Tag: texas longhorns baseball

‘That is a disgrace,’ Chris ‘Mad Dog’ Russo calls Schlossnagle a ‘fraud’ for Texas choice

“That is a disgrace! He knew the AD at Texas! And then he’s basically killing the poor kid who asked him the question about the Texas job?”

Members of the 12th Man weren’t the only ones criticizing former Texas A&M head coach Jim Schlossnagle on Wednesday as Christopher “Mad Dog” Russo aired his grievances on ESPN’s First Take.

“What a fraud!” Russo said. “Five minutes later, he signed a contract at Texas! So he’s sitting there and he’s basically telling the media at Omaha what they can and cannot ask, and yet, he knew the AD at Texas, so he had that deal done long before Texas A&M lost in the championship scenario! So he’s sitting there making deals with Texas, loses in the finals to Tennessee, and then when he gets asked a question about the Texas vacancy, he basically reams out the media! Try that in New York!

“That is a disgrace! He knew the AD at Texas! You don’t think these two guys were hand-in-hand for a long period of time? And then he’s basically killing the poor kid who asked him the question about the Texas job? I mean, I understand it was five minutes after you lost, but by the same token, you had the deal done before the finals even began!”

Nine Aggies entered the NCAA Transfer Portal on Wednesday.

Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes and opinions. Follow Shaun on Twitter: @Shaun_Holkko.

Schlossnagle ‘denied our players the hard-earned opportunity to celebrate,’ per Gen. Welsh

“The disheartening news of the past 24 hours made coaching the center of attention and denied our players the opportunity to celebrate.”

Following the news of head coach Jim Schlossnagle departing College Station with his entire coaching staff for bitter rival Texas on Tuesday night, Texas A&M president, General Mark Welsh, shared his thoughts about the moves in a statement with KBTX.

“I want to take a minute and thank our Aggie baseball players for the truly remarkable season they just completed,” Welsh stated. “They made us proud with their play and inspired us with their respect for each other, their opponents and the 12th Man.

“The disheartening news of the past 24 hours made their coaching staff the center of attention and denied our players the hard-earned opportunity to celebrate and be celebrated for their tremendous season and that exhilarating run to the national championship game in Omaha. They are great athletes, great teammates, great young men and great Aggies. I believe Aggies everywhere are incredibly proud to have them representing Texas A&M University. I know I am.”

Nine Aggies entered the NCAA Transfer Portal on Wednesday.

Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes and opinions. Follow Shaun on Twitter: @Shaun_Holkko.

Texas A&M sophomore pitcher Shane Sdao reveals his future plans

Some good news! Sophomore starting pitcher Shane Sdao announces his return for the 2025 season

With all the chaos surrounding former Texas A&M head baseball coach Jim Schlossnagle’s shocking departure to join the Texas Longhorns in the same capacity just a day after the Aggies’ College World Series Finals Game 3 loss to Tennessee, there’s actually some positive news!

Despite the upheaval, the commitment of several key starters and contributors remains unwavering. This includes starting sophomore pitcher Shane Sdao, who has made it clear his playing future before heading to the MLB will be at Texas A&M.

Amid the news that nearly every roster member, including 2024 12th man and senior Ryan Targac, found out about Schlossnagle’s plans through social media, feelings and a sense of loyalty have likely diminished going forward, and no one blames these young men for entering the transfer portal.

Sdao’s return is huge for whoever takes Schlossnagle’s place. The sophomore finished the season with a 5-1 record, 55 strikeouts and a 2.98 ERA before sustaining an upper-body injury vs. Oregon in the super-regional round.

Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes and opinions. Follow Cameron on X: @CameronOhnysty.

‘Judge me by my actions,’ Longhorns coach Schlossnagle doubles down on Texas A&M departure

“If I left Texas A&M for some school in a different part of the country, the interesting text messages that I got wouldn’t have happened.”

Jim Schlossnagle mislead the 12th Man with his comments on Monday night after losing the College World Series finals, but the former Texas A&M baseball head coach claimed Wednesday that it wasn’t his intent to do so.

“I didn’t intentionally mislead them. That’s a very fair question for you to ask because that is what I said. In that moment, that’s exactly how I felt,” Schlossnagle proclaimed. “I loved it and dove in with every single ounce of me to help A&M have the very best baseball program that it can possibly have. That investment lasted through the last pitch of the national championship game. It never wavered, not one second, I don’t care what anybody says.

“If I had left Texas A&M for some other school in a different part of the country, the interesting text messages that I got yesterday probably wouldn’t have happened. But I get it… You can’t ask for your fan base to support you and be passionate like the 12th Man always has been, but really was this year! Our crowds were awesome every single game! You can’t ask for that like our staff did and then expect everybody to be OK with a coach leaving for its rival school and I get it.

“All I can say is I have a career too. I have a personal life as well. I have goals and I just simply felt like, no negative at A&M, just the positives of the alignment and frankly my relationship with Chris. I knew there wasn’t anybody at Texas A&M that I couldn’t trust, I just know that I can trust Chris, I just know that. As hard as that decision was, I could not walk away from it.”

Schlossnagle brought his entire coaching staff with him to Austin: Nolan Cain, Michael Earley and Max Weiner.

One of the final questions that Schlossnagle answered was in regard to the backlash of his abrupt departure and how it will effect recruiting.

“Don’t listen to what I say. Judge me by my actions over the course of time. Anybody can say one thing and do another,” Schlossnagle proclaimed. “I do feel like, not just me, but our staff has a proven track record of doing things the right way. Many people, especially on the A&M side, will say ‘this wasn’t done the right way.’ I just don’t know any other way that it could have been done.

“It’s not like we can sit around and wait for a week. That wouldn’t have been fair to Texas A&M or the University of Texas. So it is what it is in today’s college sports. I love those players, they’ll get emotional and that’s OK for them to express their emotion.”

Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes and opinions. Follow Shaun on Twitter: @Shaun_Holkko.

Jim Schlossnagle publicly apologizes to TexAgs reporter at Longhorns introduction presser

“He’s a young reporter, he asked an obvious question, I wish I could’ve answered that better. So I apologize for that to Richard,” he said.

As TexAgs senior reporter Olin Buchanan walked into Wednesday’s introductory press conference for coach Jim Schlossnagle at Texas, they made eye contact and nodded, each with a keen understanding of what had taken place over the past 36 hours.

“Olin, I’m glad you’re here,” Schlossnagle said. “I was asked a question after our game the other night, we’re playing for the national championship, as I said in my press conference when I took the A&M job, ‘There would never be a time that I wasn’t invested in that program.’ There never was a time that I wasn’t invested. I gave every, and when I say ‘I, our staff,’ we gave everything we possibly could to win that last ballgame.

“When the game ended, I want to publicly apologize to Richard Zane from TexAgs. He’s a young reporter, he asked a question that was an obvious question, I wish I could’ve answered that better. But in the moment, 30 minutes after the last pitch, all I could think about was our players. I really wasn’t in the mood to talk about myself or the future. So I apologize for that to Richard.”

As Buchanan began to ask a question later in the presser, Schlossnagle welcomed him to Austin with a smirk.

Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes and opinions. Follow Shaun on Twitter: @Shaun_Holkko.

‘I had no clue,’ Texas A&M senior Ryan Targac found out about Schlossnagle departure on X

“It has been the best four years of my life and that would not have been possible without the support. Forever thankful! Thanks and Gig’em!”

Less than 24 hours after the College World Series finals concluded, many members of the 12th Man were shocked to learn head coach Jim Schlossnagle was departing Texas A&M to become the leader of the rival Texas Longhorns in Austin.

Not even the player bestowed with the sacred No. 12 knew about what was coming Tuesday night. Senior utility player Ryan Targac shared a message with Aggies fans on Tuesday afternoon via X.

I’ve been sitting on this for a while, but I can’t express my gratitude enough to Texas A&M University and the 12th Man,” Targac stated. “It has been the best four years of my life and that would not have been possible without the endless support. Forever thankful! Thanks and Gig’Em!

Texas A&M student Cameron Holy replied to Targac’s statement by saying, ‘Once again no mention of a coach. It’s all making sense,” alluding to the Schlossnagle rumors. Then Targac cleared the air.

“I found out on Twitter probably two hours after I posted this,” he proclaimed. “I had no clue.”

Based on Targac’s comment, it seems players were right alongside the 12th Man in being left in the dark by the former Aggies manager.

Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes and opinions. Follow Shaun on X: @Shaun_Holkko.

Several of Texas A&M baseball’s key assistants will follow Jim Schlossnagle to Texas

Nolan Cain, Max Weiner, and Michael Earley are all headed to Austin

As the shock continues to wear off for Aggies everywhere, the sudden departure of former Texas A&M baseball coach Jim Schlossnagle, who left the program after three seasons for rival Texas, has begun to set in.

While the optics are ugly — a decision was reportedly made days before Texas A&M faced Tennessee in Game 3 of the College World Series finals — this is simply the nature of the business.

Aggies’ athletic director Trev Alberts faces a daunting task and has his work cut out for him this week.

While we wait for news on Schlossnagle’s replacement, we have news regarding his new staff in Austin. According to Houston Chronicles’ Kirk Bohls, third base coach Nolan Cain, pitching coach Max Weiner, and hitting coach Michael Earley will now follow Schlossnagle Texas.

One of the top recruiters in college baseball, Cain had been with the program since 2022. He rose to his position as associate head coach in 2024 while helping land a majority of the Aggies’ talent roster, which paved the way for the best season in Texas A&M history.

Weiner, who spent just one season with the Aggies, completely turned A&M’s pitching around to one of the best units in the country. At the same time, Michael Earley helped pave the way for star outfielders Jace LaViolette and Braden Montgomery to combine for nearly 60 home runs on the year.

Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes and opinions. Follow Cameron on X: @CameronOhnysty.

‘We are certainly disappointed,’ Texas A&M AD Trev Alberts reacts to Schlossnagle decision

“After our baseball team arrived back in College Station, Jim informed me of his desire to leave Texas A&M. We are certainly disappointed.”

When the Texas A&M baseball team returned from Omaha on Tuesday afternoon, head coach Jim Schlossnagle informed athletic director Trev Alberts of his decision to depart Aggieland to become leader of the Longhorns in Austin.

“After our baseball team arrived back in College Station earlier today, Jim informed me of his desire to leave Texas A&M. While we are certainly disappointed, we are grateful for his contributions in helping our baseball program reach unprecedented heights,” Alberts stated. “Baseball success is important to everyone associated with Texas A&M, we will not stop in our pursuit of excellence and our commitment to baseball will not waiver.

“On behalf of Texas A&M Athletics, we wish Jim and his family well as they move on to another challenge.

“We will find a great leader and excellent coach to head up this proud Aggie baseball program.”

Alberts’ first coaching search is officially underway.

Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes and opinions. Follow Shaun on X: @Shaun_Holkko.

‘I know many will be upset,’ Jim Schlossnagle speaks after leaving Texas A&M for Longhorns

“I know many will be upset with my decision. I chose to make a change to join a longtime friend to continue my career as a baseball coach.”

Former Texas A&M baseball coach Jim Schlossnagle issued a statement via an Aggies athletics department press release after the news was confirmed that he was departing College Station to become leader of the Texas Longhorns in Austin.

“I would like to thank General Welsh, Trev Alberts and the 12th Man for an incredible experience during my time at Texas A&M,” Schlossnagle stated Tuesday evening. “Although I know many will be upset with my decision, I chose to make a change to join a longtime friend to continue my career as a college baseball coach. The run to the national championship game was truly a remarkable one this year. I will savor the memories and true friendships I have made there for a lifetime.”

Let’s be clear, Jim. “Many” people in Aggieland aren’t upset about your decision, they’re upset that you blatantly dissembled to their faces and insulted a credible reporter in the process.

Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes and opinions. Follow Shaun on X: @Shaun_Holkko.

Reviewing Schlossnagle quotes with hindsight after he reportedly left Aggies for Longhorns

“I think it’s pretty selfish of you to ask that question, to be honest,” he said Monday. “That’s unfair to talk about something like that.”

Coach Jim Schlossnagle spoke to the media in Omaha, Nebraska on Monday night after No. 3 Texas A&M lost 6-5 to No. 1 Tennessee in Game 3 of the College World Series finals.

The last question that Schlossnagle answered was in regard to the Longhorns‘ head coach vacancy, which he reportedly took Tuesday afternoon.

“I think it’s pretty selfish of you to ask me that question, to be honest with you,” Schlossnagle said postgame to Richard Zane of TexAgs. “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. That hasn’t changed in my mind.

“That’s unfair to talk about something like that, it’d be like you asking Montgomery if he’s going to sign in the draft. I understand you have to ask the question.

“But I gave up a big part of my life to come take this job and poured every ounce of my soul into this job. I have given this job every single ounce I could possibly give it.

“Write that!

As an Aggieland outsider who resides in Northern California, Schlossnagle’s response was an immediate red flag. Anytime someone gets defensive like that, especially in response to someone else doing their job effectively, that’s a bad sign.

The second red flag was when he mentioned that he had “given this job every single ounce I could.” It sounded like Schlossnagle had nothing left to give at Texas A&M and had reached the peak of how far he could take the program.

Coaches and athletes departing for another opportunity is a common occurrence in college, professional, even high school sports. Schlossnagle should’ve and could’ve exited much more gracefully.

Instead of pulling on the 12th Man’s heartstrings throughout the CWS, then blatantly dissembling when asked directly, Schlossnagle should’ve just pleaded the fifth. It would’ve been cowardly, however, that tactic is used constantly in sports press conferences, so why not?

Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes and opinions. Follow Shaun on X: @Shaun_Holkko.