Texas Coaching Staff

DAVID PIERCE 
Birthdate: October 13,1962
Hometown: Houston, Texas
High School: St. Pius X High School
Alma Mater: The University of Houston, 1988
Wife: Susan
Children: Daughter, Chelsea; Son, Shea
Twitter: @DP5hookem

A Texas native who has spent most of his 28-year career coaching in the state, David Pierce was named head baseball coach at The University of Texas on June 29, 2016. Pierce, just the fifth Longhorn head coach since 1911 (with the exception of the war years of 1943-45 when Blair Cherry was at the helm), is the 13th head coach in 122 years of Texas baseball. 

In his first season at the helm, Pierce led the Longhorns to a 39-24 record, a 14-win improvement from the 2016 campaign. Texas came within one win of taking the Big 12 Conference tournament title before earning a No. 2 seed in the Long Beach Regional. Texas won its first two games of the regional before its season came to a close at the hands of LBSU. As a team, the Longhorns finished in the top 10 nationally in several statistical categories including double plays turned (fourth, 65), fielding percentage (fourth, .982), earned run average (ninth, 3.15), and hits allowed per nine innings (ninth, 7.60). 

The 54-year-old Pierce came to Texas from Tulane, where he spent the previous two seasons as head coach following a three-year stint at Sam Houston State in the same role. Pierce's teams have qualified for the NCAA tournament in each of his five years as a head coach, and including his time as an assistant, Pierce has been a part of programs that have advanced to the postseason in 16 consecutive years, played in seven Super Regionals and reached four College World Series, winning a title in 2003 with Rice. This summer, he was also named an assistant coach with the 2016 U.S. Collegiate National Team.

In six seasons as a Division I head coach, Pierce has posted a 236-133 (.640) overall record, including a 76-46 (.623) mark at Tulane. Joining the Green Wave in 2015, the Houston native guided the school into its first season in the American Athletic Conference. His team posted a school-record nine shutouts, which ranked fourth in the nation, en route to a 35-25 record and the program’s first regional appearance since 2008.

Pierce’s second season at Tulane brought even more success as he led the 2016 Green Wave to a 41-21 record, a regular season AAC championship and a second-consecutive regional appearance. The 41 wins were the most for the program since 2006. The team led the nation with 13 shutouts and ranked in the top 25 in both ERA (23rd/3.24) and WHIP (25th/1.24), while belting out 66 home runs, which was tied for 13th nationally. Tulane produced two third-round picks in the 2016 Major League Baseball Draft in catcher Jake Rogers and shortstop Stephen Alemais with Rogers becoming Tulane’s highest draft pick since 2008. Seven players earned All-AAC honors, including four first-team selections, while starting pitcher Ross Massey was named freshman All-America after leading the conference and tying for 18th in the nation in victories (10).

In three seasons as head coach at Sam Houston State, Pierce compiled a record of 121-63 (.658). During his tenure, the Bearkats made three straight NCAA Regional appearances for just the second time in program history. Sam Houston State was crowned Southland Conference champions in each of his three seasons (the program’s only previous league title came in 1989), and Pierce was named the conference coach of the year in both 2012 and 2013. The recognition in back-to-back years made him the first Southland Conference coach to earn consecutive honors since UTSA's Sherman Corbett (2007-08).

In his first season as head coach in 2012, the Bearkats were ranked in each of the major Division I polls for the first time in program history. He was honored as an American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) Regional Coach of the Year that season. In 2014, his final season in Huntsville, Pierce guided SHSU to a 43-19 record, the second-highest single-season win total for the Bearkats since they joined Division I in 1987. The team ranked in the top 25 in the nation and second in the conference in both ERA (17th/2.73) and hits (25th/610). It also led the conference in scoring (5.7 rpg), home runs (31) and slugging percentage (.390).

Throughout his three-year tenure at Sam Houston State, Pierce tutored eight MLB Draft selections. Of those picks, three came in the top-10 rounds, including fourth-round selection (No. 119 overall) Cody Dickson, the highest-ever pick out of Sam Houston State.

Before taking over at Sam Houston State, Pierce spent the previous nine seasons as an assistant coach at Rice. He served as hitting coach from 2003-05 before taking over as pitching coach from 2006-11. Under his tutelage, the 2003 Owls hit .313 with 51 homers and 449 RBI en route to the school’s first-ever national title. In six seasons as the Owls’ pitching coach, Pierce helped produce five staffs whose ERAs ranked in the NCAA top 30, peaking with the fourth-best mark in the nation in 2007. On that 2007 squad, two Pierce-coached pitchers received major Conference USA awards as Ryne Tacker was named C-USA Pitcher of the Year and Ryan Berry earned freshman of the year honors. Berry also earned Collegiate Baseball freshman of the year honors. In that year alone, eight Owl pitchers were selected in the MLB Draft, including the 19th overall pick, Joe Savery.

From 2006-11 under Pierce, 27 Owls pitchers were chosen in the MLB Draft, eight of which were selected in the first 10 rounds. In that span, Pierce tutored six NCAA All-America selections, two freshman All-America selections and a pair of CoSIDA Academic All-Americans in Eddie Degerman (2006) and Tacker (2007).

Pierce’s stint at Rice was his second with the Owls, as he also served as an assistant in 1991. Prior to his second stretch at Rice, Pierce spent two seasons as hitting coach at the University of Houston, helping UH to a pair of postseason appearances, including an NCAA Super Regional showing in 2002. The Cougars hit .310 that season, the fifth-best single-season performance in team history.

Pierce's jump-started his head coaching career at Dobie High School in Pasadena, Texas, where he ran the program from 1996-2001. There, Pierce led the Longhorns to three District 23-5A titles and three Region III semifinal berths. While at Dobie, he was named district coach of the year three times and was also named a coach for the United States Junior Olympic trials.

During his tenure in Pasadena, Pierce produced three all-state players, 36 all-district stars and 10 players who went on to perform at the college level, including former college All-American Shane Nance, who went on to pitch for the Milwaukee Brewers and Arizona Diamondbacks.

Before Dobie, Pierce was an assistant coach at Episcopal High School from 1992-95 and head coach at St. Pius X High School – where he also played – from 1989-90.

Following his high school playing career, Pierce continued as a student-athlete at Wharton County Junior College (1982-83) before playing two seasons at Houston (1984-85). As a senior in 1985, Pierce helped pace the Cougars to an appearance in the NCAA Tournament. He completed his degree at Houston in 1988.

A native of Houston, Pierce was born on October 13, 1962. He and his wife, Susan, have two children – a daughter, Chelsea, who graduated from The University of Texas in 2012, and a son, Shea, who completed his collegiate baseball career in 2016 at Tulane under his father.

A native of Houston, Pierce was born on October 13, 1962. He and his wife, Susan, have two children – a daughter, Chelsea, who graduated from The University of Texas in 2012, and a son, Shea, who just completed his collegiate baseball career this past season at Sam Houston State and Tulane under his father.

SEAN ALLEN

Hometown: Carlsbad, N.M.
High School: Carlsbad High School
Alma Mater: The University of Houston, 2001
Twitter: @SeanAllen3

Allen has served on David Pierce’s staffs for the last six seasons at both Tulane and Sam Houston State. Most recently, Allen was associate head coach for the Green Wave before being named assistant coach at Texas on June 30. 

Allen, 37, has strong ties to Texas thanks to his time with Pierce and his four-year playing career at the University of Houston (1998-2001), where he also coached from 2002-2007. 

The Carlsbad, N.M., native comes to the Longhorns with 15 years of coaching experience at the collegiate level. While at Tulane, he was Pierce’s lead recruiter, playing a major part in leading Tulane to NCAA Regional appearances in both of his seasons in New Orleans. 

In addition to recruiting, Allen worked primarily with hitters and infielders. Under his guidance, the Tulane offense pounded out 66 home runs to lead the American Athletic Conference and rank 13th in the nation in 2016. Tulane had three players hit double-digit home runs in a single season for the first time since 2005, while leading the AAC in slugging percentage (.423) and ranking second in runs scored (355), RBI (324) and walks (258). 

Five hitters earned all-conference honors, including shortstop Stephen Alemais, who became a 2016 All-AAC First Team selection and a third-round pick (No. 105 overall) of the Pittsburgh Pirates in this year’s Major League Baseball Draft. 

Prior to Tulane, Allen served as an assistant coach with Pierce at Sam Houston State for three seasons. There, he helped the Bearkats to three straight Southland Conference titles, while receiving NCAA Regional berths in each of those seasons. In 2014, the team ranked 25th in the nation and second in the conference in hits (610). It also led the conference in scoring (5.7 rpg), home runs (31) and slugging percentage (.390).

From 2008 to 2011, Allen served as an assistant coach at Florida International University, where he was recruiting coordinator and pitching coach and assisted with the infielders. Allen helped the Panthers put together a 130-103-1 record, while also earning NCAA Regional berths in 2010 and 2011, and capturing the Sun Belt Conference title in 2010.

In his first full season as pitching coach in 2009, Allen was instrumental in turning around FIU's staff. After finishing at or near the bottom of the Sun Belt in 2008 in various categories, his tutelage turned the Panthers’ staff into one of the conference's best. For most of 2009, FIU led the conference in ERA, while the Panthers finished with the lead in strikeouts and surrendered the fewest walks with a single-season school record low of 88.

Allen’s coaching career began as a student assistant with Houston in 2002 where he worked with the UH infield and coached first base. He spent the next five seasons as an assistant coach with the Cougars, helping guide UH to NCAA Tournament appearances in 2002, 2003 and 2006. 

As Houston’s hitting and infield coach, Allen played a major role in the offensive development of Brad Lincoln, a consensus All-American who was named the National Player of the Year by four different outlets in 2006. That same season, Allen's lineup hit 71 home runs, the fifth-highest total in UH single-season history, while batting .314 and slugging .544.

A four-year letterman with the Cougars from 1998 to 2001, Allen concluded his playing career as UH's all-time leader with 542 assists. During that time, the Cougars competed in an NCAA Super Regional and advanced to NCAA postseason play in three consecutive seasons.

Allen earned his bachelor's degree in sports administration from Houston in 2001. He is married to the former Stephanie Beyelia, a former soccer standout at UH. 

PHILIP MILLER

Hometown: Clinton, La.
High School: University High School
Alma Mater: Northwestern State, 2005; Sam Houston State, 2010
Twitter: @UTMiller12

Miller spent the previous six seasons as an assistant coach under David Pierce at Tulane (2015-16) and Sam Houston State (2012-14) before joining the Longhorns staff as assistant coach on July 1.

Working primarily with catchers and outfielders, while also assisting hitters, Miller tutored Tulane catcher Jake Rogers, who was one of the best defensive catchers in college baseball during his time with the Green Wave. In his career, Rogers – the Houston Astros’ third-round selection in this year’s draft and an All-AAC First Team member – gunned down 83-of-146 (.568) potential base stealers, including 27-of-43 (.628) in 2016. Tulane’s three catchers also helped the pitching staff lead the nation with 13 shutouts.

In three seasons with Pierce at Sam Houston State – Miller’s second stint with the SHSU program – Miller was instrumental in helping the Bearkats to each of their Southland Conference titles and NCAA Regional appearances. From 2012 to 2014, those SHSU squads racked up 40, 38 and 43 wins, respectively. The 43 wins marked the second-highest total for the Bearkats since their jump to Division I in 1987. In 2012, Sam Houston State earned national rankings in each of the major collegiate baseball polls (ranking as high as No. 20) for the first time in program history. 

In 2010 and 2011, Miller was an assistant coach at his alma mater, Northwestern State (La.). There, he served as infield and defensive coach, while also handling first base coaching duties. During the 2010 season, he helped a league-high seven NSU student-athletes to All-Southland Conference honors.

Miller held his first assistant coaching role at Sam Houston State from 2007 to 2009 where he was the outfield and first base coach, while assisting hitters, infielders and catchers. He coached three All-Americans and six All-Southland Conference outfielders.

Prior to his coaching career, Miller played four seasons at Northwestern State. During his freshman and senior seasons, the Demons took home the regular season Southland Conference title, earning a bid to an NCAA Regional in 2005 as an at-large selection. 

The Clinton, La., native earned his bachelor’s in business administration from Northwestern State in 2005 and his master’s in education from Sam Houston State in 2010. He is married to former NSU softball standout Lyndsey (Gorski) Miller and the couple has a two-year-old daughter, Meredith Mae. 

PHIL HAIG

Hometown: Inver Grove Heights, Minn.
High School: Henry Sibley High School
Twitter: @Philthy13

Phil Haig, a former collegiate pitcher who served the last six seasons on David Pierce’s staffs at both Tulane and Sam Houston State, enters his first season as volunteer coach at Texas.

Haig spent the last two seasons as volunteer coach at Tulane where he assisted Pierce with the pitching staff. While there, he helped the Green Wave to back-to-back NCAA Regional appearances.

In 2016, Haig played a large part in guiding Tulane to an NCAA-best 13 shutouts, setting a single-season school record, surpassing its nine in 2015, Haig’s first season at Tulane. The 2015 Green Wave pitching staff was one of the best in the nation. The backend of the bullpen registered 17 saves, tying for the fourth-most in a single season at Tulane.

Prior to Tulane, the 27-year-old spent three years as Pierce’s volunteer coach at Sam Houston State. In each season with the Bearkats, Haig helped SHSU to the Southland Conference title and an NCAA Regional appearance.

Before starting his collegiate coaching career with the Bearkats in 2012, Haig spent the 2011 season as a left-handed pitcher at Florida International University after sitting out the 2010 season due to transfer rules. While at FIU, he led the Golden Panthers in wins (nine), innings pitched (99.1) and strikeouts (72). His 9-4 record helped FIU to a 40-20-1 record and an NCAA Regional Appearance. For his efforts, Haig was named an All-Sun Belt second-team selection.

From 2008 to 2009, Haig was a dual-sport athlete at Illinois, where he lettered in both football and baseball. During his sophomore season with the Fighting Illini, Haig went 7-3 with a 4.92 ERA over 82.1 innings, leading the team in wins. As a freshman, he finished the season with a 2-3 record in 36.1 innings, earning Big 10 Pitcher of the Week honors during the final week of the regular season.

Haig was also a backup quarterback for the 2008 Fighting Illini football team that competed in the school's first Rose Bowl since 1984.

The Inver Grove Heights, Minn. native was a five-sport athlete at Henry Sibley High School where he earned a total of 10 all-conference honors: three in baseball, three in tennis, two in football and one each in wrestling and basketball. He earned three all-state baseball selections, while also receiving high national rankings from major recruiting services for his work as a quarterback.

Phil Haig, Ryan Monsevalles, James Snikeris, and Drew Bishop have created the optimal coaching staff that promotes success at all levels:

• Former Professional Athletes
• High School Coaches
• Collegiate Coaches
• Collegiate Players
• Strength and Conditioning Expert
• Full-time Athletic Trainer

All coaches and counselors are experienced in working with young players to provide campers with outstanding instruction in a serious, but fun learning environment.