Schlossnagle hires Arizona State's Michael Earley as Texas A&M hitting coach

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Texas A&M baseball coach Jim Schlossnagle has added to his 2022 coaching staff as the Aggies announced the hiring of Arizona State's Michael Earley as the Maroon & White's new hitting coach.

“I searched from coast to coast to identify the best young hitting coach in the country,” Schlossnagle said in a release, ‘’and, without question, Michael’s name kept coming up from the college, professional and Major League Baseball ranks.”

Earley spent the last five seasons in Tempe and the last four as the Sun Devils' hitting coach and helped Spencer Torkelson develop into the first-overall pick in the 2020 MLB Draft.

Under Earley's tutelage, Torkelson hit 54 home runs in three seasons, finishing two shy of the ASU program record after the 2020 season was cut short by the COVID-19 pandemic. The first baseman hit .370 in his career with 152 RBIs and a .729 slugging percentage. A Detroit Tigers farmhand, Torkelson is currently the third-overall prospect in baseball according to MLB.com.

“I would not be where I am at today without Coach Earley,” Torkelson said. “He is the definition of a winner. His hard work and dedication to the game of baseball is contagious.”

In 2019, the Sun Devils lead the nation with 94 home runs, a Pac-12 BBCOR-era record. That year, three ASU players hit double-digit home runs, and the Sun Devils hit .310 as a unit. The 2019 Sun Devils featured two unanimous All-Americans (Hunter Bishop & Torkelson).

The 2018 Sun Devils featured the youngest lineup in the country but included the nation's home run leader (Torkelson, 25) and triples leader (Gage Canning, 11). As a team, ASU hit .290 and slugged .446 in a lackluster 23-32 campaign.

“[Early] will bring a wealth of knowledge, coachability and toughness to our baseball program and we look forward to having him work with the rest of the staff to form an up-tempo, high-energy, grinding-type of Aggie offensive baseball,” Schlossnagle added.

Tracy Smith hired Earley before the 2017 season. Following a fifth-place finish and an early exit in the Austin Regional in 2021, Smith was relieved of his coaching duties as Earley has now jumped to Aggieland.

“Texas A&M hired a rising star in the coaching ranks with the addition of Mike Early,” Smith said. “He is the best I’ve seen in my career at developing hitters. However, Coach Earley’s ability to build rapport by balancing toughness and genuine care for the players is what really makes him special. The Aggies are getting a good one.”

Earley played outfield at Indiana from 2008-10 before the Chicago White Sox selected him in the 29th round of the 2010 Draft, eventually making it to Triple-A Charlotte. Following six seasons in professional baseball, Earley became an associate scout in the New York Mets organization before beginning his coaching career at Arizona State.

Earley also works with outfielders.

Earley digs the long ball, and A&M could quickly become one of the nation's elite with him running the offense and Schlossnalge at the helm.