Following the end of the 2024 season, the Texas Longhorns found themselves at a crossroads. They'd ended the regular season on a high note, but then were bounced early from the Big 12 Tournament and then eliminated from the NCAA Tournament after winning just one game in the College Station Regional.
They didn't wait long to make a change, though, announcing that David Pierce would not be returning as the head coach. Then they pulled off arguably the best possible hire, bringing Jim Schlossnagle to Austin after luring him away from their bitter rivals, the Texas A&m Aggies.
It didn't take long for Schlossnagle to find success with the Longhorns. In his first season donning the burnt orange and white, he proved his status as one of the game's best en route to the regular season conference title. As a result he was named the SEC Coach of the Year.
While the new era of Longhorns baseball didn't get off to a great start, as they dropped their season opener to the Louisville Cardinals, it was only uphill from there. They bounced back in strong fashion and headed into SEC play red hot, maintaining that momentum and roaring out to a 19-2 record in conference games.
the @SEC Coach of the Year wears burnt orange #HookEm | @CoachSchloss pic.twitter.com/lSV8SIPvD3
— Texas Baseball (@TexasBaseball) May 19, 2025
While there were understandably questions about how Schlossnagle would do in his first year at Texas, his track record undoubtedly spoke for itself before he ever set foot in the dugout at UFCU Disch-Falk Field.
Every stop prior to Texas saw him find success. He went 30-30 in his first season at UNLV and then in season two improved that to 47-17 with a regional appearance. From there he moved to TCU, and casually led the Horned Frogs to Omaha five times. His last stop before Austin was of course at Texas A&M, where he took the Aggies to the College World Series twice in three campaigns.
Then in his first season with the Longhorns he led them to a 42-11(22-8) regular season record and a conference championship all while dealing with a plethora of injuries. There's still goals they wish to accomplish, but for now it only makes sense to honor one of the game's best.
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