Jim Schlossnagle - Clemson Baseball Coaching Candidates

Jim Schlossnagle has been the head coach of the TCU Horned Frogs Baseball program since the 2004 season. Schlossnagle took over for long time head coach Lance Brown and has taken the Horned Frogs to the NCAA Tournament every year during his tenure except for 2013. Schlossnagle has also taken the Horned Frogs to the College World Series twice (2010, 2014) in his tenure as head coach.

Schlossnagle, a former pitcher for the Elon "Fightin' Christians," began his college coaching career there in 1990 when he served as the pitching coach/recruiting coordinator at his alma mater. After three years in North Carolina, Schlossnagle went on to be the pitching coach for Bill Wilhelm at Clemson during Wilhelm's final year as head coach of the Tigers baseball program in 1993.

After Wilhelm retired and Jack Leggett became the new head coach of the Tigers baseball team, Schlossnagle accepted the associate head baseball coach/recruiting coordinator job at Tulane University. During Schlosssnagle's tenure as associate head coach of the Green Wave baseball program from 1994-2001, the Green Wave managed to reach the NCAA tournament six times including a trip to the College World Series in 2001.

Schlossnagle's success as associate head coach at Tulane prompted him to get the UNLV head gig. There he guided the Rebels baseball team to the NCAA Tournament in 2003. That year, his UNLV Rebels won the Mountain West regular season and tournament with a 47-17 record. After just two years at UNLV, he accepted his current job at TCU.

Jim Schlossnagle has managed to guide the Horned Frogs to new heights as a baseball program and has made them somewhat of a college baseball power recently. Schlossnagle was named by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association as Coach of the Year in 2010 and was just recently named the Big 12 Coach of the Year for the 2015 season. During Schlossnagle's tenure as head coach, the Horned Frogs have managed to develop quality pitchers at the college level including a few that have gone on to have success in the majors. A couple of Schlossnagle's prominent pitchers that were developed under his watch include Robbie Findlay, Lance Broadway, Andrew Cashner, Jake Arrieta, and Chad Huffman.

It will definitely not be easy to lure Schlossnagle away from the TCU gig where he is currently making $375,000 annually which is good enough to be the third highest paid head coach in the Big 12 and in the top 20 nationally for coaching salaries. I don't think it would be as difficult as luring O'Sullivan back, but it would take lot of convincing, AD and administrative support, and money to make Schlossnagle Clemson's next head baseball coach. I would love this move if it were to happen because this would bring a proven winner who can get the most out of a pitching staff. Let's see if President Clements, DRad, and the BOT would be willing to make a run at luring one of the better baseball coaches in the country.