OMAHA, Neb. — In one of many extra shocking head teaching adjustments in faculty baseball, Jim Schlossnagle has left Texas A&M for rival Texas lower than 24 hours faraway from an look within the School World Collection Finals.
With Schlossnagle’s departure, the Aggies will now make their second baseball teaching rent since 2021 and the primary rent beneath new athletic director Trev Alberts.
The Aggies are coming off one of the best season in program historical past with a first-ever look within the CWS Finals and had lots of momentum going with funding in stadium upgrades coming quickly and a strong group of returning influence gamers that have been anticipated again.
Now with Schlossnagle leaving, there’s no certainty that the identical core of gamers will probably be again in 2025 alongside whoever the brand new coach is.
The A&M head teaching gig continues to be going to be properly considered with lots of assets and an athletic division that can probably make a large supply relating to wage for his or her subsequent skipper.
Listed here are 5 doable coaches who may substitute Schlossnagle subsequent 12 months.
Nick Mingione
The 2024 SEC and NCBWA Coach of the Yr helped get Kentucky to its first-ever School World Collection this previous season and has confirmed to be one of many fastest-rising coaches within the nation. The 45-year-old has been with the Wildcats for eight seasons and took them to a few Tremendous Regionals earlier than lastly making it to Omaha for the primary time after profitable the SEC East. Earlier than getting his first head teaching gig at Kentucky, Mingione was an assistant at Mississippi State from 2009-2016 the place the Bulldogs made 5 NCAA Tournaments and have been CWS runners-up as soon as in 2013.
Rob Vaughn
The 36-year-old continues to be pretty new on the scene of SEC baseball, simply ending his first season as Alabama’s head coach. However he introduced the Crimson Tide to the NCAA Event in his debut 12 months after a formidable six-year tenure at Maryland the place he took the Terrapins to the match twice and was a two-time Massive Ten Coach of the Yr. Vaughn additionally has Texas roots, being from Corpus Christi.
Skip Johnson
The Denton native has had some standout campaigns for Oklahoma throughout his seven-year tenure with the Sooners. Johnson needed to proper the ship after some lackluster seasons beneath Pete Hughes and introduced Oklahoma to 4 NCAA Tournaments and the CWS runner-up spot in 2022. Johnson was additionally a longtime assistant at Texas from 2007-2016. At 57, he’s among the many older candidates that the Aggies would possibly wish to take into account, however he nonetheless appears to have loads left in him and a strong observe file with a 229-153 win-loss whole.
Dan Heefner
Whereas possibly not the splashiest rent, Heefner is the definition of a program man. The Aggies might wish to lock down somebody long-term after having Schlossnagle depart after simply three years. Look no additional than Heefner who has helmed Dallas Baptist since 2008 — and was an assistant for 3 years earlier than that. What Heefner has accomplished for the Patriots is wildly spectacular, taking the varsity of simply over 4,000 college students to the NCAA Event 13 instances and Tremendous Regionals twice with a 652-326-1 general file. Below Heefner’s watch 52 gamers have been drafted out of DBU. The assets are minuscule compared to Texas A&M. It might be a giant step up for Heefner, however one which might be well worth the gamble.
Max Weiner
The Aggies are probably going to attempt to make a giant splash with their rent and may not wish to go together with a 29-year-old nonetheless getting his ft moist in faculty baseball. However the Aggies’ pitching coach from this previous season fully elevated the group and was a giant purpose A&M made such a deep run within the postseason. A former collegiate pitcher, member of Forbes “30 Below 30″ for sports activities and ex-pitching coordinator for the Seattle Mariners, Weiner already has a formidable resumé. Weiner has been talked up loads prior to now few months and will get a head teaching job sooner reasonably than later. It may be a stretch for A&M handy him the reins similar to that, however he’s additionally one of many brightest minds in faculty baseball proper now and might be a star within the close to future.