HEAD COACH DAVIN PIERRE |
Davin Pierre enters his 13th season with the Grambling State Tiger Baseball program, where he has been on head coach James Cooper’s staff since the 2010 season, in which he helped the Tigers win a Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) Championship, its first in 25 years (since 1985) and a regional berth in Fayetteville, Ark. Pierre assisted the Tigers capture a Western Division title in 2017 and also played a role in Grambling State playing in the SWAC Championship game in 2018, but the Tigers fell short versus a good Texas Southern ball club.
During Pierre’s time at Grambling State, he has overseen the duties of the Tigers’ infield play and sharing the hitting duties with Cooper. In his eleven years, Pierre has helped guide the Tigers to be one of the top offensive and defensive teams in the SWAC yearly. Pierre also played a key role in recruiting as he has been the Recruiting Coordinator for the program since 2012.
During his duties as the recruiting coordinator, Pierre has had over 23 All-Conference selections, including Elias Todman (2012 first team), Darren Farmer (2012 Newcomer of the Year, first and second team and 2013 Hitter of the Year), Juan Bueno (2013 Second Team), Roger Diaz (2015 Second Team) , Larry Barraza (2016 Second Team and American Baseball Coaches Association/Rawlings’ NCAA Division I South Central All-Region Second Team), Wesley Drain (2016 and 2017 Second Team), Daniel Barnett (2016 and 2017 Second Team, along with 2016 Newcomer of the Year), Issac O’Bear (2016 and 2017 Second Team), Creighton Hoover (2016 Second Team), Marshawn Taylor (2017 SWAC Hitter and Player of the Year, 2018 First Team), Richard Ortiz (2018 First Team), Isaiah Torres (2018 First Team), Raul Baduel (2018 Second Team), Daniel Beizer (2018 Second Team), Rafael Ramirez (2018 First Team), Isaiah Torres (Second Team 2019), Kevin Whitaker Jr. (2019 Second Team), Drexler Macaay (2019 Second Team), Bryan Delgado (2019 Second Team), Cameron Buford (2021 second team) and Jahmoi Percival (2021 first team).
Among the highlights was Edwin Drexler, a 2016 SWAC Second-Team honoree (selected in the 38th Round by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 2015 MLB Draft), Tanner Raiburn, a 2017 SWAC Second-Team honoree who was selected 33rd in the draft by the Boston Red Sox, Johan Mojica (signed as a free agent with the Milwaukee Brewers), and Marshawn Taylor who was selected in the 28th round by the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2018.
Pierre has been a big part of the program recruiting talented players for Grambling State.
Pierre was recognized as one of the top recruiters in the country and the best recruiter in the SWAC in 2016. He also administered associate scouting for the Tampa Rays for four years (2012-2016). Pierre and the Grambling State baseball program were also recognized by Baseball America in 2018 for having one of the top under-radar recruiting classes heading into the 2019 season.
Pierre earned his first bachelor’s degree in Mass Communication from Grambling State University in 2005 and also his master’s degree from Grambling two years later in Sport Administration. Some of Pierre’s off the field activities included being an ordained minister and being very active in ministry at his church.
Before coaching, Pierre worked for two years with the Grambling State Department of Athletics as the Director of Athletic Operations, overseeing practices and game day operations for the department’s 18 sports on a daily basis. In addition, Pierre also served as the athletics’ liaison to campus facilities as he worked directly with the department to ensure the daily maintenance of the department’s athletic facilities in addition to purchasing the necessary equipment needed.
Davin and his wife, Ashley Pierre enjoyed the gift of two children, Davin Pierre Jr. and Faith Pierre.