AUSTIN – New University of Texas baseball head coach Jim Schlossnagle is perfectly aware that time is not on his side.
Aside from the NCAA Transfer Portal window for baseball closing on Tuesday. Schlossnagle needs to evaluate the current roster, decide what he needs to add, what he needs to subtract, and then deal with whatever fallout comes from next month’s MLB Draft.
In an effort to squeeze a lot of things into a short timeframe, Schlossnagle is expediting his search for a coaching staff by bringing his staff from Texas A&M with him to Austin.
In the middle of his introductory press conference on Wednesday at DKR-Memorial Stadium, Schlossngale took it upon himself to introduce associate head coach Nolan Cain, hitting coach Michael Earley, and pitching coach Max Weiner.
“When [Texas athletic director] Chris [Del Conte] and I had discussions about this, I was very clear that this had to be a team effort,” Schlossnagle said. “I’ve been on some awesome coaching staffs, winning coach staffs, and championship coaching staffs, but I’ve never been around a group of guys who are more tied together, synergy, knowledge of the game, work ethic than the staff that we had at A&M.”
Behind Schlossnagle and those three assistants, Texas A&M had a 1-0 lead over Tennessee over the weekend in the best-of-three College World Series Finals, and led Game 2 with seven outs to go, but ultimately lost Game 2 on Sunday, then Game 3, 6-5, at Charles Schwab Field in Omaha, Neb.
Game 3 was on Monday night. By Tuesday night, Schlossnagle and Del Conte had come to an agreement on a multi-year deal, the details of which are not yet available. By Wednesday morning, Schlossnagle was introduced. By Wednesday afternoon, Schlossnagle and his staff were ready to get to work.
“We are a united front as a staff, and I hope to bring a few more guys,” Schlossnagle said. “I have plenty of energy, but I did not want to go through that process [of hiring a staff], and I don’t want to go through that process. We need players. We need to keep the returning players, hold some guys in the draft, and we have to get on the phone this afternoon and rebuild this roster, because the SEC is looming, so I needed my guys with me.”
The Athletic reported Wednesday afternoon that A&M’s Jace LaViolette, Gavin Grahovac, Kaeden Kent, Jack Bell and Max Kaufer have all entered the transfer portal. There is nothing firm yet that any of them will wind up at Texas, but the timing of the news does not feel coincidental.
Laviolette, a sophomore All-American outfielder, is in play to be the No. 1 pick in the 2025 MLB Draft, while Grahovic was the SEC Freshman of the Year in 2024.
