OMAHA, Neb. — After leading Texas A&M to the College World Series finals and coming up short against Tennessee on Monday night, Texas A&M coach Jim Schlossnagle bristled at being linked to the head coaching vacancy at rival Texas.
Following the Aggies’ 6-5 loss at Charles Schwab Field in a tiebreaker game that could’ve secured the first national championship in program history, Schlossnagle was asked to address the Texas job that opened Monday and his future in College Station.
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“I think it’s pretty selfish of you to ask me that question, to be honest with you,” Schlossnagle said. “I left my family to be the coach at Texas A&M. I took the job at Texas A&M to never take another job again. And that hasn’t changed, in my mind. That’s unfair to talk about something like that. … I understand you gotta ask the question, but I gave up a big part of my life to come take this job and I’ve poured every ounce of my soul in this job and I’ve given this job every single ounce I can possibly give it. Write that.”
After Tennessee's 6-5 CWS-clinching win over Texas A&M, @AggieBaseball head coach Jim Schlossnagle was asked about a "specific job opening" and his future with the Aggies:
📹: NCAA pic.twitter.com/dhKfIXddHo
— Dennis de la Pena (@dennisonfox7) June 25, 2024
Texas fired coach David Pierce on Monday after the Longhorns went 36-24 this season and were eliminated from the NCAA Tournament with two losses in the Bryan-College Station Regional, including a 4-2 loss to the Aggies in 11 innings. The program went 295-162 during Pierce’s eight seasons and reached the College World Series in 2018, 2021 and 2022. His best finish came in 2021 with a 50-win team that came up one win short of the CWS finals.
The Longhorns are the winningest program in college baseball with six national titles but are moving into a loaded SEC that has produced five consecutive national champions. Texas athletic director Chris Del Conte said in a statement he met with Pierce at the end of the season and they mutually agreed to make a change.
“I am so grateful for Coach Pierce and all he has poured into our baseball program for the past eight years,” Del Conte said. “He is an incredible person, and I’ve truly enjoyed my time working with him. I appreciate the passion, pride and steadfast commitment he had for coaching and working with our student-athletes and am thankful for all he’s done for Texas Athletics and our entire university community as our head coach. I wish Coach Pierce and his family the best in the future.”
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Texas hasn’t won a national championship since Augie Garrido took the program all the way in 2005. The legendary coach led the program for 20 years before retiring at the end of the 2016 season. Pierce was hired away from Tulane as his replacement and twice earned Big 12 Coach of the Year honors.
Schlossnagle worked for Del Conte at TCU from 2009 to 2017, and they enjoyed a run of four consecutive College World Series trips during their time together. He has led the Aggies to Omaha twice in his three seasons, achieved the program’s first appearance in the CWS finals and already won more CWS games than any coach in school history.
“It’s a tough one to swallow,” Schlossnagle said. “When you make it this far, everybody wants to win their last game. Couldn’t be more proud of our team and honored to be at Texas A&M and honored to be a part of the 12th Man. It’s a special, special experience every year.”
Schlossnagle said he believed such a strong start to his tenure was possible at Texas A&M because it’s an “awesome place” that has what it takes to be a consistent postseason contender in the SEC. An $80 million renovation of Blue Bell Park has already been approved by the A&M regents.
“It took a lot of hard work and we still have a lot of work to go,” Schlossnagle said. “Guys coming on visits this week, gotta hold some kids in the draft, gotta put together another good team. We’re losing a lot of good players.”
Tennessee’s Tony Vitello was not asked about the Texas job or his future following the Vols’ first national championship victory, though pitcher Zander Sechrist did call on athletic director Danny White to extend a lifetime contract to his head coach during their postgame news conference. White expressed confidence in keeping Vitello in the event any schools pursue him.
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“I don’t think I’d have to even entertain that conversation,” White said. “Tony knows what he’s built here and it’s special. It’s a relationship between him and his players and the program he’s built, and the fans, that you really can’t replace. Tennessee baseball is here to stay, and he’s the reason why.”
(Photo: Eakin Howard / Getty Images)