Longhorns Country

Texas AD Chris Del Conte Hid at a Cemetery While Waiting to Meet Jim Schlossnagle

Texas Longhorns Chris Del Conte told a hilarious story about his trip to visit new head baseball coach Jim Schossnagle.

Matt Galatzan

University of Texas baseball coach Jim Schlossnagle, second from left, is joined by UT Athletic Director Chris Del Conte, left to right, President Jay Hartzell and Chairman of the Board of Regents Kevin Eltife at his introductory news conference at the Frank Denius Family University Hall of Fame Wednesday June 26, 2024.
University of Texas baseball coach Jim Schlossnagle, second from left, is joined by UT Athletic Director Chris Del Conte, left to right, President Jay Hartzell and Chairman of the Board of Regents Kevin Eltife at his introductory news conference at the Frank Denius Family University Hall of Fame Wednesday June 26, 2024. / Jay Janner/American-Statesman / USA

It appears that what Texas wants, Texas gets. Especially when it comes to a new head coach.

That was exactly the case with their new head baseball coach, Jim Schlossnagle, who the Longhorns hired right on the heels of an agonizing 6-5 College World Series Loss by his former team, the Texas A&M Aggies.

According to reports, the deal to bring Schlossnagle to Austin from College Station was ostensibly done almost two months ago.

And apparently, Texas Longhorns AD Chris Del Conte wasted no time getting that deal across the finish line, telling reporters that he hid in a cemetery just outside of College Station while waiting for Schlossnagle to return home before making his pitch

“With Jim, our eggs were in one basket,” Del Conte said Wednesday. “I was banking on my relationship with him that we could come to a deal. I was really nervous, to tell you the truth. … When I was in the cemetery, [then on the way] to their house, it’s just as crazy as it sounds. I played every scenario in my mind. I drove to his house, had a long, long discussion, put him in the car, and we drove off.”

Shortly after the press conference, Del Conte also posted proof of his cemetery story on X.

Suffice it to say, Del Conte wasn't going to leave College Station without his guy.

And for good reason. Schlossnagle is arguably the best coach in college baseball, accumulating a 945-452 overall record with 59-36 in tournaments.

With the Aggies, Schlossnagle won nearly 70 percent of his games, going 135-62, and matching the Aggies' number of College World Series wins in program history in just his first season with the program.

He has also amassed 20 total conference titles (six Big 12, 12 Mountain West, and two conference USA), seven Super Regional appearances, and nine regional appearances. He was also named the 2016 Baseball America National Coach of the Year.

Del Conte, of course, knows that as well as anyone, with Schlossnagle serving as the head coach of the TCU Horned Frogs under Del Conte from 2010-2017, where his new head baseball coach helped the Frogs win four Big 12 titles and make five appearances in the College World Series.

"For 10 years I had a front-row seat to watch the man lead a program at TCU from the ashes to five times going to Omaha," Del Conte said.

Now, he brings Schlossnagle to Austin, hoping for the same result.

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Matt Galatzan
MATT GALATZAN

Matt Galatzan is the Managing Editor and Publisher of Texas Longhorns On SI and Texas A&M Aggies On SI and a long-time member of the Football Writer’s Association of America. He graduated from the University of Mississippi, where he studied integrated marketing communications, with minors in journalism and business administration. Galatzan started in the sports journalism industry in 2014 covering the Dallas Mavericks and SMU Mustangs with 247Sports. He then moved to Sports Illustrated's Fan Nation network in 2020, eventually being taking over as the Managing Editor and Publisher of the Longhorns and Aggies sites a year later. You can find Galatzan on all major social media channels, including Twitter on @MattGalatzan.

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