Houston Baseball's New Coaching Staff Under Will Davis Taking Shape
Houston Cougars baseball is undergoing a leadership change this offseason. Former Lamar coach Will Davis was hired last week to lead the program after longtime coach Todd Whitting's contract was not renewed.
Davis, a former LSU alum who just spent 10 seasons as the coach of Lamar, is charged with turning Houston around into a baseball contender again. Something needed to change at UH, and not just the head coaching position. The Cougars and Davis have decided to revamp the entire staff as expected for a fresh start.
With Lamar now eliminated in the NCAA Regionals, Davis can officially begin his work at Houston and that starts with building out the other members of the coaching staff. It looks like that will include some other names from Lamar as well.
Houston Baseball's New Coaching Staff
Former Lamar pitching coach Jace Hutchins and hitting coach Scott Hatten will also join Houston, according to Joseph Duarte of the Houston Chronicle.
That familiarity with Davis and the opportunity to coach a Power Four program right in the heart of Houston was too good to pass, and it will allow a smoother transition for everyone involved.
Hutchins just joined Lamar in January and will already be onto his second school as a pitching coach. The young 26-year-old just served as the pitching development coach for the Chicago Cubs in late 2025 before being hired by Lamar.
The College Station native was a former pitcher himself and made 10 starts at Blinn College in 2021 before redshirting with Texas the next season. He then returned home to Texas A&M, but his playing career was cut short due to injury. Hutchins joined the Aggies staff in summer 2024 as the director of pitching and program development.
Hutchins was also a student assistant on the College World Series runner-up team at Texas A&M in 2024 and helped guide one of the best pitching staffs in the country. The Aggies led the country in shutouts and were top 10 nationally in numerous categories.
Hutchins earned the Marion Pugh Spirit Award in 2023, given to the player who best exemplifies team unity and leadership on and off the field. He's known for using technology and analytics to help with pitching development.
Hatten shifting to Houston is a big deal simply because he's spent 26 years on the Lamar staff as not just the hitting coach, but associate head coach and recruiting coordinator. That experience will be valuable in Houston, especially with all the recruiting in Texas.
Hatten played at Lamar from 1992-93, and during his time as hitting coach, the Cardinals averaged at least six runs per game in most seasons and never below 3.9. Lamar just averaged 5.5 runs per game this season on their way to a conference tournament title and a regional appearance.
Lamar has led their conference in batting average three times during his tenure. Hatten even signed JC Correa, the younger brother of Carlos Correa, in 2019, and he was the best hitter on the team.
Additionally, it was announced on Monday by Kendall Rogers of D1 Baseball that Taylor Dugas will be joining Houston as the recruiting coordinator. Dugas spent the last three seasons in the same role at Southeastern Louisiana.
The Southeastern Louisiana Lions, based outside of New Orleans, just won back-to-back Southland Conference regular-season titles. Also an assistant coach, Dugas spent two seasons at UT Arlington as the hitting coach and recruiting coordinator before joining Southeastern.
Dugas had significant personal success as a former outfielder and four-year letterman at Alabama. He still holds four all-time records for the Tide. Dugas was drafted in the eighth round of the 2011 MLB Draft by the Cubs and the 2012 Draft by the Yankees. He spent four seasons in the Yankees minor league system and got called up in 2015, but didn't play an MLB game.
Houston's coaching staff looks to have a variety of experience levels so far, and that could be beneficial.
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Maanav Gupta is a staff writer for Houston Cougars on SI. He graduated from the University of Houston in the summer of 2025 with his bachelor’s in journalism and a minor in Spanish. Gupta spent three years at the student newspaper, The Daily Cougar, and also covered the 2025 Final Four and National Championship as Houston beat writer for College Basketball Review. He also has his own YouTube channel, Maanav’s Sports Talk, where he has interviewed professional athletes and broadcasters like Jim Nantz, Jose Altuve, J.J. Watt, Rich Eisen, and Alperen Sengun. Gupta was also a contributor to the Houston athletic program as a student. You can find Gupta on X, Instagram and TikTok @MGSportsTalk.