Michael Earley Reflects On Disappointing Texas A&M Aggies Season

Texas A&M’s season came to a screeching halt after it lost to LSU in the third round of the SEC Tournament. Shortly after the game concluded, Earley spoke to the media regarding his first season as skipper.

After former A&M coach Jim Schlossnagle departed for the Texas Longhorns’ head job, junior center fielder Jace LaViolette was one of the biggest advocates for Earley to be the Fightin’ Farmers’ new signal caller. In the same press conference, LaViolette praised Earley and advocated for the coach’s future in Aggieland.

”I love my players a lot,” Earley said. “It means a lot. Being a coach is way more than being a coach.”

Shortly after Earley got hired, the Aggies were named the preseason top-ranked team in the nation. The baseball world was ready to see A&M back in Omaha to get its revenge.

”This year is not how we drew it up, but they never stopped playing,” Earley said. “Not a lot of clean baseball as a whole throughout the year to put us in the situation we’re in, but a lot of hard-nosed baseball.

A&M’s season was a tale of two teams, to say the least. On one hand, the Aggies would take down then-No.1 Tennessee, then-No. 2 Arkansas and then-No. 2 LSU; On the other hand, they would be swept by then-0-24 Missouri and lose to Texas State, UTSA, Arizona and Oklahoma State.

”We’ve had situations throughout the year, whether it be injuries or self-inflicted,” Earley said. “One thing never stopped and that was our care and our belief, and [the players’] belief in each other and I’ve really proud of them for that.”

After the team’s dissappointing season, rumors have started to float regarding Earley’s future in Aggieland. After a stint as A&M’s hitting coach, he joined Schlossnagle’s staff at Texas very briefly before returning to College Station.

”I love Texas A&M.” Earley said. “I love being a part of the university, the culture, the community, everything. I’ve learned more than I could have possibly imagined.”