Just curious how long Texas will put up with mediocrity from baseball after the storied success of Cliff and Augie. Pierce is not even close to those guys and his record confirms that. Perhaps CDC will get the chance to upgrade baseball coaching as well.
Assuming this is his job interview season. His contract is up I think in 2022. Right now I'd say Omaha or bust for him.
If Pierce makes CWS this year, that would be 2 in 4 full seasons. That is the historical average for Texas baseball.
I hope they do well but I have no confidence based on past play. I presume I am spoiled with Cliff and Augie and Anderson as a pitching coach. I will be happy to be wrong at year end so check back in May/June for a recap. And yes somehow winning 2 out of 3 against ou jumped them into the top 5. Lets see how long it lasts.
Outside of the first three games of the season where they couldn't practice for like 10 days before the games they have been really good going 18-5. Two of those three teams the first weekend are ranked #2 & #3 in the nation and the other is #8. And we didn't get manhandled in those games we just couldn't hit but it seems that is mostly rectified.
In a world without covid ranking can be misleading at this point, but the Texas fanbase needs to temper expectations a bit. We were fortunate to have 2 of the greatest coaches in the history of college baseball. Replacing Pierce would be a crapshoot as to finding someone better. Reality is Texas will probably never achieve what Gus and Augie did, at least in my lifetime.
Unfortunately, it is looking that way. Look at USC and ASU when their "greatest" coach retired. However, we fans can always push for the best.
We weren't in a whole lot better shape when Coach Pierce arrived. Augie should have been canned after the DWI which I said loudly at the time.
While a Cliff or an Augie doesn't come around too often, the resources and facilities at Texas will always be there and will always attract top notch players and coaches if they are used properly. I am still on board with Pierce because other than his year three stumble (which had a ton of reasons for happening, some beyond his control and some he maybe should have foreseen, that all just happened at the same time), he has shown he can get Texas in the conversation and his two most recent recruiting classes are really showing dividends. I expect Texas to be in a Super Regional at least every other year and that will lead to Omaha trips and eventually to another NC. This years team has a great shot at a national seed and if they do make it to Omaha that would be 2 CWS' in his first four full seasons which is pretty dang good considering what Pierce inherited.
Agree with everything here. The likelihood of a national seed this year hinges on the month of April. We face Tech, Okie lite, and TCU in consecutive weekend series in April (and the first weekend of May). If Texas wins all 3 series (even without any sweeps) and wins the rest of the games it should, I think we get the national seed. That should pave the way for a run into the super regionals and potentially Omaha. That is all I expect of a good coach. No one can guarantee a run into Omaha every season, but we can expect the coach to set the table for a run. So far this season, Pierce has set the table - we are in the top 10 with a sweep over #9 South Carolina. Our three loss season opening debacle now has some context: Piggie is #1, Miss is #3 and Miss St. is #4. That is a hard way to open a season.
I’m by no means a baseball expert as it’s the one sport I never played, but one of the things I see (and like) about the squads Pierce has put together is the size. It felt to me like the guys Augie had, especially in his later years as coach, were all about 125 lbs dripping wet. That’s not to say they weren’t good or great players, but the guys now look like they have a little more “oomph” to them - more power and strength. Am I wrong on that?
Because of the summer camp money and Deron Gustafson? I always thought the accusation was petty. Gus was supposed to report the money which would’ve then be given to him? Think he was losing regionals at home and Augie was interested...
No, something else which cannot be named. It was obvious there was something else if you read the news clips when it happened. Something didn’t add up, but Gus had to go.
Nope, that was a convenient excuse. He and Augie were close friends, and Gus recommended Deloss hire Augie.
So Gus had to go but DWI Augie did not? Back to the subject, I said this when we hired Pierce and I will say it again - Pierce was my first choice because he played HS baseball in Houston and he coached HS baseball in Houston. You guys not from down there don't understand what BIG DEAL high school baseball is in Houston. Pierce knows the game.
Yep. And San Jac Jr college used to crank out some serious talent. Then there’s Rice, where Pierce was an assistant coach.
Nice turn of the phrase, but I disagree. As you rightly pointed out, the camp money thing was just an excuse - the entire athletic dept. knew all about that way before it came up. They looked the other way, until they didn't. Likewise, they all knew about Augie's drinking. I go to 6th street about once every 10 years, and *I* saw the guy down there boozing it up, so you know he was there a lot. That "excuse" should have been enough to dump him as the program was already on the skids. I didn't like that he was in charge of molding these young men into good guys, not just good players, but UT just went along with the "it was a one-time thing" lie. He should have gotten the same treatment as Coach Gus did - "Why, am shocked, SHOCKED, to find out that gambling is going on at Rick's Place!" You're fired.
One gets you probation; the other gets the program the death penalty. Not remotely close to the same thing or same severity.
Back to Pierce, 25-5 and 10-2 conf is a good start to the season. Season will be determined (good vs very good) in a month or so as we play OSU, Tech, and TCU.
MC or FW, Correct me if I'm wrong, but 3 of those 5 losses came in the first three games of the year, and all three against Top Ten teams.
Texas’ 8 losses consist of that lost weekend in Arlington against teams who currently sit 2, 3, and 5 in the rankings, a loss to BYU when they couldn’t finish a 4 game sweep (not a given against any team), a road loss to Houston in a series Texas won, game three losses to both Baylor and Oklahoma in series that Texas won, and most recently a road loss to aggy. For Texas to sit at 25-8 with the schedule they have played is outstanding. They have won every weekend since Arlington and except for the loss down at aggy are winning all their midweek games as they should. They come out of their out of conference series next week with the meat of the Big XII with Okie State, Tech and TCU in successive weekends and that will determine the regular season champion and who will be national seeds.
Sabre, we are actually 25-8, but otherwise you are correct. My schtick (25-5) only works if the team backs it up. So far they have, and the first 3 games are clearly an aberration that deserves some sort of asterisk due to the impact of the winter storm.
I cannot remember a Texas team ever having this much batting power. Most of our great success has been based on good pitching and fielding with solid, timely hitting and a bunch of small ball. I always considered LSU more of the power hitting team with mediocre pitching depth. Is this the new normal for Texas?