Why Alex Bregman Thinks Will Davis Is a Home Run Hire For University of Houston Baseball — a PaperCity Exclusive

Alex Bregman finds himself thinking of how long he’s known Will Davis, University of Houston’s new head baseball coach. “Shoot, it’s 13 or 14 years ago,” Bregman tells PaperCity of Davis, who helped recruit the Houston beloved Astro turned Chicago Cub to LSU’s powerhouse baseball program all those years ago.

“Just the relationship we built over the years,” Bregman says, his familiar voice coming over the phone from Pittsburgh where the Cubs are playing a series. “I feel like when you’re on a team with guys that win, you build a special bond through winning. I feel like we had so many memories.”

Bregman believes Will Davis will succeed at UH because of how much Davis loves baseball and how obsessed the soon-to-be 42-year-old is with winning. Houston athletic director Eddie Nuñez, whose known Will Davis for more than 20 years, is betting on the same thing. Nuñez and Davis first met when Davis was still playing for LSU and got to know him better during Davis’ stint as an assistant coach with the Tigers’ powerhouse baseball program. (UH’s athletic director worked in the LSU athletic department for 14 years starting in 2003.)

But the last 10 seasons Davis spent as the head coach at Lamar University, winning with less, finding overlooked junior college transfers, securing a breakthrough NCAA Tournament berth this spring, mean even more to Houston’s athletic department leadership.

“He’s had the SEC level as an assistant, winning national championships there,” UH senior deputy athletics director David Williams tells PaperCity. “But then also having been learning as a head coach for 10 years. When you move over into that head coach seat, it’s different.

“And he has had that experience, which set him apart from others.”

Davis is the first candidate that Nuñez contacted and interviewed in his targeted coaching search, as PaperCity first reported back on May 20. His blend of major program success, proven recruiting success on multiple levels and head coaching experience could not be matched by the other real candidates for the job — a small list that included USC pitching coach Sean Allen, a former UH assistant coach and player.

Bregman is certain of what his former coach brings to the table.

“Extremely prepared,” Bregman says. “Confident. He loves the game. He wants to be the best and win at the highest level.”

A Catcher Turned Head Coach

Will Davis’ attention to detail goes back to his time playing catcher. He obsessed over the little things that could add up to big moments before he ever became a coach. Bregman and Davis bonded so quickly in part because they’re both baseball nuts to the core. They’re always thinking about the game. Always trying to find ways to get better and find an edge.

“He has a good eye for winning and talent,” Bregman says. “I think he gets to know guys and what makes them tick. You can tell that he is fully invested in winning. And you can really understand kind of who he is from just being around him 10 minutes. And what he’s all about.”

Much like Bregman, Will Davis is all about baseball and his family (Davis is married to Danielle Hunter, a former LSU Golden Girls dance team member, and the couple has three young kids).

“Extremely prepared. Confident. He loves the game. He wants to be the best and win at the highest level.” — Alex Bregman on new University of Houston baseball coach Will Davis

Now Will Davis is taking on one of the bigger challenges in Power 4 college baseball, trying to bring a UH program back that has not made the NCAA Tournament since 2018. Davis is already thinking bigger than even that though, talking about his drive to get Houston back to Omaha for the College World Series, something no UH baseball team has done since the school made it all the way to the national championship game in 1967, on the day he’s hired.

That is a drought of 59 years. But Will Davis already is not acting afraid of it.

“I have spent my whole coaching career at both LSU and Lamar competing against them and have seen firsthand what a special place this is,” Davis says of Houston in a statement. “In my time in college baseball they have come so close to making it to Omaha on several occasions. And I am excited to take on the challenge of getting the program over that hump.”

Why shoot small?

Davis will coach Lamar in the NCAA Regional at College Station this weekend, with the Cardinals opening against host Texas A&M on Friday. The NCAA baseball transfer portal opens on Monday, June 1, but even if Lamar advances, college coaches are adept at multi-tasking in this transfer portal era. Houston basketball coach Kelvin Sampson recruited key members of the 2022 Elite Eight team (Josh Carlton, Kyler Edwards and Taze Moore) during UH’s 2021 Final Four week.

The important thing is that baseball players know who Houston’s next baseball coach is. After 16 seasons of Todd Whitting, Will Davis is taking over after his own 10 season run at Lamar.

“The recruiting success he’s had going back to his LSU days with people like Alex Bregman to what he’s done at Lamar to get his current team to the NCAA Regional, competing against Texas A&M this weekend, it was huge,” Williams tells PaperCity. “The adaptation to today’s recruiting — meaning how do you balance transfer portal with high school recruiting to junior college recruiting — understanding those facets are only things you can learn in the last couple of years.”

Eddie Nuñez, senior deputy athletics director David Williams and executive senior associate athletics director Alvin Franklin believe they have found their baseball program difference maker. As for Alex Bregman? He never has any doubts when it comes to Will Davis. As PaperCity reported, in the first report on the timeline of the hire, UH offered Davis the job on Monday night and he accepted. Before Monday night was even over, Bregman had already reached out to his friend to offer his congratulations on Davis landing the Houston job.

“From early on in just my time at LSU, we built a friendship and obviously a relationship based on hard work, competitiveness and a desire to be successful,” Bregman says. “He’s great at what he does.”

Call it a Breggy Bomb of approval.