Ahead of the 2024 baseball season, head coach David Pierce is going back to the basics with his team. 

Texas enters the 2024 season ranked No. 16 by D1 Baseball and has several players being selected for preseason Big 12 honors including redshirt junior Lebarron Johnson Jr. as preseason pitcher of the year and Will Gasparino as preseason freshman of the year. Despite these honors, Pierce wants his team to return to the simplicity of the game.

“In the history of the game, … there’s always different times throughout the different generations that will bring up new ideas or new ways, and a lot of that is money driven,” Pierce said. “At the end of the day, I think players have gotten away from the foundation of just throwing and having a real routine of warming your bodies.” 

Creating and perfecting a basic foundation will allow for more versatility and give players the chance to consistently make bigger plays. This method is also backed by analytics. Going back to the basics reignites the simplicity of baseball that so many players are already familiar with. 

“Thinking about how we utilize the analytics, it’s what your eyes see being confirmed by the numbers,” Pierce said. “Certain guys can handle it; some guys are going to handle that really well because that’s how they grow up. Other guys don’t need that much information.” 

With all of the information and a simple plan in place, Pierce has the chance to hit a milestone of 500 career wins this season. But he’s not looking into accolades ahead of his final year in the Big 12. 

While he’s grateful to be where he is in life, Pierce just wants to play baseball and for his team to win. The Texas baseball team has that same winning mentality. 

“I was visiting with the players about the game a while ago, and the guys really liked the work,” Pierce said. “They’re starting to get that ingrained in who they are. So if you’re working and there’s a passion about it, and then you want to do it more.”

The Texas baseball program is one of the most historically dominant teams in college baseball history, appearing in 38 College World Series, 13 more than the next closest school. 

Pierce’s goal is for his team to continue this legacy while understanding and appreciating where they are. 

“When you can look up and go, ‘This is a special place,’ don’t let it pass you by,” Pierce said. “I get up with a very positive frame of mind; every day I get an opportunity to coach baseball at the University of Texas. … I’m just a kid at heart, and I love sports and so it’s pretty easy.”

Texas will face its first test on Saturday when it plays its annual alumni game. Having had at least one player taken in every MLB draft, the alumni network of Texas baseball is full of legendary players, giving the current players a fun preseason challenge.