The Texas-Texas A&M Baseball Rivalry: A New Chapter in the SEC
When Texas and Texas A&M clashed on the baseball diamond for the first time as SEC rivals, the matchup was already brimming with anticipation. It didn’t need the added drama of Texas entering the series as the No. 1 team in the nation. Nor did it require the Aggies’ recent triumphs over the top two teams in the country, marking a historic achievement for the program. The presence of Jim Schlossnagle at the heart of this rivalry was more than enough to set the stage.
Last year, Schlossnagle guided 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 a late-game collapse in Game 2 against Tennessee dashed their dreams. 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 edged out a 6-5 victory, ending A&M’s fairy-tale season.
The announcement from Texas sent shockwaves through the Aggies’ fanbase. Schlossnagle’s history with Del Conte, dating back to their time at TCU, where Schlossnagle coached from 2004 to 2021, fueled speculation. The two share a close friendship, adding another layer of intrigue to the unfolding saga.
After the game, Schlossnagle faced questions about his future with Texas A&M, and his response was anything but 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 head coach at Texas. Del Conte recounted the clandestine meeting with Schlossnagle in a cemetery in Snook, Texas, a mere 12 miles from College Station, upon the coach’s return from Omaha. “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 revealed. “The Snook Cemetery will go down in history.”
The timing of Schlossnagle’s move was nothing short of shocking. For Texas, it was a bold power play. For the Aggies, it felt like a betrayal. At his introductory press conference, Schlossnagle apologized for his post-game comments, but the damage was done, and the reaction was fierce.
“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. You can’t ask people to be passionate and support your program the way I did when I was there, or the way you do when you’re at a great school like that. And then when something negative happens, or a change, then there’s going to be a reaction to that.”
The drama continued with hitting coach Michael Earley, who followed Schlossnagle to Austin, only to return to the Aggies as their new head coach shortly after. As the Aggies prepared to head to Austin, the atmosphere was electric, with ticket prices soaring. As of midday Thursday, the cheapest ticket on Vivid Seats was $80, and a raucous crowd was expected at Texas’ UFCU Disch-Falk Field. The two teams have faced off nearly 400 times, yet they can’t even agree on when the rivalry began or the series record. According to ESPN Research, Texas claims the first game was in 1903, leading the series 244-132-5, while the Aggies assert it was 1904, with a record of 240-132-5.
This week, Schlossnagle attempted 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. I’m sure it will be a great time.”
Despite his words, Schlossnagle remains the central figure in this series (Friday, 8 ET, SEC Network; Saturday and Sunday, 4 ET, ESPN2). His coaching prowess is undeniable, as both the Aggies and Longhorns can attest. The Aggies began the season as the preseason No. 1, with 10 of the 16 SEC coaches picking them as conference favorites. However, a rough patch from late February to early March saw Texas A&M lose five games in a six-game stretch and get swept in their first two SEC series by Alabama and Vanderbilt. Injuries to Caden Sorrell and Gavin Grahovac left the Aggies 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 the No. 1 spot with 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, according to ESPN Research.
The Aggies, now 24-16 overall and 8-10 in the SEC, have found their stride, going 11-2 in April with significant SEC series victories over then-No. 1 Tennessee and then-No. 2 Arkansas. Now, they have a shot at another No. 1 in the Longhorns.
Aggies fans are well-acquainted with Texas’ new pitching coach Max Weiner, whose influence has been evident in the Longhorns’ SEC-leading 2.94 ERA, the second-best nationally, holding opponents to a .210 average. Among the seven SEC pitchers with an ERA under 3.00, three are Longhorns: Dylan Volantis (first at 0.47), Max Grubbs (fifth at 1.71), and Ruger Riojas (seventh at 2.97).
The Aggies will counter with the red-hot bat of All-American Jace LaViolette, who has rebounded from early struggles to lead the SEC in home runs, RBIs, and OPS in April. As a result, the Aggies, who averaged 4.4 runs with 10 total homers in their 1-8 conference start, are now averaging nearly 10 runs per game with 25 homers in their nine league games in April.
On Tuesday night, the Aggies dispatched Sam Houston 13-3 in seven innings, clearing the way for their return to Austin, powered by two home runs from Blake Binderup, a College Station native. “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.”
Winning this series could be the most significant achievement yet in this storied rivalry, perhaps even surpassing their 2022 Men’s College World Series showdown, where the Aggies emerged 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
