Texas baseball coup sparks rekindled rivalry ahead of SEC union with Texas A&M

If there was any concern Texas and Texas A&M‘s rivalry was dissipating, those worries are now gone. On June 25, Texas A&M baseball head coach Jim Schlossnagle left the program to take over at Texas. The move came only one day after Texas A&M fell in the national championship to Tennessee.

The move stung Aggies fans even worse after Schlossnagle previously stated he took the Texas A&M job to “never take another job again.” Evidently, Schlossnagle’s declaration didn’t consider a job offer from the Longhorns.

In a conversation with On3’s Andy Staples, Inside Texas’ Joe Cook explained how Schlossnagle’s move not only reignites the rivalry between Texas and Texas A&M’s baseball teams, but all of the schools’ programs.

“People were already very excited to see [the rivalry] come back,” Cook said, referencing Texas joining the SEC. “But, I think what happened this past week definitely ratcheted things up, and not just on the baseball diamond, where Texas is very likely to be interested in a lot of the different Aggie players who have already entered into the transfer portal. But, I think it ratchets it up for the entire rivalry.

“[Texas football head coach] Steve Sarkisian was speaking at an event in Houston last month and he was asked in a kind of classic Texas way, ‘Hey, the Aggies are going to be all in on this [rivalry game]. When are you going to make sure that your team is ready?’ He gave a wry smile and said, ‘Oh yeah, we’re gonna be ready.'”

Before Texas A&M joined the SEC in 2012, the two schools constantly faced off against each other. The rivalry became known as the Lone Star Showdown. Texas and Texas A&M are the two oldest public universities in Texas and their rivalry reflects this fact.

The first competition between the two schools occurred in 1894 when they squared off in football. The two schools faced off in football each year between 1915 and 2011 but have not played since.

On Nov. 30, the two storied programs will reunite again in Kyle Field. Cook believes the sparks caused by Schlossnagle’s decision to leave A&M for Texas will create a fiery matchup in the fall.

“For whatever is always going to be a tough environment in Kyle Field — maybe the toughest if you’re working for EA — when the Longhorns come to town,” Cook said. “I would expect for it to ratchet up a little bit because they view this not just as a baseball move, but. basically a shot across the bow at the entire Aggie athletic department.”