The Aggies were fresh off a runner-up appearance in the College World Series. Despite losing their head coach, Jim Schlossnagle, to rival Texas, their roster, including the starting lineup, remained mostly intact going into this spring. Athletic director Trev Alberts rehired hitting coach Michael Earley after a mass exodus of staff. Earley assembled a staff that included former Washington head baseball coach Jason Kelly as pitching coach and former Texas assistant Caleb Longley as recruiting coordinator.
But Earley’s first season ended this weekend in Hoover, as the Aggies, fighting for one last shot at an NCAA postseason berth, were eliminated from the Southeastern Conference tournament by LSU in the quarterfinal round. This outcome cemented their fate as a team that finished 30-26 with an 11-19 conference record during the regular season.
While the Aggies faced several injuries to key players, including third baseman Gavin Grahovac, outfielder Caden Sorrell, and eventually outfielder Jace LaViolette in the tournament, the team’s drop from a national championship appearance to an RPI ranking in the 50s at season’s end is still troubling. According to On3 Sports, the future of Earley’s time at Texas A&M is uncertain, but Alberts did not provide any further details during the SEC Spring Meetings in Destin this week.
“I’m not ready to talk about the baseball program right now,” Texas A&M athletic director Trev Alberts told reporters on Tuesday. “They obviously just got done playing in Hoover and we had these meetings here in Destin, so I had a little bit of communication here with Michael. But I’d love to get back to College Station, sit down with him and sort of recap. I think it’s good to spend a little time, both he and I, as we assess the situation.
“It was a frustrating season, disappointing on a lot of different levels, but at the appropriate time, we’ll be able to talk a little about baseball.”
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