The search for the next Texas Longhorns head baseball coach is over.

Texas has hired Tulane’s David Pierce, multiple sources close to the situation tell Horns247. Pierce’s hiring was first reported by the Austin American-Statesman and was confirmed by the school on Wednesday afternoon. A Houston native who has spent time in the state coaching at Houston, Rice and Sam Houston State, Pierce expressed gratitude in having the privilege of leading one of the top college baseball programs in the country.

"As a kid growing up in Texas, I dreamed of being a Longhorn and wearing the burnt orange,” Pierce said. “Today that dream is coming true. I am truly honored and grateful to become a part of The University of Texas community and to serve as head baseball coach. Texas is second to no one.

"Just growing up, I was on the field when David Denny broke the doubles record at Texas. I played against a lot of the guys in the mid-‘80s and just understood the tradition and the history and the expectation of being a Longhorn. I understand it’s a position that’s going to hold a lot of responsibility, and I’m ready to accept that.”

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Pierce, 53, becomes the fifth full-time coach the program has had since 1911. He replaces college baseball's all-time wins leader Augie Garrido, who moved into an administrative role on May 30 following the conclusion of his 20th season with the Longhorns. Texas athletic director Mike Perrin said the Texas brass is excited to have Pierce as the 13th head coach in the 122-year history of the program.

“He is a terrific coach who was a part of some of college baseball’s finest teams during his time as an assistant at Rice and has produced consistent winners as the head coach at Sam Houston State and Tulane," Perrin said. "David has deep roots in Texas and has strong recruiting connections throughout our state and surrounding states. But beyond that, he is a great man who has a passion for leading and developing young men in all aspects of life."

In five seasons as a head coach (three at Sam Houston State, two at Tulane) Pierce has led his team to the NCAA Tournament every season. Pierce guided Tulane to a 41-21 record and the American Athletic Conference regular season title in 2016, a campaign that included a series victory over the Longhorns in Austin in March.

A winner of three Southland Conference titles during his time with the Bearkats, Pierce arrives at Texas with a career head coaching record of 197-109. Pierce has advanced to the NCAA Tournament 16 consecutive years between his time as a head coach and an assistant at the Division I level.

Texas will have to pay a buyout to hire Pierce, though it's not as big of a hurdle as it was reported to be early on in the search. While Pierce's buyout was rumored to be upwards of $1 million, the Austin American-Statesman reported Wednesday the buyout is expected to cost the Longhorns between $250,000 and $500,000.

A product of Houston St. Pius X High School, Pierce played collegiately at Wharton County Junior College before finishing his career at Houston. Pierce coached in the Texas high school ranks early in his career (save a one-year stint as an assistant coach at Rice in 1991) before he was hired as an assistant coach at Houston prior to the 2002 season.

Pierce spent one season with the Cougars, a campaign that ended with a trip to the Austin Super Regional, before he took over as the hitting coach at Rice under Wayne Graham. Pierce's three-season run as the Owls hitting coach included being a part of the school's 2003 national championship team, a season where the Owls hit .313 with 51 home runs and 449 RBI. As Rice's pitching coach for six seasons (2006-2011) Pierce had a staff that ranked in the top-30 nationally in team ERA five times.

Initially considered a dark horse candidate for the job, Horns247 learned early Wednesday morning that the move to finalize Pierce's hiring was expected to happen quickly. The Longhorns expressed interest in several candidates, most notably UCLA's John Savage, Virginia's Brian O'Connor, Florida's Kevin O'Sullivan, Texas Tech's Tim Tadlock and TCU Jim Schlossnagle. All of those candidates either signed/agreed to extensions at their current jobs or pulled their names out of the mix for the Texas opening.

Texas interviewed Pierce, Houston's Todd Whitting and Dallas Baptist's Dan Heefner before focusing on Pierce as the choice to replace Garrido. Pierce is currently in California due obligations with Team USA, but D1Baseball.com's Kendall Rogers is reporting that Texas officials are expected to bring Pierce back to Austin sometime on Wednesday.

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