Michael Earley career: Exploring new Texas A&M HC's records, notable achievements, stats and more
Michael Earley received the biggest promotion in his college baseball career thus far. Earlier today, the Texas A&M Aggies promoted him to head coach to replace former coach Jim Schlossnagle, who made a shock switch to their bitter rivals, the Texas Longhorns less than a week ago.
Here is a rundown of Earley's most notable achievements during his career, which have ultimately helped him get his first head coach job at arguably one of the best programs in the country today.
Detailing new Texas A&M Baseball Head Coach Michael Earley's achievements
Before taking up coaching, Earley played college baseball for Indiana University. In his senior season, he showed his incredible hitting talent, recording 13 home runs and 40 RBI at an average of .352. He also stole 15 bases that year, becoming the only player in the Big Ten conference to record more than 10 home runs and 10 stolen bases.
The Chicago White Sox took note of his talent and made him the 29th overall pick in the 2010 MLB Draft. He made it to Triple-A with the Charlotte Knights in his tenure lasting six seasons before calling time on his playing career in 2015.
In 2017, Earley joined the Arizona State Sun Devils as an assistant coach. He was part of then-head coach Tracy Smith's staff for five seasons, serving as their hitting coach for four of them. He turned their hitting lineup into a fearsome one that improved year after year.
The Sun Devils led the country in home runs, scoring 94 in the season to set a new Pac-12 record in the BBCOR era. In 2020, the Sun Devils were the only school to have five players chosen in the MLB draft, which was shortened to five rounds. Four of them were hitters, signifying the impact Earley had on the team.
Following the 2021 season, Earley joined then-coach Jim Schlossnagle's staff as the Texas A&M Aggies' hitting coach. In three seasons, the Aggies made the College World Series twice, making it to the finals this year for the first time in program history.
During that period, Earley molded the Aggies' hitters into some of the finest talents in the country. Prime examples include No. 8 MLB Draft prospect Braden Montgomery, Jace LaViolette, Jackson Appel and star freshman Gavin Grahovac.
This year, Montgomery, Grahovac and LaViolette became the first teammates in program history to score more than 20 home runs each in a season. Overall, the team set a new program record for home runs (136) and walks (422) this season, displaying how Earley turned their offense into one of the most feared in the country.
Although LaViolette and Grahovac entered the transfer portal soon after Schlossnagle's departure, the appointment of Earley is likely to convince them to stay in College Station. A new era dawns for the Aggies and they will hope that Earley will be the man to bring them more success going forward.