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Could Earley returning to Texas A&M baseball do the unthinkable for LaViolette?

It's no doubt a vanishingly small chance, but could the returning Texas A&M baseball coach convince their star he has unfinished business?
ByGraham Harmon|
May 21, 2025; Hoover, AL, USA; Texas A&M centerfielder Jace LaViolette (17) is greeted at the plate after hitting a grand slam against Mississippi State in the first round of the SEC Baseball Tournament at the Hoover Met.
May 21, 2025; Hoover, AL, USA; Texas A&M centerfielder Jace LaViolette (17) is greeted at the plate after hitting a grand slam against Mississippi State in the first round of the SEC Baseball Tournament at the Hoover Met. | Gary Cosby Jr. / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Texas A&M baseball is now set to run back next season with the same head man in Michael Earley, despite weeks of speculation that he would be out the door after a disappointing season. Earley's return, if nothing else, means the Aggies are getting back a guy who is extremely popular with the players in the dugout.

That popularity has already led to one massive talent announcing that he will be back for 2026 in Gavin Grahovac, who was a missing piece to the squad this season after missing almost the entire year. All eyes right now are on Caden Sorrell to see if he will be back in College Station for the upcoming season as well.

Fans still remember well the excitement of last summer when every key player announced they'd be back for the Aggies, and how the momentum grew as domino after domino fell. Thinking back to that time, could we be in for a repeat that might lead to the unthinkable?

Will Michael Earley's retention be enough to bring back Jace LaViolette?

Texas A&M's star over these last two years, Jace LaViolette, seems all but certain to head to the MLB draft. A projected top pick, LaViolette had already stayed in College Station longer than some had anticipated.

With one year left of eligibility, though, could Jace make a triumphant return to College Station? The odds are pretty long on that one, but it's clear, if nothing else, that he's stoked about Earley coming back:

LaViolette would have to end up getting drafted far lower than most anticipate, in all likelihood, for this to manifest. It seems entirely unlikely for him to go as a first-rounder and then elect to return to school.

While Jace had a slump near the end of the year, I don't think it was nearly bad enough for him to fall that far. Something major would have to happen for that to manifest, and I'm not sure anything like that is on the horizon.

Still, the chance is greater than zero at this point, which is more than we could say when it seemed like Earley was out the door. We'll just have to wait and see on this one.

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