Tag: Michael Earley

Texas A&M’s Gavin Grahovac makes Baseball America’s All-American Team

Texas A&M third baseman earns another All-American bid making him a unanimous All-American

  • SLG%/OB% – .596/.390

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    The SEC Freshman of the Year Gavin Grahovac notched his fourth All-American nod, making him a unanimous All-American. After pulling out of the 2023 MLB draft, Grahovac came into Texas A&M with a load of expectations. He stepped up to the plate, taking the starting third base position and serving as the team’s leadoff hitter.

    He re-wrote the record books with 23 home runs as a freshman, eclipsing fellow, former unanimous Freshman All-American Jace LaViolette by two home runs. Like most of the 2023 roster with eligibility, he jumped into the transfer portal while the university started the new coaching search. However, the hiring of Michael Earley gave Grahovac the confidence to come back to Aggieland with some unfinished business

     

    SEASON STATS

    • Batting Average – .298
    • Runs – 83
    • Hits – 85
    • Home runs – 23
    • RBIs – 66
    • SLG%/OB% – .596/.390

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    Another Texas A&M pitcher has announed his return for the 2025 season

    Texas A&M pitcher Troy Wansing will return for the 2025 season!

    What a month it has been for Texas A&M baseball. New head coach Michael Earley has already made an impact after being hired early last week. More than half of the 14 players in the transfer portal returned to the program and several key veterans have been added during the past few days.

    Despite Jim Schlossnagle taking former Aggies’ pitching coach Max Weiner to join his staff at Texas, Earley is well-equipped after bringing on former Washington head coach Jason Kelly as the program’s new pitching coach. Kelly brings an impressive resume as one of the best assistants in the country, serving with Earley during their days at Arizona State.

    As it stands, nearly every pitcher from the 2024 staff outside of Ryan Prager and Chris Cortez has announced his return. The depth chart is littered with lefties, including junior pitcher Troy Wansing, who announced his return on Tuesday afternoon.

    One of Texas A&M’s top arms during the 2023 season, Wansing, missed all but one game during the 2024 campaign due to a back injury. He should be completely healthy in the coming months.

    After transferring from Purdue, Wansing was stellar on the mound. In 2023, despite his relatively high 5.50 ERA, he recorded 72 strikeouts while allowing just five home runs in 18 appearances.

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    Top 50 prospect, shortstop Wyatt Sanford, reaffirms commitment to Texas A&M baseball team

    “One of the best defensive shortstops in the 2024 high school class, Wyatt Sanford has range to both sides and solid-to-plus arm strength.”

    Texas A&M baseball head coach Michael Earley hasn’t wasted time since being hired, bolstering his coaching staff, retaining players in the transfer portal and recruiting top prospects from the high school ranks.

    Class of 2024 shortstop Wyatt Sanford reaffirmed his commitment to the Aggies on Sunday. The 6-foot-1, 175-pound graduate of Independence High School in Frisco, Texas, is ranked No. 34 in the official MLB 2024 prospect rankings.

    “One of the best defensive shortstops in the 2024 high school class, Sanford has range to both sides and solid-to-plus arm strength. There’s no doubt he can stay at the position, but his athleticism and tools would enable him to play almost anywhere on the diamond in a utility role. He produces consistent plus run times and is an asset on the bases,” MLB.com stated. “The Texas A&M recruit has a mature gap-to-gap approach and makes good swing decisions, but he has spread out more with his legs this spring in search of contact.

    “He’ll probably need to rework his setup in pro ball and may top out at 15 homers per season.”

    Texas A&M junior outfielder Braden Montgomery is slotted eighth in MLB’s rankings.

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    Coach Michael Earley continues to bolster baseball coaching staff with 2 more additions

    According to a report from TexAgs analyst Ryan Brauninger, Earley added a duo of “highly regarded” personnel Saturday to the coaching staff.

    New Texas A&M baseball head coach Michael Earley continues to fill out his first coaching staff. He made two more additions this weekend to bolster the roster.

    According to a report from TexAgs analyst Ryan Brauninger, Earley added a duo of highly regarded personnel on Saturday. Per Brauninger, Jace Hutchins received a promotion to the director of player development. Jack Mahala was elevated to the director of video and analytics.

    Earley lured a familiar face back to College Station on Saturday as well. After one season in the Bayou, Jeremy McMillan has returned as the Aggies head coach of strength and conditioning, a position he served in for 12 years before departing for LSU.

    Mahala’s former role was as the director of research and development. Hutchins previously served as a student assistant. During his redshirt sophomore year at Texas A&M in 2023, Hutchins received the Marion Pugh Spirit Award, which was voted upon by his peers.

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    Texas A&M baseball transfer Wyatt Henseler is excited for the Michael Earley era

    Penn transfer Wyatt Henseler emphasized Texas A&M’s culture as one of the primary reasons for sticking to his commitment

    Texas A&M baseball is under new management.

    Following Jim Schlossnagle’s sudden departure to lead the Texas Longhorns, the Aggies’ athletic director, Trev Alberts, wasted no time in hiring former hitting coach Michael Earley as the program’s 21st head coach just five days later, showcasing the team’s agility in adapting to change.

    With the hire, half of the 14 players who entered the transfer portal have withdrawn their names, including star hitters Jace LaViolette, Gavin Grahovac, and Caden Sorrell, while Penn transfer Wyatt Henseler, who was heavily recruited by Texas and LSU after Schlossnagle’s move, reaffirmed his commitment to the Aggies late last week.

    Joining former Texas Tech first baseman Gavin Kash, Texas A&M’s battling lineup is as powerful as it gets heading into the 2025 season, making Earley’s first-year transition more manageable.

    In a recent interview with The Eagle’s Travis Brown, Henseler, who has a chance to cement himself as a future MLB Draft first-round selection, will end his collegiate career with what should be one of the best teams in the country next season.

    “I don’t think you could commit yourself to a better winning culture than Texas A&M right now.”

    Emphasis on “right now,” the program couldn’t be in a better place; coming off their first trip to the College World Series Finals, the Aggies offer a development track that helped Braden Montgomery become a nationally known star, while Jace LaViolette is just seven home runs away from breaking A&M’s career home run record.

    During his final seasons at Penn, Henesler led the team with 72 hits, 56 RBIs, and 22 home runs while finishing with a .360 average at the plate.

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    Jeremy McMillan returns to Texas A&M as head coach of baseball strength and conditioning

    According to a recent report, a familiar face is returning to College Station to join the staff of new baseball head coach Michael Earley.

    According to a recent report, a familiar face is returning to Texas A&M to join the staff of new baseball head coach Michael Earley.

    Per TexAgs analyst Ryan Brauninger, Jeremy McMillan is coming home to College Station to become the head coach of strength and conditioning. He spent 12 years in Aggieland serving in the same role from 2012 to 2023.

    McMillan departed Texas A&M last year for the same position at LSU but, similar to Earley at Texas, he is back like he never left. McMillan is a member of the Lone Star State through and through as a graduate of Texas Tech and native of San Antonio.

    During his original stint with the Aggies, he coached 10 future big leaguers: Ryan Hendrix, Corbin Martin, Kyle Martin, Daniel Mengden, A.J. Minter, Tyler Naquin, Ross Stripling, Michael Wacha, Bryce Miller and Braden Shewmake.

    Prior to being hired at Texas A&M, McMillan previously worked at Texas State and the University of New Mexico.

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    Texas A&M junior outfielder has entered the transfer portal

    Another Texas A&M outfielder has entered the transfer portal

    It’s been a busy two weeks for Texas A&M’s baseball. Jim Schlossnagle’s departure to take over the Texas Longhorns just a day after the Aggies College World Series Finals led to Aggies athletic director Trev Alberts hiring former hitting coach Michael Earley as the program’s 21st-ranked head coach.

    After 14 players entered the transfer portal, Earley’s hiring sparked a positive change. Seven Aggies, including star hitters Jace LaViolette and Gavin Grahovac, withdrew their names, leading to nearly every key contributor during A&M’s postseason run announcing their collective return.

    However, the roster will continue to see movement throughout the summer. It has been confirmed that junior outfielder Tab Tracy has entered the portal after two seasons with the program after transferring from Houston ahead of the 2023 campaign.

    Tracy did not see the field this past season but still possesses the skill set he showed in 20-plus plate appearances during the 2023 season, recording 14 hits and two stolen base hits with a .326 average.

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    Texas A&M star outfielder Jace LaViolette explains why he decided to return to Aggieland

    “Aggieland… the past two years has undoubtedly been the best two years of my life. Mike Earley is the best coach in the nation,” he said.

    After briefly entering the transfer portal following the departure of former head coach Jim Schlossnagle to the Longhorns, sophomore outfielder Jace LaViolette became one of numerous Aggies to announce their respective return to Texas A&M this past week.

    “Aggieland… the past two years has undoubtedly been the best two years of my life,” LaViolette said in a hype video. “Mike Earley is the best coach in the nation. There is nobody that I would rather play for.

    “Gig ‘Em!”

    LaViolette spoke to KBTX sports reporter Nicole Griffith on Tuesday at Michael Earley‘s press conference that introduced him as the new Aggies head coach.

    “Honestly I’m just excited to finally see Mike in front of the whole team once everything settles down and just be like, ‘Hey, lets go do this! I’m the next head coach and we’re going to have a lot of fun,'” LaViolette foretold. “This team is going to play really, really loose and let’s just go have fun.”

    After smashing 50 home runs during his first two seasons in College Station, LaViolette is seven away from breaking the program record of 56 set by Daylan Holt in 2000.

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    Two recent Washington transfers could be options for Texas A&M baseball

    Texas A&M could be in the market for multiple Washington transfer after former Huskies head coach Jason Kelly joined Michael Earley’s staff

    Texas A&M baseball’s 2025 roster is all but set after hiring new head coach Michael Earley. Nearly half of the 14 portal entries have returned to the team, after Jim Schlossnagle’s abrupt exit to take over the Texas Longhorns program produced a chaotic transition week.

    Earley, who served as the program’s hitting coach for the last three seasons, was by far the most popular coach on staff. He recruited and developed star hitters Jace LaViolette, Gavin Grahovac and Caden Sorrell, while former Penn outfielder Wyatt Henseler reaffirmed his commitment to the program for next season.

    Looking ahead at the 2025 depth chart, the inclusion of former Texas Tech first baseman Gavin Kash paired with Henseler has shaken things up, while postseason hero Kaeden Kent will likely take over as the starting second baseman.

    From a depth perspective, the Aggies could be in the market for one or two more experienced players to put the roster over the top talent-wise. D1Baseball’s Kendall Rogers reported that Washington infielders Aiva Arquette and Cam Clayton, who both entered the transfer portal, could be in the mix for Texas A&M.

    Why the interest? Former Washington head coach Jason Kelly has been hired as Texas A&M’s new pitching coach. That created the potential for several of his players to follow him to College Station, given the Aggies could end up being the preseason No. 1 team next year.

    Here’s how both players performed during the 2024 season:

    • 2B/SS Aiva Arquette, 6 feet, 4 inches, 220 pounds: 68 hits, 12 home runs, .325 batting average
    • 2B/SS Cam Clayton, 6 feet, 205 pounds: 54 hits, seven home runs, .270 batting average

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    Texas A&M baseball officially hired assistant coaches Jason Kelly and Caleb Longley

    Michael Earley’s staff is coming together, as Jason Kelly and Caleb Longley are now officially on board for the 2025 season and beyond

    Amid the chaos surrounding Jim Schlossnagle’s semi-disastrous exit to head the Texas Longhorns baseball program a day after Texas A&M’s College World Series Finals loss to Tennessee, Aggies athletic director Trev Alberts was determined to find his successor much sooner than later.

    After nearly a dozen candidates interviewed over the course of five days, former hitting coach Michael Earley was named the 21st head coach in A&M program history following an impressive interview coupled with current players, prospects and fellow coaches vocal respect what he brings to the table.

    Needing a reliable coaching staff to get him through the ups and downs of his inaugural campaign, two key assistants have been hired: new associate head coach/pitching coach Jason Kelly and new recruiting director/hitting coach Caleb Longley.

    Longley has spent the majority of his coaching career at Texas in the same capacity as his new duties with Texas A&M. During the 2022 season, he helped the Longhorns hit a program record 128 home runs while helping sign the third-ranked recruiting class for 2024.

    Kelly’s coaching career has been fast and furious, serving as a pitching coach since 2003. Like Longley, he was Arizona State’s pitching coach from 2020-2021 when both Earley and Longley were on the Sun Devils staff. During his six-year run as Washington’s pitching coach, Kelly was named D1Baseball.com’s Assistant Coach of the Year during the program’s only College World Series appearance.

    Before becoming LSU head coach Jay Johnson’s first hire during his transition to LSU, Kelly’s brief stint as Washington’s head coach was an immediate success. He led the Huskies to an NCAA regional appearance during the 2023 season.

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