Fewer than 48 hours after fell in the 2024 College World Series championship, the Aggies are in need of a new baseball coach.
In one of the higher-profile coaching moves in recent memory, Jim Schlossnagle left the Aggies after his third season with the program to become the new head coach at Texas.
The Aggies and Longhorns not only are longstanding rivals who will be members of the same conference this time next week, but Schlossnagle’s departure also came immediately after he led Texas A&M to its first-ever appearance in the College World Series title series.
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If there’s a sense of shock or even betrayal still lingering among the Aggies faithful, it needs to be overcome quickly. After all, a program riding the momentum of arguably the best season in school history has a vacancy to fill.
Given the school’s immense financial resources and desire to win, it should have its share of quality options. Kendall Rogers of D1Baseball reported Tuesday that the university “would pay whatever was needed” to land an elite coach, perhaps providing some reassurance to fans for the next steps in the process.
Where might Texas A&M and new athletic director Trev Alberts turn to replace Schlossnagle as it tries to remain one of the best programs in the deep and ruthlessly competitive SEC?
Here’s a look at some potential candidates for the Aggies’ baseball coaching job:
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6 potential Jim Schlossnagle replacement candidates
Nick Mingione, Kentucky
Texas A&M successfully managed to convince one decorated Kentucky coach, football coach Mark Stoops, to come to College Station before that agreement was squashed. Why not try for another one?
Mingione has taken the Wildcats to heights they had never previously enjoyed. This past season, they earned the No. 2 national seed in the NCAA tournament and advanced to the first College World Series in program history. After making six all-time previous appearances before Mingione’s hiring, Kentucky has gone to the NCAA tournament three times since 2017 under Mingione, including each of the past two seasons. During that stretch, the Wildcats have a record of 86-37.
Erik Bakich, Clemson
Bakich has been one of the most accomplished coaches in college baseball over the past five years. In 2019, he led Michigan to its first College World Series since 1984 and, once there, went all the way to the championship series, where it lost to Vanderbilt. After the 2022 season, he left the Wolverines for Clemson, where he has gone 88-35 in two seasons. Both of his Tigers teams have earned top-six national seeds to the NCAA tournament.
While Bakich has strong bona fides, he may not be a realistic target. As Bakich’s name was linked to the Texas job, a report from The Clemson Insider noted that Bakich has “no plans to leave Clemson.”
Mark Wasikowski, Oregon
One possibility for Schlossnagle’s replacement could be the coach he defeated this past season to lead the Aggies to the College World Series.
Wasikowski has revived what had been a stagnant Oregon program that he inherited in 2019. The Ducks have won at least 40 games in each of the past two seasons and advanced to the super regional round both times. Over the past four seasons, Wasikowski’s teams are 156-83. Prior to Oregon, he was the head coach at Purdue for three seasons.
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Cliff Godwin, East Carolina
Since taking over at his alma mater ahead of the 2015 season, Godwin has maintained and elevated what has been a strong East Carolina program for decades. Most recently, he guided the Pirates to a 46-17 record and a No. 16 national seed in the 2024 NCAA Tournament. That capped off a strong four-year run in which East Carolina has gone 183-74 and never won fewer than 44 games in a season. He has SEC coaching experience, too, have served stints as an assistant at Vanderbilt, LSU and Ole Miss.
Godwin is a former East Carolina player, but Texas A&M should have the money and cachet to make a move worthwhile.
Dan Heefner, Dallas Baptist
While Heefner could fairly be considered more of a fallback option, he could be an impactful hire for the Aggies.
Since taking over the program in 2007, just three years after it joined the Division I ranks, Heefner has made the Patriots a consistent NCAA tournament presence, taking them there 13 times since 2008. Dallas Baptist has won at least 40 games in nine of the past 10 full seasons and advanced to the super regional round twice during that time. Over the past two seasons, it is 92-31.
Tony Vitello, Tennessee
The longshot of all longshots. While it’s extremely unlikely that the coach of the newly crowed national champions is going to leave his cushy, well-paying gig where he has things rolling for the school he just defeated to win a title, Texas A&M, with its vast resources, at least has to make the call — even if it’s a quick “no.”
