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Jim Schlossnagle can downplay revenge, but it's on the 12th Man's mind

Joe Cookby:Joe Cook•04/25/25•

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Jim Schlossnagle
Jim Schlossnagle (Sara Diggins/American-Statesman / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)

I struggled with how to approach this one. Do I reference how Texas has plucked coaches from in-state schools before (David McWilliams, Chris Beard), but this time the difference was the coach drove west instead of east? Do I reference how Jim Schlossnagle brought about as much success in three years as Texas A&M’s head coach as the Aggie baseball program had seen in the previous 20? Do I look at how the No. 1 Texas Longhorns are in the same position A&M occupied in the polls in the preseason?

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There are a few different angles to take. But it really boils down to one thing: to Texas’ benefit, Schlossnagle left Texas A&M high and dry. This weekend, while players may say they plan to focus on treating this series like any other series; while Schlossnagle and A&M head coach Michael Earley may downplay any storylines making this about them; and while there are important Southeastern Conference title race implications, there’s one overarching principle that both Longhorns and Aggies should recognize ahead of a three-game set at UFCU Disch-Falk Field.

This is the most anticipated series of the college baseball season, and Aggie fans want revenge.

Schlossnagle spent three years in College Station, leading the A&M baseball program to two College World Series appearances. He got the Aggies within reach of its first national championship in a men’s major sport in almost 90 years in 2024, losing by one run to Tennessee in the deciding game of the Championship Series.

Then he left Texas A&M for Texas.

There’s always been animosity between Texas and Texas A&M. Sometimes it takes the shape of familial ribbing. Sometimes it’s one of the few rivalries that can help Texas legislators successfully cross party lines.

But this isn’t one of those instances. A&M fans have a level of disdain for Schlossnagle to where in many of their minds, and maybe in the minds of some Longhorn fans, this series is about the man wearing No. 22 in burnt orange.

Schlossnagle, as coaches do, tried to soften the storyline. He admitted this isn’t the first time he’s been in one of these situations as he had to face TCU in a NCAA regional not long after he left the Horned Frogs for the Aggies.

“You let the fans and everybody else enjoy all the peripheral stuff,” Schlossnagle said. “My job is to coach the team. It’s not to coach the team any differently Friday night than I did Tuesday night. If we win, it’s worth one. It’s not worth 1.5. If we lose, it doesn’t cost anymore. I’m not trying to downplay it. My own personal role in this thing is to coach our team. I can’t get and I’m not going to get caught up in the other stuff.”

Earley, who was set to be on Schlossnagle’s Longhorn staff before A&M hired him to be the Aggies’ head coach in order to keep an elite roster together, did the same on Thursday.

“That part of it is great for the fans, the emotional part,” Earley said. “I’m sure just like when football is around, you’ve got relatives where one’s a Longhorn and one’s an Aggie. That’s all great. It’s cool for college baseball. It’s cool for the series, but for us it’s an emotionless game honestly. We’re just going to go play our game just like we have on the road before.”

But both Schloss and Earley can rest assured the fans are going to enjoy the outside factors.

The get-in-the-door price for Friday’s opener at the Disch for one ticket is $97, a steep price for a college baseball game. That speaks to not just the demand for Longhorn fans ahead of a weekend that features the football program’s fan day, but also for Aggies who’d like to show up to see their team upset the No. 1 team in the land.

The Aggie motivation for a measure of revenge stems from a variety of factors. A&M not only tabbed Earley as head coach, they also stepped up to the plate to keep a number of players in College Station. Whether they were going to follow Schlossnagle on SH-21 to get to Austin isn’t certain, but revenge is a great fundraising motivator especially when a fan base believes throwing money at issues can solve problems.

It also stems from where Texas sits right now. Even with key injuries to stars like Max Belyeu and Jared Spencer, the Longhorns are not only atop the polls, but atop the SEC standings during the program’s first season in the league. That position is where A&M thought it would be at this point considering the star-studded lineup it retained.

Though A&M struggled out of the gate, they’ve caught fire of late as their potent offense has found its stride. Meanwhile, Texas is working to figure out how to make it through a tough stretch of games without Spencer and Belyeu and with other players feeling the effects of various injuries.

Those may be details the coaches are worried about, but fans are looking at a different picture.

Schlossnagle admitted it’d be foolish if he didn’t address these factors, but he went on to emphasize that those factors aren’t for the players.

“I addressed it with our team during the course of the week about if we’re going to talk all year about playing to a standard and not a scoreboard, when you get to these moments you better do it,” Schlossnagle said.

Earley said he did something similar. And good for the coaches for doing that.

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But they’d be fooling themselves if they didn’t think this series was about a measure of revenge for A&M. We’ll find out tonight if the Aggies are able to take the first step toward that goal, of if the Longhorns will make it difficult for A&M to leave Austin with any sort of satisfaction when Sunday comes around.

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