According to reports from Brent Zwerneman of the Houston Chronicle and confirmed by TexAgs’ co-owner and executive editor Billy Liucci on Sunday morning, Michael Earley is poised to be hired as the next head baseball coach at Texas A&M.
Earley spent the last three seasons as A&M’s hitting coach. During his time at Texas A&M, Earley contributed to the Aggies compiling a 135-62 record and making two appearances in the Men’s College World Series.
An official announcement from Texas A&M is expected soon.
At 36 years old, Earley assumes leadership of an A&M program that finished as the national runner-up in 2024, losing to Tennessee in three games at the Men’s College World Series earlier this month. The Aggies boasted a 53-15 overall record and a 19-11 record in the SEC before Jim Schlossnagle departed for Austin.
This hiring marks Director of Athletics Trev Alberts’ first major appointment since taking on his role in March.
In 2024, A&M’s offense ranked among the nation’s best. The Aggies led the country in walks (422), ranked fourth in home runs with a program-record 136, sixth in runs (575), and 23rd in runs per game (8.5), despite competing in the nation’s toughest college baseball conference.
This season, Jace LaViolette (29), Braden Montgomery (27), and Gavin Grahovac (23) formed A&M’s first-ever trio with 20 or more home runs in program history. In just two seasons under Earley, LaViolette reached 50 home runs, becoming only the third Aggie to achieve this milestone. Four different players hit over .320, led by Ivy League transfers Hayden Schott (.335) and Jackson Appel (.331).
Earley joined Schlossnagle’s staff at A&M in June 2021, and in 2022, the team’s offense propelled the program to its first MCWS appearance since 2017. During that season, Jack Moss hit .380 and Austin Bost hit .360. Dylan Rock smashed 19 homers and drove in 65 runs. As a team, the 2022 Aggies slashed .289/.469/.398 by adopting Earley’s straightforward philosophy of “swing at strikes, take balls.”
Before arriving at A&M, Earley spent five seasons on Tracy Smith’s coaching staff at Arizona State, where he played a pivotal role in developing Spencer Torkelson, who went on to become the first overall pick in the 2020 MLB Draft by the Detroit Tigers.
In 2019, Arizona State led the nation with 94 home runs, setting a Pac-12 BBCOR-era record. Three ASU players hit double-digit home runs, and the team collectively hit .310. The 2019 Sun Devils featured unanimous All-Americans Hunter Bishop and Torkelson.
Earley played outfield at Indiana from 2008-10 before being selected by the Chicago White Sox in the 29th round of the 2010 Draft. He eventually reached Triple-A Charlotte, playing six seasons in professional baseball before transitioning to become an associate scout with the New York Mets. His coaching career began at Arizona State.
The Michael Earley era at Texas A&M will officially commence when the team opens the 2025 campaign in mid-February.
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