Will Davis Joins Houston, Lamar Baseball Hire Adds Ninth Coach
Will Davis was hired as Houston baseball’s ninth head coach, pending approval by the UH System Board of Regents. The move changes the program’s direction immediately, and it brings in a coach who spent 10 seasons building Lamar into a consistent winner.
Houston’s pursuit lands on a coach with a 10-year head coaching track record and a résumé built on league titles, regional berths and sustained production. Eddie Nuñez said, “We are incredibly excited to have Will and his family join Cougar Nation,” and added, “With his background and proven track record, I’m fully confident that Coach Davis will help us return Houston to the NCAAs, compete for Big 12 Championships and put together an exceptional group of young men.”
Will Davis at Lamar
Davis leaves Lamar after 289 wins and a rise to the program’s second-winningest coach. He guided the Cardinals to the 2026 Southland Conference Tournament Championship in his 10th season at the helm, and the team reached an NCAA Regional after its fifth-straight 30-win season.
The 2025 season gave the clearest snapshot of his run. Lamar finished 40-17, posted consecutive 40-win seasons for the first time since 2003-04, and went 27-2 at home during the regular season. That home mark was the program’s best at Vincent-Beck Stadium since 1993, and the Cardinals won 11 consecutive home games.
Houston’s new direction
The hire comes with a built-in expectation for a quick lift. Houston is bringing in a coach whose teams finished in the top three of the league in each of the last four seasons, won the 2024 Southland regular season title, and reached the College Station Regional after six straight wins entering the event.
His player development record is equally extensive. During his time at Lamar, 38 Cardinals earned All-Conference honors, Ryan Snell became the program’s first All-America selection since 2014 and was named Southland Player of the Year in 2023, and 10 Cardinals were drafted by MLB organizations after Davis took over in January 2016.
LSU experience under Davis
Davis also brings a résumé from LSU that includes the 2009 College World Series title as an assistant coach. LSU won seven SEC championships and reached Omaha four times during his seven seasons in Baton Rouge, and 48 Tigers were drafted in the MLB Draft while he was there.
His time in Baton Rouge also connected him to players who became top draft picks. Alex Bregman and Aaron Nola were among the six LSU first-round selections during Davis’s tenure, and he had earlier helped LSU reach the 2004 College World Series as a freshman.
For Houston, the only immediate step left is board approval. If that moves through, the program will have a new head coach with winning seasons at Lamar, a national championship ring from LSU, and a recent track record that includes 2025’s 40-17 finish and 2026’s Southland tournament crown.
