Texas A&M baseball coach Jim Schlossnagle was officially named the new coach of the University of Texas Longhorns baseball team less than 24 hours after his team lost in the men’s College World Series finals.
Schlossnagle led the Aggies to a 53-15 overall record before defeating the Tennessee Volunteers in the College World Series Finals, where the team won the first game and lost the last two of the series.
Texas is coming off a season in which the team went just 36-24 and finished third in the Big 12 Conference standings, opting to fire head coach David Pierce following the season.
Schlossnagle previously worked as head coach at TCU for 18 years before leaving the same position at Texas A&M, where he became the university’s all-time winningest coach with an overall record of 734-346, according to a statement. Texas Longhorns press release.
Texas athletic director Chris Del Conte, who worked in the same role at TCU alongside Schlossnagle from 2009 to 2017, said in the news release that he was excited about the hire because of Schlossnagle’s character and his ability to build a team .
“ I have known Coach Schlossnagle for a long time and there is no better coach, program builder and leader in the game, and the best part is that he is an even better person. When we were looking for our next baseball coach, we knew Schloss would be the perfect choice and we are beyond excited to have him join our Longhorn family,” he said.
Texas A&M athletic director Trev Alberts posted a statement about Schlossnagle’s departure, writing in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, that the university is disappointed by the decision but also “grateful for his contributions to helping our baseball program has reached unprecedented heights.
“The success of baseball is important to everyone associated with Texas A&M, we will not stop in our pursuit of excellence and our commitment to baseball will not waver,” he continued.
“On behalf of Texas A&M Athletics, we wish Jim and his family the best as they move forward into another challenge.”
Schlossnagle has received criticism for his decision to leave his position with the Aggies due to statements he made following his team’s loss in the College World Series.
A reporter asked Schlossnagle a question about rumors that he would take the job in Texas, to which the coach responded by stating that the reporter was “selfish” for asking the question.
“I left my family to coach at Texas A&M. I took the job at Texas A&M never to take it again and that hasn’t changed in my opinion. It’s unfair to talk about something like that,” he said, according to SEC Unfiltered.
Despite Schlossnagle’s discussion of loyalty and his desire to remain at Texas A&M for the remainder of his career, D1 Baseball’s Kendall Rogers reported Tuesday night the two sides had agreed to a contract before the end of the regular season. .
Sports analyst Paul Finebaum was incredibly critical of Schlossnagle’s response and subsequent decision to leave the Aggies, saying “the question was going to happen” and that the response was “embarrassing.”
“All you have to say is listen, we just left the field where we left our guts on that field, and the only thing I care about tonight is my players. Take a stand. Instead, he berated the journalist, it was all about him,” Finebaum explained, for Saturday Down South.
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2024-06-26 22:09:00
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