A&M President Welsh weighs in on Aggie baseball shake-up

BRYAN, Texas (KBTX) – Texas A&M University President Gen. Mark Welsh met with members of the Texas A&M baseball team this morning and congratulated them on their run to the national championship.

Welsh declined to comment directly on the coaching staff, but released a statement praising the Texas A&M baseball team’s performance. In it, he criticized former Texas A&M coaches for harming the celebration of their team’s historic run.

“I want to take a minute and thank our Aggie Baseball players for a truly remarkable season that they just completed,” Welsh said. “They made us proud of their game and inspired us with their respect for each other, for their opponents and for the 12th man. The discouraging news of the last 24 hours has put their coaching staff at the center of attention and robbed our players of the hard-earned opportunity to celebrate and be celebrated for their tremendous season and exhilarating run to the game national championship in Omaha. They are great athletes, great teammates, great young men and great Aggies. I think Aggies everywhere are incredibly proud to have them representing Texas A&M University. I know I am.”

During his introductory press conference at the University of Texas, former Texas A&M coach Jim Schlossnagle called Welsh a “dear friend” and “one of the greatest leaders he has ever known “.

Schlossnagle insisted his departure for the University of Texas was a personal decision and not a reflection on the leadership at Texas A&M, where he served on the committee that helped select athletic director Trev Alberts in March. Schlossnagle, however, had has openly expressed support for fired assistant athletic director Chris Park.whose employment Alberts terminated in a mass layoff in late April.

Most of Texas A&M’s baseball coaches left with Schlossnagle for the University of Texas.

Additionally, several Texas A&M baseball players have entered the transfer portal. Jace LaViolette, Gavin Grahovac, Kaeden Kent, Jack Bell, Hayden Schott and Max Kaufer are in the portal, although that doesn’t necessarily stop them from returning to Olsen Field next spring.

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