On Sunday, Texas A&M’s baseball program found its new head coach in Michael Earley after Jim Schlossnagle’s shocking departure to arch-rival Texas just one day after the Aggies played for a National Championship, sending the sports world into a frenzy over easily avoidable problems created on Schlossnagle’s end.
After briefly following Schlossnagle to Texas on the day of his announcement, it seemed that the former Aggie hitting coach wasn’t the biggest fan of the sudden transition, already building a home in College Station while his relationship with the Aggie’s talented roster was undeniable.
With Schlossnagle’s move to Austin, nearly a dozen players unsurprisingly entered the transfer portal, as the program was in transit for four full days. On Friday, reactions to Earley becoming a legitimate candidate from nearly every 2024 starter and reserve player poured in. Star hitters Gavin Grahovac and Jace LaViolette led the charge in supporting the hire.
For those who thought Tuesday would be a boring news day, think again! Just an hour after SEC Freshman of the Year Gavin Grahovac announced his return to the program, incoming junior star outfielder Jace LaViolette, who was the highest-ranked player in the portal, is now headed back to College Station for likely one more season, stating on an Instagram post,
“No place I’d rather be let’s go do it đź‘Ť”
After Earley’s hire, this was a no-brainer for LaViolette. He is just seven homers away from breaking Texas A&M’s all-time record, set by Daylan Holt’s 56 home runs from 1998-2000.
After hitting 29 on the year, LaViolette struggled throughout the postseason due to a lingering hamstring issue. However, I expect a fully rejuvenated version of what we all saw during the regular season, as the Aggies are looking to run it back and seek revenge in the College World Series Finals.
Here to stay đź‘Ť #GigEm@JaceLaViolette2 pic.twitter.com/V2Za0Mar4H
— TexAgs (@TexAgs) July 2, 2024
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