New Texas baseball coach Jim Schlossnagle took a distinctly different tone at his introductory press conference on Wednesday than he did the last time he was in front of a live microphone.
Schlossnagle was not pleased on Monday after a reporter asked about his prospective interest in the Longhorns’ job — the day his Texas A&M team lost the final of the best-of-three series to Tennessee in the Men’s College World Series. He even went so far as to label the reporter as “selfish” for asking it, however Schlossnagle became Texas’ coach on Tuesday.
“I took the job at Texas A&M to never take another job again, and that hasn’t changed in my mind,” Schlossnagle said on Monday. “That’s unfair to talk about something like that. … I gave up a big part of my life to come take this job, and I’ve poured every ounce of my soul in this job. And I’ve given this job every single ounce I could possibly give it. So write that.”
On Wednesday, Schlossnagle took a decidedly different tone.
“I want to publicly apologize to Richard Zane from TexAgs,” Schlossnagle said.
“He asked the question that was an obvious question. I wish I could have answered that better. But, in the moment, 30 minutes after the last pitch, all I could think about was our players.”
Schlossnagle ended his news conference Wednesday by admitting that “this was an opportunity I couldn’t walk away from.”
Schlossnagle now is reunited with Texas athletic director Chris Del Conte, who held that same role during part of the time the former coached at TCU from 2004-21. Del Conte said Wednesday that he waited to talk formally with Schlossnagle at a Snook (Texas) cemetery as a means to avoid being recognized.
Undler Schlossnagle, the Aggies made the school’s first appearance in a College World Series championship series in 2022.
Schlossnagle, 53, produced a 135-62 record in three seasons at Texas A&M. The Aggies finished 53-15 this season, making the MCWS for the second time in his tenure.
He led TCU to five MCWS.
Texas finished this season at 36-24 and 297-162 in eight seasons under David Pierce, who parted ways with the school on Monday in a mutual decision, per Del Conte.
–Field Level Media
