BRYAN-COLLEGE STATION – Texas A&M head coach Jim Schlossnagle has announced the official transition of Michael Earley from volunteer assistant to full-time assistant coach for the upcoming 2024 season.
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Earley joined Schlossnagle in Aggieland prior to the 2022 season, overseeing Aggie hitters and coaching first base in a volunteer assistant role for the past two years; however, due to an approved rule by the NCAA Division I council in October 2022 allowing programs to transform the position from volunteer to a full-time role, Earley now assumes those duties on a full-time basis.
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"First and foremost, we are very thankful to our administration and Ross Bjork for their continued commitment to have what we consider the most talented coaching and support staff in college baseball," Schlossnagle said. "Coach Earley and his family are an integral part of our program both on and off the field and he is most surely a rising star in our industry. I am excited to see his role in our program grow over time."
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Earley will continue his duties coaching first base and working with Aggie hitters, a role which has seen him help develop the Aggies into one of the most powerful and potent offenses in the SEC.
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"Texas A&M and Bryan-College Station couldn't be a better place to raise a family," Earley said. "The community and support have been nothing short of amazing. My family and I are so excited to be a part of growing the Aggie Baseball program. My wife and I look forward to seeing our kids grow up in Bryan-College Station and getting back to Omaha."
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The Aggies have crushed 170 home runs in Earley's first two seasons at A&M, including 86 in 2023 which is the most since 1999. The 420 total extra-base hits for A&M is the most in a two-year span since the 2007 and 2008 seasons.
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In 2022, his first year in Aggieland, the Aggies ranked second in the SEC in batting average (.289) and third in on-base percentage (.398). In the 30-game league schedule, the Aggies topped the SEC in batting average (.290), runs (233), RBI (215) and on-base percentage (.398). The Maroon & White's 2022 slash of .289/.398/.469 was a stark upgrade from 2021's .260/.363/.417. Along the way, Earley molded Dylan Rock into an All-America outfielder and MLB eighth-round draft pick.
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This year he helped direct freshman Jace LaViolette to a breakout freshman campaign with the lefty setting a Texas A&M freshman record with 21 home runs while also leading the team with 63 RBI and 18 stolen bases on his way to multiple freshman All-America honors. LaViolette, along with the rest of the Aggie offense, was even better in SEC play where they finished second in runs scored (208) and third in both on-base percentage (.391) and RBI (190) within the league.
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Earley came to Texas A&M after five seasons at Arizona State, including four as the hitting coach on Tracy Smith's staff where he built a reputation for developing hitters with his most notable work being the rise of Spencer Torkelson to the No. 1 overall draft pick in the 2020 MLB Draft. Undrafted out of high school, Torkelson was selected by the Detroit Tigers. He was the first third baseman to be selected first overall since Pat Burrell in 1998 and just the fifth third baseman to be selected first overall in MLB Draft history. It marked the first time a college position player went from being undrafted out of high school to the No. 1 overall pick since Nebraska outfielder Darin Erstad in 1995.
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Prior to his coaching days, Earley was an Earley was an All-Big Ten performer at Indiana. In 2010, he batted .352 with 13 home runs and was the only player in the conference to rack up double-digits in home runs and stolen bases. He was selected by the Chicago White Sox in the 29th round of the 2010 MLB Draft. He played six seasons in the White Sox organization, reaching the Triple-A level with the Charlotte Knights. He wrapped up his professional career with the Southern Illinois Miners in the independent Frontier League in 2015. He was selected to four All-Star teams during his pro career and was named to the Southern Illinois All-Decade Team.
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Earley joined Schlossnagle in Aggieland prior to the 2022 season, overseeing Aggie hitters and coaching first base in a volunteer assistant role for the past two years; however, due to an approved rule by the NCAA Division I council in October 2022 allowing programs to transform the position from volunteer to a full-time role, Earley now assumes those duties on a full-time basis.
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"First and foremost, we are very thankful to our administration and Ross Bjork for their continued commitment to have what we consider the most talented coaching and support staff in college baseball," Schlossnagle said. "Coach Earley and his family are an integral part of our program both on and off the field and he is most surely a rising star in our industry. I am excited to see his role in our program grow over time."
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Earley will continue his duties coaching first base and working with Aggie hitters, a role which has seen him help develop the Aggies into one of the most powerful and potent offenses in the SEC.
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"Texas A&M and Bryan-College Station couldn't be a better place to raise a family," Earley said. "The community and support have been nothing short of amazing. My family and I are so excited to be a part of growing the Aggie Baseball program. My wife and I look forward to seeing our kids grow up in Bryan-College Station and getting back to Omaha."
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The Aggies have crushed 170 home runs in Earley's first two seasons at A&M, including 86 in 2023 which is the most since 1999. The 420 total extra-base hits for A&M is the most in a two-year span since the 2007 and 2008 seasons.
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In 2022, his first year in Aggieland, the Aggies ranked second in the SEC in batting average (.289) and third in on-base percentage (.398). In the 30-game league schedule, the Aggies topped the SEC in batting average (.290), runs (233), RBI (215) and on-base percentage (.398). The Maroon & White's 2022 slash of .289/.398/.469 was a stark upgrade from 2021's .260/.363/.417. Along the way, Earley molded Dylan Rock into an All-America outfielder and MLB eighth-round draft pick.
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This year he helped direct freshman Jace LaViolette to a breakout freshman campaign with the lefty setting a Texas A&M freshman record with 21 home runs while also leading the team with 63 RBI and 18 stolen bases on his way to multiple freshman All-America honors. LaViolette, along with the rest of the Aggie offense, was even better in SEC play where they finished second in runs scored (208) and third in both on-base percentage (.391) and RBI (190) within the league.
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Earley came to Texas A&M after five seasons at Arizona State, including four as the hitting coach on Tracy Smith's staff where he built a reputation for developing hitters with his most notable work being the rise of Spencer Torkelson to the No. 1 overall draft pick in the 2020 MLB Draft. Undrafted out of high school, Torkelson was selected by the Detroit Tigers. He was the first third baseman to be selected first overall since Pat Burrell in 1998 and just the fifth third baseman to be selected first overall in MLB Draft history. It marked the first time a college position player went from being undrafted out of high school to the No. 1 overall pick since Nebraska outfielder Darin Erstad in 1995.
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Prior to his coaching days, Earley was an Earley was an All-Big Ten performer at Indiana. In 2010, he batted .352 with 13 home runs and was the only player in the conference to rack up double-digits in home runs and stolen bases. He was selected by the Chicago White Sox in the 29th round of the 2010 MLB Draft. He played six seasons in the White Sox organization, reaching the Triple-A level with the Charlotte Knights. He wrapped up his professional career with the Southern Illinois Miners in the independent Frontier League in 2015. He was selected to four All-Star teams during his pro career and was named to the Southern Illinois All-Decade Team.