Chicago Whitesox!
- TCU DH Logan Maxwell has entered the portal, along with 2B Ryder Robinson, and P Holden Harris
JUNE 5TH
- Quite a few big time pitchers are in the transfer portal, the most notable one is Zach Root of East Carolina. Lot of big time programs will be chasing him, including Texas and A&M.
- Texas Tech transfer Landon Stripling is headed to Florida to play for the Gators next season.
- Woody Williams is taking over as pitching coach at Houston after spending one season as a staff member.
JUNE 6th
- for all those holding out hope it would Tony Vitello of Tennessee. It won’t. You can cross his name off the list.
- The same can be said of Coach Jim Schlossnagle. Based on what I’ve heard, no reason to believe he will be the guy.
JUNE 10th
- Rising sophomore INF Sam Ardoin is in the transfer portal
UPDATE (6/11):
The silence continues.
Checked in with several folks this morning to see if there is any pending announcement and I was told again that nothing is finalized and that there are still several names that are being discussed.
I did ask around some of the big names and here is what I was advised.
Jim Schlossnagle - all quiet. His team is in Omaha and focused on the first round matchup against Florida. I was told that the new AD Alberts helped settle a lot of his concerns with the $80M pledge for facilities upgrades, and that despite a continued close relationship with CDC, this one is less likely.
Tony Vitello - enquired about Maserati Tony again and was told that while he may very well be the guy, there is no one that believes he is leaving Tennessee. His agent Sexton, who is currently negotiating a contract extension loves the fact that Texas and Vitello are being mentioned though.
Erik Bakich - this one makes all the sense in the world....except for one fact. Does Bakich actually want to leave Clemson? Indications are that he likes where he is at. Could that change with a big formal offer, sure, but that hasn't happened yet.
Brian O'Connor - there continues to be interest from both sides. Difficult is that BOC has his team in Omaha, so nothing would happen till shortly thereafter. This continues to be one to watch.
Where that does leave things. If Texas does strike out on those top four candidates, which is certainly in the realm of possibilities, the Horns will need to take a fresh look at coaches that fit the profile and candidacy of the position....which of course is not even open yet officially.
I continue to hear that it is but a matter of time for when the position opens and the silence from CDC and the athletic department certainly do no dispel that.
It has been mentioned multiple times by folks on the board that if there is not a major upgrade in place, why not keep Pierce? Here are a few thoughts on that.
1. The decision has already been made at the top based on what I have heard from numerous folks.
2. The perceived direction and trajectory of the program is not one with an arrow pointed upward.
3. The constant staff turnover and inability to truly bring in elite assistant coaches has not gone unnoticed.
4. Going into the next season, Pierce will only have two years remaining on his contract and if the school is not going to give him a contract extension, he effectively is crippled and becomes a dead man walking when it comes to recruiting high school prep prospects and in the transfer portal.
5. The feedback from some SEC coaches is that transfer portal entrants is that Texas is not even being considered or in the conversation.
6. Taking over as pitching coach and them having one of the worst seasons was certainly not in Pierce's favor.
7. Miller leaving (see above) mid-season and several incidents with parents over the past two season have not been viewed upon as favorably.
At the end of the day is Pierce a bad guy or a bad coach? Absolutely not. He can micromanage and be tough to work for/with, yes, but he isn't a bad coach.
When looking at the variables above, you have to ask yourself two main questions. Is the program going in the right director and can he win a national championship?
Those are the same questions that were asked about Herman, so it is not anything new.
If the answers to either are no, you have to begin looking for a candidate that you believe can check both those boxes. Augie Garrido is not walking into the building. People need to adjust expectations and understand an unpopular opinion.
Texas Baseball is not the most elite program in all aspects as it once was. It has not won a title since 2005. It has not been in the title game since 2009. The advent of the transfer portal and even NIL has allowed many programs to be able to offer just as much TODAY than Texas can.
Is Texas still an elite job. HELL YES. Does Texas have an allure and a ton of history with the ability to recruit simply based on name alone. YES. The program still needs a steward and care taker though that can manage and develop young men and talent.
JUNE 13TH
Nice entrance into the portal that Texas could kick the tires on. Big 12 All-Freshman Ace Reese of Houston has entered the transfer portal.
Good look at the Top 100 committed players in the transfer portal.....Georgia is on FIRE!
Here are the Top 100 uncommitted players:
You can officially strike Brian O'Connor from the list of candidates for the Texas job.
UPDATE (6/13):
There will not be an official announcement today from Texas regarding the status of David Pierce due to contractual matters, but it has been made clear and the next step will be an official announcement from CDC (Texas) that Coach Pierce has been fired.
As far as who will be the next coach, that name has not been released, but they have narrowed it down to an individual and he has stated that when the official offer is made, which can only be done once Pierce is officially removed, he will say yes.
UPDATE (6/17):
All is quiet on the Western Front. Does that mean nothing is happening? NO.
After talking with numerous folks this weekend and this morning, this continues to be the CDC show. He has a plan and continues to work towards his vision for what he wants to see from Texas Baseball.
At this juncture, it would not surprise me to see this go until the CWS is over, but with CDC, there is no telling what his specific timeline is.
Stay tuned and please.....NO PISSING OF PANTS, but CDC will action his plan when he has everything lined up.
On the recruiting front - the Texas OneFund continues work behind the scenes to bolster the Texas roster. If you have not already done so, make sure to set up those donations to OneFund. In case you have questions around that, reach out to @AgaveHorn
Here is a brief look at some summer ball activity for a few Longhorns.
Will Gasparino got going in the Cape with his first hit of the summer, cranking a HR over to right CF
Dee Kennedy has been a mainstay with Santa Barbara Foresters this summer. In 17 ABs, Dee is hitting .333, while playing a number of different positions.
RHP Cody Howard is also playing for Santa Barbara, having made one start this season.
4.2 IP
1 R
5 H
1 BB
7 K
0.00 ERA
Nik Sanders is also playing for Santa Barbara and in 12 ABs, he is hitting .600 on the season.
Hudson Hamilton is also playing for Santa Barbara this summer. Hamilton has thrown 2.1 innings, giving up 3 runs, 2 hits, 4 walks, 4 strikeouts
Rylan Galvan is playing for Wareham Gatemen in the Cape Cod League. Wareham has only played two games this season, with Galvan getting the nod at catcher in the first game. Unfortunately, he went 0-3 on the afternoon with 1 strikeout.
Blake Peterson is playing for the Yakima Valley Pippins. In 4 games, he has had 11 at-bats, scoring a 1 run, 2 hits, 2 RBI and 6 strikeouts for a .182 batting average.
Casey Cummings is playing with the Walnut Creek Crawdads again this summer. Through 8 games, he has had 28 at-bats with a .250 batting average, 11 runs, 7 hits, 2 doubles, 1 home run, 6 RBI, 9 walks, 9 strikeouts, and 4 stolen bases.
Tommy Farmer and Luke Harrison are both with Healdsburg Packers who have played just one game so far. Tommy did get a single at-bat, but did not record a hit, while Harrison did not appear in the first game.
Casey Borba is playing with the San Luis Obispo Blues this summer, but has yet to make an appearance so far this summer. He may have been a late addition or showed up late.
Cole Selvig is playing for the Eau Claire Express. He has pitched in two games so far with a 0-1 record. 2.2 IP, 3 H, 5 R, 1 BB, 2 K.
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