Tulane Director of Athletics Rick Dickson announced David Pierce as the 23rd head coach of the Green Wave baseball program

Sunday. Pierce succeeds Rick Jones, who retired following the 2014 season after serving as head coach for 21 years.

“It is with great pleasure that we introduce David Pierce as the new head coach of Tulane baseball,” Dickson said, in a press release. “[Pierce] brings a great track record of coaching with energy, enthusiasm and strong history of recruiting while developing some of the country’s finest collegiate players, as evidenced by the selection of five student-athletes from his first recruiting class at [Sam Houston State University] being chosen in this week’s [Major League Baseball] draft.”

Pierce had served as the head coach at Sam Houston State baseball program for three years, and compiled an overall head coaching record of 121-63, as he led SHSU to three consecutive NCAA Regional. Pierce was named the head coach at SHSU prior to the 2012 season after serving as an assistant coach for nine years at Rice University.

Pierce served as Rice’s hitting coach from 2003-05 before moving to the role of pitching coach from 2006-11, and was an important piece in the success of Rice’s first ever National Championship team in 2003. Rice hit .313 with 51 home runs and 449 RBI under Pierce’s coaching during the 2003 season.

Pierce helped develop a pitching staff ranked in the top 30 in the NCAA in staff ERA for five years, including a No. 4 national mark in 2007 as Rice’s pitching coach from 2006-2011.

“[Pierce’s] contributions during his tenure at Rice ranked among the nation’s best in that decade, which were an important factor as we sought the best fit to lead Tulane baseball back to national prominence,” Dickson said in a press release.