On Sunday, Texas A&M athletic director Trev Alberts announced his first significant hire. Former hitting coach Michael Earley will return to the program after briefly following former Aggies head baseball coach Jim Schlossnagle to Texas this week.
Following Schlossnagle’s unexpected departure on Tuesday, Earley’s future seemed secure. However, his name unexpectedly appeared on the interview list later in the week. After several big names, including Oklahoma HC Skip Johnson, were not included in the process down the stretch, Earley emerged as the final candidate before the announcement came on Sunday morning.
While he may lack head coaching experience, Earley’s popularity with the current roster, impressive recruiting background and development arc played a huge role in his landing the gig. However, he’ll need a veteran coaching staff to rely on moving forward, a factor that should reassure fans about the team’s future.
According to D1Baseball’s Kendall Rogers, Earley is expected to bring on current Texas recruiting director/hitting coach Caleb Longley, who could take on Earley’s hitting coach duties with the program. Both coaches served on the same staff at Arizona State during their early careers.
I would expect former @TexasBaseball assistant Caleb Longley to end up on Michael Earley's staff at @AggieBaseball. Another spot is expected to be a Power 5 head coach.
— Kendall Rogers (@KendallRogers) June 30, 2024
Longley’s equally successful recruiting background matches his coaching chops. which helped Texas produce a record 128 home runs during the 2022 season.
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