COLLEGE STATION, TX—Anderson native and former Indiana University star Michael Earley realized a career goal Sunday when he was introduced as the 21st head baseball coach at Texas A&M by the school’s Director of Athletics Trev Alberts and President General Mark Welsh.
"I am happy to announce that Michael Earley has been hired as our new Aggie baseball head coach," Alberts said. "Michael is a very talented coach and recruiter, but what stood out to me was his character and the relationships he has built with his current and former players. During our interview process he was really impressive.”
“My family and I couldn't be more excited for this opportunity," said Earley. "Thank you, General Welsh and Trev Alberts for putting your trust in me. Being a part of this University and this program are a dream come true. I will not let you down."
His initial head coaching opportunity is the latest entry on a lengthy and impressive resume.
A three-sport star at Anderson High School, Earley graduated in 2006, batted .523 as a senior with 14 doubles and was a Mr. Baseball finalist.
His high school baseball coach and long-time friend Terry Turner said Earley was deserving of the new post.
“I’m just a proud former coach,” Turner said. “You can’t do much better. But he’s earned it and he’s paid his dues.”
He batted .320 with 5 HR, 15 RBI, 21 runs, 6 doubles as a freshman at the University of Cincinnati before transferring to Indiana where he won a Big Ten championship. As a senior in 2010, he hit .352 and finished fourth in the conference with 13 home runs — becoming the only player in the Big Ten that season to post double-digit totals in long balls and stolen bases (15).
He was drafted by the Chicago White Sox in the 29th round in 2010 and played six seasons of pro ball, reaching as high as Triple-A Charlotte before finishing his career with the independent Southern Illinois Miners in 2015. He was a career .284 hitter and a four-time all-star.
Earley was named hitting coach at Texas A&M in 2021 after 4 years in the same position at Arizona State. His most notable work with the Sun Devils was the rise of Spencer Torkelson.
Undrafted out of high school, Torkelson was selected as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 MLB Draft 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.
"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."
His promotion to head coach for the Aggies comes less than a week after Jim Schlossnagle departed for the University of Texas. Earley now takes over a program that was the College World Series runner-up in 2024 to Tennessee while realizing a career goal that he discussed when he first came to College Station.
“I got in this to be a head coach. I want to be a head coach,” Earley told the Herald Bulletin in 2021. “That’s the goal, and I’ve gotten lucky. I’ve gotten some opportunities, taken advantage of them. A lot of luck plays into it.”
Earley and his wife, Lisa, have a son, Marshall, and two daughters, Mia and Madison.
This article appeared in The Herald Bulletin.