WATCH: Texas HC Jim Schlossnagle receives warm welcome as he arrives in the Longhorns’ building
Jim Schlossnagle received a warm welcome as he arrived at the Texas Longhorns building for his introductory press conference. The former Texas A&M head coach joined their rivals after leading the Aggies to a close-fought defeat in the 2024 College World Series. Here's a look at the reception from the Longhorns faithful:
Schlossnagle arrives at the Longhorns with quite the CV. In his coaching career, he has enjoyed success with TCU and the Aggies. Athletic director Chris Del Conte personally recruited him to head a new era with the Longhorns.
Jim Schlossnagle asks for grace after leaving the Texas A&M Aggies for Texas Longhorns
Jim Schlossnagle made a move that some would consider shocking when he moved from the Texas A&M Aggies to their bitter rivals, the Texas Longhorns. Schlossnagle is well aware of that and has asked for grace from his new players.
Schlossnagle told the Texas players, "Don't listen to what I say. Judge me by my actions. Many people on the A&M side will say this wasn't done the right way. I don't know how it could have been done any other way."
It might take some time for the players to get used to listening to instructions from the former head coach of a team that contributed to dumping them out of the 2024 CWS contention. However, that's the thing about sports, you can never tell when the tide shifts and adaptation is key in the industry.
Jim Schlossnagle has his work cut out in Texas
Schlossnagle joins a Texas program that has seen better days. The Longhorns are a historic powerhouse but stagnated under former head coach David Pierce.
Pierce's eight seasons with the Longhorns saw him amass a 297-162 record. Under his tutelage, the Longhorns made six NCAA Tournament appearances and just three trips to Omaha for the College World Series.
The Longhorns have noticeably regressed since their last trip to the College World Series in 2022. Expectations are high for Jim Schlossnagle to bring back the allure to a baseball program that Texas takes great pride in. The job won't be easy, but Athletics Director Chris Del Conte has a lot of faith in his new hire.