Michael Earley Hired As Texas A&M Aggies Coach to Replace Jim Schlossnagle: REPORT
The Texas A&M Aggies search for a new head coach to replace Jim Schlossnagle has reportedly come to an end.
According to reports from Brent Zwerneman the Houston Chronicle, the Aggies are set to hire hitting coach Michael Earley as the program's next head coach.
Before accepting the job, Earley had elected to move to Austin with Schlossnagle to become the next hitting coach for the Longhorns.
Earley quickly became the favorite for the position following interviews that took place over the last few days and soon emerged as the preferred choice for the players after his connection to the job became clear.
Speaking of the players, the move is expected to go a long way for the Aggies in terms of their chances of retaining the talent that entered the NCAA Transfer Portal since the departure of Schlossnagle.
Brett Antolick, Gavin Grahovac, Jace LaViolette, Hayden Schott, Kaeden Kent, Max Kaufer, James Bell III, and Jake Hembree were all players who entered their names in the portal after the coaching shake-up.
Under Earley last season, the Aggies enjoyed a record year at the plate and were one of the best offensive teams in the nation, hitting a program-high 136 home runs with team batting average of .298, a slugging percentage of .543 an OBP of .415, and an OPS of .958.
Before joining the Aggies, Earley was a star outfielder for the Indiana Hoosiers, eventually being drafted by the Chicago White Sox. After six seasons in the White Sox system, Earley transitioned to coaching with Arizona State, where he worked as a hitting coach.
He then eventually made his way to Aggieland under Schlossnagle, and the rest is history.
Earley will be the 21st head coach in Texas A&M Baseball history.