Texas A&M named former assistant Michael Earley as the 21st head coach in Aggie baseball history on Monday.
Spending the previous three seasons on his predecessor Jim Schlossnagle’s staff as Texas A&M’s hitting coach, Earley explained why the Aggies’ job was the one that he’s been waiting for despite having multiple opportunities to leave College Station during his tenure.
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“Growing up a college baseball fan, my dream job, to be truthful, was to be the head coach at LSU,” Earley told TexAgs. “About six months in, I remember telling my wife, ‘My dream is to be here.’ Every day I have been here, I have been preparing to be the head coach at Texas A&M. Period. Did I think it would happen now? No.
“I have had other head coaching opportunities. I had a few this year. My plan was to build a program somewhere else and come back to Texas A&M. My sights have always been on this job. Always.”
Earley has spent the last three seasons serving as Texas A&M’s hitting coach. During that time he’s seen the Aggies compile a 135-62 record including a trip to the 2024 College World Series, where they came up just short in three games to SEC rival Tennessee. They finished with a 53-15 overall record and went 19-11 in the SEC last season.
Offensively, Texas A&M was one of the strongest last season. No team in the country drew more walks (422) than the Aggies did last season while ranking in the top 10 in home runs (136) and total runs (575). They also averaged 8.5 runs per game last season.
In turn, Braden Montgomery, Gavin Grahovac, Jace LaViolette and Jackson Appel all earned All-American honors for their efforts at the plate this past season.
“I have been a part of this program and have seen what it takes to be successful,” Earley continued. “Texas A&M baseball has never been in a better spot. The momentum we have, I want to keep that going.”
Before coming to College Station, he spent the five previous seasons on staff at Arizona State, where he played a role in the development of eventual 2020 No. 1 overall pick Spencer Torkelson.
Now, Earley will be tasked with continuing his success as a player development coach while also taking the reins of the entire Aggies baseball program. The standard will remain the same as always in his first year as head coach.
The post Michael Earley: ‘My sights have always been on this job’ appeared first on On3.
