Texas A&M baseball head coach search is over as Aggies bring back Michael Earley

Texas A&M baseball hiring Michael Earley to replace Jim Schlossnagle as head coach

When the news of Jim Schlossnagle jumping ship to Texas became official, it was clear that the Aggies needed to move quickly. Now, only five days after the fact, the Aggies have their guy—and it's a familiar face.

Michael Earley has been the hitting coach for the Aggies for the last three years. Under his tutelage, the Ags have set record after record, both for hitting percentages and for the long ball. Last year's Aggie squad obliterated the school record for home runs in a season, and several players set personal bests under his watch.

Given his aptitude as a hitting coach, his ability as a recruiter, his connections to the current roster, and (reportedly) his developed and detailed plan to guide Texas A&M baseball into the future, the Aggies have tapped Earley to be their next head man. After a nationwide search that included several sitting head coaches, the Ags are putting their chips on the young gun to guide them forward.

There's certainly risk involved when you're talking about a first-time head coach, but there's no doubt the Aggie brass have factored this in. Any hire is a risk, given that you're having to project forwards, and Earley did indeed bring a lot of known quantities with his candidacy.

I have to say, I like this hire. It's not the hire that, by name recognition alone, will stop the mouths of the all-too-talkative Longhorn fans stalking Aggie fan pages, but it—in my opinion—will do that down the road with the roster, staff, and plan he will put together in Aggieland. He can keep the roster together well, continue to recruit and build around them, and keep the mojo going. Not to mention, Schlossnalge is now out a hitting coach and top recruiter down in Austin—that's just a cherry on top.

We'll have player reactions and more news soon.