Davis Hires Three to Complete Coaching Staff

HOUSTON – Houston Baseball Head Coach Will Davis announced the remainder of his coaching staff, adding two directors of development and a director of operations.

Two of the support staff additions – Director of Player Development Jack Hardgrove and Director of Pitching Development Tod McDowell – follow Davis from Lamar while Director of Operations Mason Lucas is being retained by Davis after serving seven years as director of player development under the previous staff.

JACK HARDGROVE – DIRECTOR OF PLAYER DEVELOPMENT
Hardgrove also follows Davis from Lamar, where he spent the 2026 season as the Cardinals' director of program development.

He previously spent time with Texas A&M, working under the Aggies' longtime Director of Operations Jason Hutchins. He helped with team logistics, player development and game preparation as well as analytics and video as an intern from 2022-25.

A native of Fort Worth, he attended All Saints Episcopal School where he earned first team all-district honors. He then went on to play at Weatherford College as an outfielder and first baseman from 2020-22.

TOD McDOWELL – DIRECTOR OF PITCHING DEVELOPMENT
McDowell, who was part of Davis' first recruiting class at Lamar, has been in Beaumont since his freshman season in 2017. While his playing career was cut short due to injury, he remained with Lamar as a student assistant before being promoted to the full-time coaching staff in November 2023.

Working as the team's assistant pitching coach and co-recruiting coordinator, McDowell played an intricate role in the Cardinals' back-to-back 40-win seasons in 2024 and 2025. He also assisted as Lamar brought in multiple nationally ranked recruiting classes and four consecutive Top 14 JUCO signing classes.

MASON LUCAS – DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS
Lucas remains on the Cougar staff after arriving in Houston in August 2019. Previously the director of player development, Lucas will serve his eighth season on staff as the team's director of operations.

As Houston's director of player development, he oversaw data analytics, on-campus recruiting and camp operations as well as aiding in a variety of other roles that promote the development of the program's student-athletes.

Lucas joined Houston from Cisco College where he spent the 2018 and 2019 seasons as the Wranglers' pitching coach. He also played a major role in recruiting efforts, as the program won over 80 games during his two-year stint and 26 players signed with four-year programs out of Cisco across his tenure.

Prior to Cisco, the native Missouri City, Texas, served as an assistant coach at Alvin Community College from 2016 to 2017. In his role, he worked with pitchers and catchers as well as handled recruiting.

A 2015 graduate of the University of Houston, Lucas served four years with Houston Baseball as a bullpen catcher including helping manage the bullpen during practices and games.

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