AUSTIN, Texas — A day after leading Texas A&M to a second-place finish in the College World Series, Jim Schlossnagle is leaving College Station to become Texas’ new baseball coach, sources tell Horns247.com.
The sources said Schlossnagle plans to bring his coaching staff with him to Austin.
On Tuesday evening, Texas made Schlossnagle’s hiring official and announced an introductory press conference scheduled for 11 a.m. Wednesday.
“I’ve known Coach Schlossnagle for a long time,” said Texas athletic director Chris Del Conte, who served as Schlossnagle’s athletic director at TCU from 2009 to 2017. “There is no better coach, no better program creator and best leader in the game, and the best part is he’s 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 for him to join our Longhorn family. »
A day after Texas A&M suffered a crushing 6-5 loss to Tennessee for the College World Series title, Schlossnagle met with his players to tell them he had a decision to make about whether to join his friend and former athletic director Del Conte in Texas or stay in College Station, two sources familiar with the situation told Horns247.
Schlossnagle, who has a $1.35 million buyout that would double to $2.7 million if he takes another job at Texas State, met with A&M officials late Tuesday afternoon and informed them of his decision, sources told Horns247.
“This is a guy who obviously knows our state so well, who is very familiar with the rich and proud history of our program and everything that Texas baseball is, and who absolutely meets all the requirements for this critical position,” Del Conte said of Schlossnagle in a statement. released Tuesday evening. “He truly understands all levels of building a team, develops and gets the best out of his players and coaches, recruits with the best of them and is totally integrated into the holistic growth of his student-athletes. program.”
“Our players, our staff, the UT community and Longhorn Nation are going to love him. I can’t wait to get him going and for everyone to have a chance to meet him. The future of our program is in good hands, and I am very excited to have Coach Schloss join our group of elite coaches as we prepare to head to the Southeastern Conference.
The news adds a new chapter to a 100-year rivalry between Texas and Texas A&M even before the Longhorns officially joined the Aggies in the Southeastern Conference on July 1.
After spending 18 seasons at TCU — including eight with Del Conte as his boss in Fort Worth — Schlossnagle, 53, took over the A&M job in 2022, going 135-62 (.685) in three seasons, including a 53-15 mark while finishing as national runner-up Monday night.
“Everywhere Coach Schlossnagle has gone, he has produced winning players at the highest level, he has had a first-class program in every way and he is absolutely perfect to lead our baseball program,” said Kevin Eltife, Chairman of the UT System Board of Trustees. “He had a historic run at TCU, took Texas A&M to heights they had never seen, and the way he develops his players and works with his coaches and staff is truly something special. I couldn’t be more excited to see him work his magic on the Forty Acres. »
Texas President Jay Hartzell added:
“What a home run hire. Coach Schlossnagle is the best in the business. His long list of accomplishments is incredible and his track record of building great programs is well documented. We are the premier baseball program in the country with legendary coaches, our six national championships and a record 38 College World Series appearances, so it is only fitting that we have hired a coach of his caliber to lead us. We look forward to great days ahead with the. coach Schloss leading our Longhorns.
Sources said Schlossnagle’s comfort level and history with Del Conte, who took over as Texas athletic director in 2017, proved to be a deciding factor in the decision.
“Schloss and CDC (Del Conte) are close and have remained close,” a source close to the two told Horns247.
Schlossnagle, who has taken teams to the College World Series six times in the last 10 years (and seven times total), was hired at Texas A&M by former athletic director Ross Bjork, who left earlier this year to hold the same position at Ohio State. and was replaced as Aggies athletic director by Trev Alberts.
Early Monday, Texas announced in statements from Del Conte and David Pierce, the Longhorns’ baseball coach since 2017, that a mutual decision had been made to part ways. Pierce was 297-162 (.647) in seven full seasons at Texas with three trips to the College World Series and had two years remaining on a contract that paid him $1.2 million.
Schlossnagle’s base salary of $1.35 million at Texas A&M this season is expected to at least double and could reach $3 million at Texas, a source said.
News Source : 247sports.com
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