Texas A&M Aggies coach Michael Earley was born to be the head baseball coach in College Station.
Call it fate, but between the “constant draw” he’s felt toward the school, his role on former coach Jim Schlossnagle’s staff and even the fact that he got married on the anniversary of the 12th Man Game, it seems like the pairing was meant to be. But Earley also knows he earned the role.
“Something has always drawn me to this place,” he said of landing the job following Schlossnagle’s departure during his introductory press conference. “The 12th Man game was on January 2nd (1922), and that’s my wedding anniversary.”
“I have been preparing to be the head coach here for a long time,” he added. “It just happened a little quicker than I imagined. … (And) I fully understand that the players opened the door for me, but I had to hit the marks.”
He did. Granted, he had the ringing endorsement from players both past and present — all of who wanted Earley to be the next man up — but at the end of the day, his hiring came down to whether or not his vision for the program lined up with that of the Aggies.
It seems that did, too.
Howdy, Coach Earley!#GigEm x @earleybaseball pic.twitter.com/QoXqv37usN
— Texas A&M Baseball (@AggieBaseball) July 2, 2024
“Texas A&M, the 12th Man and the whole university are super special,” Earley said. “It hit me the first day I was here that this place is different, and if you don’t like different, that’s your problem.”
Earley, as different as he may be, liked what he saw in the Aggies. He decided to return without the added bonus of Jace LaViolette, Gavin Grahovac, Ali Camarillo, and Hayden Schott coming back. Before those annoucements, it seemed as if Texas A&M would have to start from scratch.
That’s far from the case. In fact, the Aggies are looking stronger than ever, but even then, Earley acknowledged that if he had been to lose some of last year’s best producers, he’d have to live with it.
To him, that’s just college baseball.
“In the age we live with the portal and NIL, some of these guys are making business decisions. That’s just what it is,” Earley said. “I wish we had them all. I don’t think that’s going to be the case, but if we can get the core nucleus, awesome. … I fully embrace where we’re at.”
Texas A&M’s Gavin Grahovac (9) celebrates an RBI-single during Game 3 of the NCAA College World Series finals between Tennessee and Texas A&M at Charles Schwab Field in Omaha, Neb., on Monday, June 24, 2024. / Brianna Paciorka/News Sentinel / USA
As the Aggies prepare to move forward next season with plenty of returning players and a new coach for them to lean on, things will look different. There will be new traditions, new faces, and even two new conference opponents — one of which will make for plenty of drama come late-season. But so far, none of that has scared away Earley, and it won’t do so anytime soon.
He’s ready to go, and Aggieland is ready to watch.
“It was a lot, but now that we have a little bit of time to process it … we’re just elated,” Earley said. “I’m glad I’m here. … I hope we win a lot of baseball games and I’m here for a long time.”
Source link : https://www.si.com/college/tamu/news/i-fully-embrace-it-texas-a-m-coach-michael-earley-speaks-on-state-of-aggie-baseball-01j1v1prw54y
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Publish date : 2024-07-02 21:31:06
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