Two days ago, Jim Schlossnagle was sitting in the dugout of Charles Schwab Field in Omaha, with the weight of Aggie Nation placed on his back. The school had never won an NCAA championship in any of the three major sports, and in his third year with the team, fans hoped he could be their savior.
This morning, Schlossnagle ditched the A&M maroon for Texas Longhorn burnt orange as president Jay Hartzell, chairman Kevin Eltife and athletic director Chris Del Conte welcomed him as the program’s 15th head coach.
“On some hands, this was a very easy decision because of my relationship with Chris (Del Conte) in my past history, and my belief in him and his wife Robin,” Schlossnagle said. “But it was obviously very hard. There’s a lot of decisions in life (where) you don’t get to choose the timing. You don’t get to meet with your team as you would like. And for that, I am sorry.”
Schlossnagle and Del Conte, winner of the 2024 SBJ Athletic Director of the Year Award, go way back. From 2009-17, Del Conte was the athletic director at TCU, where Schlossnagle was the baseball coach. Del Conte was extremely involved with the program, even finding himself in the dugouts of their most important baseball games, creating a strong bond between them.
“I yearn for a great leader. I need a great leader. And I study leadership, and (Del Conte) is the best leader that I’ve ever known,” Schlossnagle said. “We’ve done this before, and although it was super, super hard and emotional to make this decision because of my love for the people at Texas A&M, I simply could not pass up this opportunity.”
Schlossnagle’s move brought controversy, no doubt, but it also brought a new life to a struggling program. In three years with Texas A&M, he won nearly 70% of his games, taking the team to two College World Series appearances and nearly took the crown on Monday before falling at the hands of Tennessee.
The move all happened quickly, according to Schlossnagle. During the College World Series, Texas parted ways with head coach David Pierce, opening up an opportunity for a new heir to take the position. Schlossnagle, who was focused on bringing A&M to greatness, was not focused on the position but was aware of the opportunity that had just been opened.
“(On Tuesday) when we landed, we got back with a few guys before the decision was made, just to give them a little bit of a heads up that I did have a decision to make,” Schlossnagle said about notifying his team and staff. “(Del Conte) and I have been lifelong friends. We talk all the time, but Texas had a baseball coach. But once they made that decision (regarding Pierce), at the end of our game the other night, then we had some serious conversation.”
After the official press conference, Del Conte detailed just how the decision went down. Del Conte took a trip to college station to negotiate with Schlossnagle on Tuesday, spending the first hour and a half of their conversation just talking about emotions and the loss on Monday. The two met in a graveyard, the only place that seemed away enough from the public, and came to a decision together.
Schlossnagle entered that car an Aggie and stepped out a Longhorn.
With him, Schlossnagle brought a talented cast of staff members. Associate head coach and recruiting coordinator Nolan Cain, pitching coach Max Weiner and hitting coach Michael Earley joined Schlossnagle from A&M and added to the already superstar hire.
Schlossnagle’s hiring marks a landmark day in Texas athletics and proves the strength of the entire athletic department. But the success that the team has found throughout this past year, whether it be winning the Learfield Directors’ Cup or the hiring of some of the best coaches in college athletics, can be pinned down to one man: Chris Del Conte. Del Conte is the reason Texas is entering the SEC and now has one of the best coaches staff, and possibly team in college baseball.
