Home > Sports

New coach brings D-I experience energy to Metro
By Eric Lansing
lansing@mscd.edu

A new reign has ventured upon Metro’s baseball team as head coach Bobby Pierce takes over a team that lost its former coach, Vince Porreco, unexpectedly last May.

Pierce last coached for the Arkansas-Little Rock Trojans, where he served as an assistant head coach for three years. He believes that the team needs to forget about what happened at the end of last season by keeping their thoughts on the present situation.

“It is about teaching our guys to stay in the moment,” Pierce said. “I am a true believer of that and the moment is now. It’s going to be 2007 and I hope everyone will be excited to create a new identity for ourselves.”

“We have our own journey and we have our own identity.” Pierce explained. “Every year you coach, you have to move away from last year, which means turning the next page.”

“Be concerned with the now. Staying in that moment.”

Pierce brings Division-I experience working in the Sun Belt Conference, which had a rating percentage index of seventh in the entire country. He says playing in such a tough conference, which is not nationally known because football and basketball are so big, brings a system that is involved in competing at high levels.

“I think he’s going to bring some much-needed excitement to the program,” Metro athletic director Joan McDermott said. “They have a good core of guys coming back and I think they’ll have a very good year.”

Pierce jumped at the opportunity to coach in Denver as he spent most of his upbringing and coaching experience in Las Vegas, Nevada.

“I had gotten word that this job was going to be open and I was prepared and looking for an opportunity to get out west,” Pierce said. “I think it is heaven out here and this school deserves to compete at a high level.”

There are critics who question Metro’s decision of Pierce, who was hired from an assistant head coach position, instead of hiring a high profile name or a former head coach. However, he disregards the negativity and looks forward to taking the Roadrunners to greater heights.

“I cannot be concerned on what other people think of me.” Pierce said. “I am confident in my abilities to get the job done. I could get the job done and still have the critics over my back. I am going to take advantage of this opportunity and show everyone that one, two or three years down the road, that I will show them Metro made a great decision on me.”

McDermott says that Pierce is young but does not believe he is inexperienced. She explains that he has worked under some really top head coaches and will not allow his youth to work against him.

“One of the things that made this job attractive was the in-state talent that Colorado brings,” Pierce said. “If you have the in-state talent like great baseball teams such as LSU (Louisiana State University), then you will achieve success. I like my chances to compete at a national level.”

Porreco was the baseball team’s head coach the past 14 years and posted a career 353-352-3 record overall.