TCU is in the market for a baseball coach.
Longtime coach Jim Schlossnagle is leaving TCU for Texas A&M, D1Baseball.com’s Kendall Rogers reported late Tuesday night. An official announcement is expected this morning.
The Star-Telegram reported this week that TCU officials were bracing for Schlossnagle to depart if A&M offered the job.
Schlossnagle will replace Rob Childress at A&M. Schlossnagle spent the past 17 seasons at TCU, building one of the top programs in the country. The Frogs went 734-346 under Schlossnagle, who joined the school from UNLV in 2004.
Schlossnagle led TCU to five College World Series appearances and multiple conference championships. The Frogs went 41-19 this season, winning the Big 12 regular-season and tournament championships.
Losing Schlossnagle is a blow to the athletic department. Sources indicated that TCU was willing to give Schlossnagle an extension and pay raise that would have made him one of the highest-paid coaches in the country.
But Schlossnagle bolted for the challenge of competing in the SEC and at a school with a bigger alumni base and platform.
Now TCU will shift its attention to finding a successor.
Sources suggest that TCU athletic director Jeremiah Donati will likely use a search firm to assist in hiring Schlossnagle’s replacement.
Internal options would be pitching coach Kirk Saarloos, who has been at TCU since the summer of 2012 and has been targeted by other schools and MLB organizations over the years. Associate head coach Bill Mosiello, who has been on the staff since the summer of 2013, could be another intriguing option. Another candidate with TCU ties would be Houston’s Todd Whitting, who worked under Schlossnagle from 2004-10.
Outside candidates would likely include Dallas Baptist’s Dan Heefner and East Carolina’s Cliff Godwin.
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