New Texas baseball coach Jim Schlossnagle has seen no shortage of critics since leaving Texas A&M for his in-state rival. However, he apparently did so with the blessing of the Aggies’ new athletic director.
In an interview with the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Schlossnagle claimed that Trev Alberts, who became Texas A&M’s athletic director in March, told him before an NCAA Tournament regional game that it would be “OK to move on.”
The context of the alleged advice was Schlossnagle expressing frustration with the pace of renovations at Olsen Field at Blue Bell Park:
“Trev came up to me the day before the regional meeting to have a conversation. He asked me if I was frustrated. I told him I was a little frustrated with how slow the ballpark process was and that it was difficult to operate without an athletic administrator, but I was determined to work through it. He then made a comment to me — a bit of a comparison to his situation when he left his alma mater, Nebraska. He said to me, “You know , Jim, if you ever feel like this isn’t the place for you, that’s okay, and it’s okay to move on.”
I was a bit surprised by it and that’s when I started thinking maybe this wouldn’t work. No one ever contacted me or my agent about a new contract for our staff, so I decided to just focus on getting our team to Omaha and winning.”
The Texas A&M Board of Regents approved an $80 million stadium renovation last month.
Schlossnagle was very clear about what he wanted from Texas A&M’s baseball stadium. In May, he told ESPN he wanted a new stadium twice the size of Olsen Field. The stadium could essentially become the Camden Yards of college baseball, ushering in a new era of architecture for the sport.
Alberts, who previously spent three years as AD at his alma mater of Nebraska, telling Schlossnagle he could leave would certainly be an interesting development in a coaching move that has been anything but normal.
Schlossnagle told the Star-Telegram he believed Texas A&M would be his last job, but everything changed after the Aggies lost in the College World Series championship. The coach berated a reporter for asking about his future and indicated he would never take another job, then agreed to join the Longhorns a day later.
He apologized to the reporter during his introductory press conference in Texas, but a bad look was unavoidable, especially when he left for a fierce rival.
