The Texas-Texas A&M Baseball Rivalry: A New Chapter in the SEC
When Texas and Texas A&M face off in baseball for the first time as SEC rivals, the matchup doesn’t need any extra drama. The stakes are already high, with Texas entering the series as the No. 1 team and the Aggies riding a wave of momentum after defeating the top two teams in the country in consecutive road series for the first time in their history. But the real story here is Jim Schlossnagle, who finds himself at the center of this brewing storm.
Last year, Schlossnagle led Texas A&M to the championship series of the Men’s College World Series. The Aggies were tantalizingly close to clinching their first national title, just seven outs away, before Tennessee dashed their dreams with a late comeback in Game 2. The timing of events that followed was nothing short of dramatic. On Monday, June 24, as the Aggies and Vols prepared for their decisive game, Texas athletic director Chris Del Conte announced a mutual decision to part ways with coach David Pierce. Hours later, Tennessee secured a 6-5 victory, ending A&M’s dream season.
The announcement from Texas raised eyebrows among Aggies fans, especially given Schlossnagle’s history with Del Conte at TCU, where they had worked closely together. After the game, when asked about his future with Texas A&M, Schlossnagle’s response was less than diplomatic.
“I think it’s pretty selfish of you to ask me that question, to be honest with you,” Schlossnagle said. “But 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. And that hasn’t changed in my mind.”
Yet, by Tuesday, June 25, Schlossnagle was announced as the new coach at Texas. Del Conte shared a rather unusual story of meeting Schlossnagle in a cemetery in Snook, Texas, to finalize the deal.
“I left at the crack of dawn, and I knew I could not be seen anywhere in College Station, so I went to the Snook Cemetery and waited for [Schlossnagle] to get back,” Del Conte said. “The Snook Cemetery will go down in history.”
The timing was shocking. For Texas, it was a bold move. For the Aggies, it felt like a betrayal. At his introductory press conference, Schlossnagle apologized for his earlier comments, but the damage was done, and the reaction was intense.
“I had an idea it would be nuclear, but I didn’t know that it would be apocalyptic,” Schlossnagle told ESPN’s Paul Finebaum. “But that just shows you the passion of the 12th Man, to be honest with you.”
Adding to the drama, hitting coach Michael Earley followed Schlossnagle to Austin, only to return to the Aggies as their new head coach shortly after. As the Aggies prepare to head to Austin, the atmosphere is expected to be electric, with ticket prices soaring. According to Vivid Seats, the cheapest ticket was $80 as of midday Thursday.
- Texas and Texas A&M have met nearly 400 times in baseball.
- There is a disagreement on the first game and series record: Texas claims 1903 and a 244-132-5 lead, while A&M says 1904 and 240-132-5.
This week, Schlossnagle tried to downplay the focus on him.
“Those kinds of series — Texas and Texas A&M — those things are way bigger than any coach or any person or player,” Schlossnagle told reporters. “That’s been going on for a really long time, and certainly going to be going on long after all of us in this room are gone.”
Despite his words, Schlossnagle remains the central figure in this series, which will be broadcast on SEC Network and ESPN2. His coaching prowess is undeniable, as both the Aggies and Longhorns can attest. The Aggies started the season as the preseason No. 1, but a rough patch saw them lose five games in a six-game stretch and get swept in their first two SEC series. Injuries to key players left them limping into April with a 13-14 overall record and a 1-8 mark in the SEC.
Meanwhile, Texas has been dominant, losing just five games all season and holding a three-game lead in the SEC standings. In their inaugural SEC season, the Longhorns boast a 16-2 league record, tied for the second-most SEC wins at this point since the conference expanded in 1992.
The Aggies, now 24-16 overall and 8-10 in the SEC, have found their stride, going 11-2 in April with significant wins over top-ranked Tennessee and Arkansas. They now have a shot at another No. 1 in Texas.
Texas’ pitching, led by Max Weiner, has been a standout, with an SEC-leading 2.94 ERA, second-best nationally. The Aggies will counter with the hot bat of Jace LaViolette, who leads the SEC in home runs, RBIs, and OPS in April. The Aggies, who struggled early in the season, are now averaging nearly 10 runs per game with 25 homers in their nine league games in April.
After a 13-3 victory over Sam Houston, the Aggies are ready for their return to Austin. Blake Binderup, a College Station native, hit two home runs in that game.
“Now that the game’s over from today, I’m sure there’s a little bit of thoughts creeping into people’s minds about where we’re going, who we’re playing, who our former coach used to be,” Binderup said. “At the end of the day, it’s just baseball. It’s a business trip. We’re going to have fun, but also, the goal is to win.”
This series might be the most significant yet in this storied rivalry, perhaps even more so than their 2022 Men’s College World Series clash, which saw the Aggies emerge victorious. For Earley, facing his former boss, the focus is on keeping emotions in check.
“We can’t shy away,” Earley said. “I know that the storyline is there. Bigger this year probably than it will ever be, and it is what it is.”
Originally Written by: Dave Wilson
