Texas Baseball head coach David Pierce has announced staff changes, including the hiring of Steve Rodriguez and Woody Williams as assistant coaches. Philip Miller and Caleb Longley will transition into new roles for the 2023 season.
Rodriguez comes to Texas after 19 seasons as a Division I head coach between Pepperdine and Baylor, compiling 598 career wins and 11 NCAA postseason appearances. A former infielder at Pepperdine and for the Boston Red Sox and Detroit Tigers, Rodriguez will serve as the Longhorns’ hitting coach, infield coach and recruiting coordinator.
“Coach Rod brings experience to the Texas Baseball staff, having played at the big-league level and been an assistant and head coach at the Division I level,” Pierce said. “He brings energy and enthusiasm to the Forty Acres and can recruit the best players in the country to our program. He has a knack for developing players to reach their full potential and is an absolute home run hire for Texas Baseball. He understands winning with integrity and will be an unbelievable addition to our staff.”
Williams has spent the last seven seasons as an assistant coach at San Jacinto College, helping lead the Gators to the Junior College World Series five times. Prior to joining San Jac in the fall of 2015, Williams coached three years at Fort Bend Christian Academy and spent two seasons with the Houston Heat. A 15-year Major League Baseball veteran who pitched for four different teams from 1993 to 2007, he will serve as the Longhorns’ pitching coach.
“Woody is one of the best pitching minds in the country and builds a foundation with his staff through relationships and trust,” Pierce said. “Woody has hit the ground running and can’t wait to start building the foundation with our recruits and current players. He is a veteran of 15 years in the big leagues and has a reputation of being a fierce competitor. It will be a treat every day for our players to learn from these two great men.”
Longley, who served as Coordinator of Hitting and Pitching Development in 2022, rounds out the on-field coaching staff as the Volunteer Assistant. He will coach the outfielders and catchers and work closely with Rodriguez in developing the hitters. In his first season on the Texas staff in 2022 he helped the Longhorns to one of the most productive offensive seasons in program history with a .314 batting average and a school record 128 home runs.
Miller, who has served as an assistant coach at Texas for the last six seasons and for 11 seasons under Pierce, will transition into the role of Special Assistant to the Head Coach. Since 2017, Miller has worked with the Texas catchers and outfielders, while assisting with hitters and recruiting. With Miller on staff, the Longhorns have won 219 games and advanced to the College World Series three times.
“Philip has been on my staff for 11 years at three different universities and has excelled in every possible role,” Pierce said. “His selfless approach has been evident and has always put the program’s needs first. It is only natural to put him in this position to help in all aspects of the program. The University of Texas is lucky to have Philip’s dedication to excellence and he will again be a major contributor to our program’s success. I appreciate our administration for recognizing the need for this role and committing to a very proactive approach to position our program as one of the best in the country. This cutting-edge position will only enhance our players’ experience while being on the Forty Acres and life afterwards.”
Rodriguez was the head coach at Baylor from 2016 to 2022 and his 197-146 record marks the third-most wins of any head coach in program history. The 2017 Big 12 Coach of the Year, Rodriguez led the Bears to three-straight NCAA Regional appearances (2017, 2018, 2019), as well as their first Big 12 Tournament title in program history (2018). During Rodriguez’s tenure, eight Bears earned All-America honors and a total of 52 All-Big 12 honors. The Bears had 12 players selected a total of 14 times in the MLB Draft since Rodriguez took over in 2016, including a trio of first-round picks over the last two drafts. In 12 seasons as the head coach at Pepperdine, Rodriguez led the Waves to a 401-300 record, with eight NCAA Tournament appearances, five West Coast Conference regular-season titles, three WCC Championship Series crowns and a pair of WCC Tournament titles to his credit. An All-America second baseman on Pepperdine’s 1992 NCAA College World Series championship team, Rodriguez was a fifth-round draft pick of the Boston Red Sox in 1992 and reached the majors with both Boston and Detroit in 1995.
Williams joined the San Jacinto College coaching staff before the 2016 season and helped lead the Gators to the Junior College World Series five times during that span. San Jac sent numerous players onto Division I baseball as well as to the Major League Baseball draft, highlighted by 2019 first round pick RHP Jackson Rutledge. Williams had an accomplished MLB career, pitching for 15 seasons with the Toronto Blue Jays, San Diego Padres, St. Louis Cardinals and Houston Astros. He logged more than 2,000 innings pitched and won 132 games with a 4.19 career ERA. He was an MLB All-Star in 2003 with the Cardinals, going 18-9 with a 3.87 ERA and 153 strikeouts in 220.2 innings. Prior to his 20-year professional baseball career, Williams was a two-way standout at the University of Houston. Williams played shortstop and pitched for the Cougars from 1987-88. During the 1988 season, Williams pitched 100 1/3 innings and posted a 3.32 ERA with nine wins.
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