WATCH: Texas A&M introduces Michael Earley as head baseball coach

Michael Earley was formally introduced on Tuesday afternoon as the head baseball coach at Texas A&M. Watch the welcome event and introductory press conference as the Earley era is officially underway in Aggieland.

The following are live, paraphrased notes from Michael Earley's introductory press conference.

Welcome Event — Hall of Champions

• *Rattlin’ Bog plays*
   
• Michael Earley, Trev Alberts and Mark A. Welsh step onto the stage.

Trev Alberts

• Howdy! Give yourselves a round of applause. This is amazing.
   
• We get to introduce you to the 21st coach of Aggie baseball, Michael Earley.
   
• Let me introduce his wife, Lisa and kids: Marshall, Mia and Madison.
   
• We have some special guests. I want to walk through them. Board of Regents member Jay Graham is here. We can’t do what we do without great support. We want to thank our regents. I want to recognize John Sharp. Yesterday, he announced he would be retiring in a year. 14 years in the Texas A&M system.
   
• We want to thank the 12th Man Foundation Board Members. I want to thank Mark Johnson, who is here.
   
• We want to thank the fans. Give yourself a round of applause. Blue Bell Park, this year, was unbelievable. 
   
• I want to pause, reflect and thank our players. What an emotional and amazing ride. We can’t begin to tell you how proud we are. We are so sorry we didn't get to properly celebrate you. 
   
• I got a lot of phone calls during this process from those players. Jace LaViolette was the leader.
   
• After we knew we were going through a transition, we asked for a meeting with the players. It was an emotional time. General Welsh came with me. I want to thank Aaron Jones. We met with the players. They live this. I learn something from them. We talked for 45 minutes. Coming two runs short of a national championship. It doesn't take a genius that we had a lot of good things happening.
   
• We wanted to do a real search. We talked to nine coaches. I was interested in three things. One is a clear vision. Two, I like people who hate losing. I want passionate people. Finally, you want someone to reflect the values of Texas A&M. Character still matters a lot. We had a lot of great candidates. There was one that stood out, and that was Michael Earley. 

Mark A. Welsh III

• I have a few things to say. Don’t panic.
   
• The real reason is I was brought in was as a musical consultant. Since the day I went into the bar in Dublin, I have had two versions of “Rattlin’ Bog” on my phone.
   
• Thank you to Trev Alberts, John Sharp and the Board of Regents.
   
• The players rolled into town after a thrilling ride in the Men’s College World Series. The rug got pulled out from underneath them. 18 hours or so later, Trev and I were in the room with them. The players stepped into the discussion about what we were looking for. You, the players, had a huge impact on this search. The 12th Man had a big impact. 
   
• I don't know Michael Earley very well, but I met with him Sunday morning. He is confident, a little cocky, but that is necessary. There is no fear. He likes to win more than most. So do Aggies. He is organized. He is structured in his thinking. Coaching is about making players better, and that is what he is representing. 
   
• It took Michael about 30 seconds to bring up his family. The Aggies are a family. Family is about loyalty.
   
• The future of Aggie baseball, none of it is about someone who left. It's about a leader who will fight to keep his team together. He knows there is still unfinished business in Omaha, Neb.

Trev Alberts

• We will have the best coaches in college baseball. We will have the best stadium in college baseball. With your help, an $80 million development will be the best. That is the vision. 
   
• Now, I will introduce Michael Earley.

Michael Earley

• I can’t tell you how excited I am to be in front of you.
   
• It's been an interesting week. A lot has happened. I found out a lot about myself, but I am where I want to be.
   
• I am from Indiana. My parents gave me every opportunity. 
   
• My wife has been with me every step of the way.
   
• To the players, this is your program. To the former players, this is your program. I will give you everything you need. I appreciate you guys having my back. You got me in the door and gave me the opportunity, and I ran through it.
   
• Hayden Schott cannot be here. He had golf he already paid for. The Rattlin’ Bog is here to stay.
   
• We had a couple of big announcements today. If you have Twitter, you have seen them. We have more coming.
   
• Jason Kelly could not make it today. He is taking a leap of faith. He was a sitting head coach at Washington. A former pitching coach of the year. I will need him by my side.
   
• Caleb Longley is here. He is one of the best hitting guys I have been around in my life. He has been a trailblazer in college baseball. He is a big piece of the puzzle.
   
• Will Fox is here. Will has been with Aggie baseball for going in six years and three with me. As I went through the list of the people I needed, they were all right in front of me.
   
• Jason Hutchins is with 200 campers over at Blue Bell Park. He was the first person I met when I got here. I cannot thank him enough.
   
• Our trainer Kalie Swain is here. We will have another Hutchins in the program. Jace Hutchins will help with development, and he accepted a job yesterday.
   
• What to expect? Our culture and structure are really good. I will do things my way, but the groundwork has been laid. These guys have taken this program and made it their own.
   
• When I came here, Texas A&M was known as a pitching school. I wanted to make it an offensive school. Now, as head coach, I want to make it a “both” school. From a pitching side, these guys were unbelievable. We are balanced. We can win in many different ways. 
   
• I am ready for this. I am built for this. I have seen what it takes to get almost to the top. I have never been a head coach. That’s fine. My staff has my back. I know and I love Texas A&M. 
   
• My age and experience level are an advantage. I promise you I will do everything I can to take this program to new heights.
   
• Thanks & Gig ‘Em!

Introductory Press Conference

Trev Alberts

• We are very excited. Today is a great day for the Aggie baseball program. I am blown away by the support of the 12th Man. It is great to celebrate with our players.
   
• I have been in these searches, and somebody's name is always thrown out. I wanted to do a real search. You learn things by talking to other candidates. If I am honest, very early on I thought Michael Earley would be a great idea. I didn't know he would be the person we were introducing. That is why you do a real search. I knew the players respected him. 
   
• Michael laid out a vision. He knew what his staff would look like. He knew what his blind spots were. 
   
• After the first Zoom with him, I was very pleasantly surprised. He was a very fun candidate to talk to but also a very serious one.
   
• He is very direct. He is a confident, young man. He was willing to do what it took to help fill in his blind spots. His leadership with the team was very evident. It was a collection of all of that in which sold Michael. 
   
• I didn't put a lot of thought in him joining the staff at Texas. I did not know what was being communicated to the assistant coaches. When we began the search process, Earley was available to talk. 
   
• The players own the team. They deserve the right to talk. It was a vulnerable moment for them.
   
• I am not naive to the importance of baseball to Texas A&M. You want to get it right. It’s about who is the right person. A lot of people had opinions. I try to be a willing listener. Some of it is noise. If you do the work, the right thing happens and emerges. In light of everything that happened, there was momentum to get this right. We have a lot of big visions around this program. 
   
• The ballpark renovations were in conversation with candidates. We are not going to add debt service that is not tied to revenue.
   
• Michael may have slight alterations on the ballpark, and he can provide that input. 
   
• What I do is different. There was a lot of emotion in the locker room. They just came that close to winning it all. They were in a situation they had never been in. The consistent theme was they want someone who loves them. They said, by the way, there is this guy named Michael. It starts with relationships.
   
• I talked to Jace LaViolette and Gavin Grahovac. These young men have big dreams. They love Texas A&M. They don't want to leave. They want to be here. I talked to Ted Burton and some guys who were here that won’t be back. 
   
• These are intelligent young people. Gavin is playing with Team USA. They are in an NIL world now. They are thoughtful and respectful. No player demanded anything. It was, “We love this place, and can we talk to you?” I’m really glad I did.

Michael Earley

• I understand y’all have questions to ask, and I respect that. 
   
• It was tough coming back from the Men’s College World Series. There were so many different emotions. I am so glad the road led back here. That decision was for the protection of my family. 
   
• I hope it is a long future in Aggieland. I hope you guys have a lot to write about. I am glad I am here. I am hoping to win a lot of baseball games and hop I am here for a long time. 
   
• Texas A&M, the 12th Man and the university is super special. It hit me that this place is different. If you don't like different, that is your problem. I have been preparing to be the head coach here for a long time and it came quicker than I thought.
   
• That night or earlier morning, it was crazy. Hearing and knowing... It was like, “I just lost a baseball game.” It was a lot. 
   
• I remember being in high-A baseball, watching Johnny Manziel’s game against Florida. I started watching A&M football. When I was at Arizona State, I told my son I was going to Texas A&M, and he said, “Where Mike Evans went?” I feel super connected to this place.
   
• I stayed at my institutions because of the situations. I was never going to any job. It had to be the right job.
   
• For the players to know I care about them, it means everything.
   
• It doesn't get lost on me the responsibility that has been put in my hand. We have done that since I have been here, and I will continue to do it. With every mistake I make, I will get better. 
   
• We have had conversations with players. I had no problem with those going into the portal. We are still working through some things. It's been an interesting process, to say the least. It’s a lot of players. My main focus is on this year’s team, and I like where we are going so far.
   
• Jason Kelly will be huge for me. I am glad I could pull that off. He is respected and super-connected on the West Coast. JK will be a big part of that. He has been in the SEC. He is a successful coach. He is really, really good. 
   
• Nothing seemed off to me. He worked hard to push his team to the very end. I never saw a coach do anything to hurt this team. I hear rumors all the time, and I try to move on from those. 
   
• I already had a vision. I presented who I thought would be the staff. Then you have to call those people and sell it to them. The players opened this door for me. 
   
• My family was really excited. It was tears of joy from my wife. My son is excited he doesn't have to be on a new baseball team. Talk about a whirlwind for my kids. 
   
• I want to be here with the players. With the portal and NIL, some of these guys are making business decisions. I wish we had them all. I don't know if that will be the case. I would love every single one of them back.