On Thursday, Texas A&M coach Michael Earley made his first significant move of the offseason, just weeks after the Aggies’ disappointing back-to-back losses to USC in the College Station Regional, firing second-year pitching coach Jason Kelley after the Aggie pitching staff finished the season with a collective 5.24 ERA, allowing an eye-popping 90 home runs on the year.
This was the right move if the Aggies have any shot at making it back to the NCAA Tournament next season, and just a couple of weeks into the offseason, Earley officially hired MLB pitching coach Barry Enright, who recently served as the Athletics’ pitching coordinator for the franchise’s minor league program.
While many of us, myself included, were not familiar with Enright’s background, so far, hearing from those in the know, Enright’s background as a developer and major-league experience, working with a wide variety of pitchers, was too intriguing to pass up for Earley, who is hoping that he has found the next Max Weiner.
As with any staff move, no one knows how this hire will play out, but for Aggie fans unsure whether this was the right move, Michael Earely offered his thoughts after Barry Enright was officially announced as the next pitching coach. Here’s what Earley had to say regarding the hire:
“We took our time and conducted a national search to find the right person to lead our pitching staff. We were looking for someone with elite knowledge of modern pitching development, but also someone who has coached and competed at the highest levels of the game and can build meaningful relationships withour players,” Earley said upon the hiring of Enright.
“Throughout that process, Barry’s name consistently came up from some of the most respected people in professional baseball. The more conversations we had, the more convinced I became that he was the right fit for Texas A&M. Barry brings a unique combination of player development expertise, Major League experience, and the ability to connect with today’s student athletes. We believe he can help make Texas A&M the premier destination for pitchers in college baseball.”
One of the primary worries is Enright’s lack of experience as a high school recruiter, combined with landing players in the transfer portal, but based on his background working with players at the pro level, it shouldn’t be difficult to develop strong relationships with pitchers looking to take the next step in their development.
“As we continue to invest in our program with a new facility and state of the art pitching lab, it’s critical that we put the right people in positions to maximize those resources. We believe Barry is the perfect person to lead that effort, and we’re excited about the impact he’ll have on our pitchers and the future of Texas A&M Baseball,” Earley stated.
“Barry, his wife Alexis, and their two children are a tremendous addition to Aggieland. We look forward to having them as part of our program and community.”
Again, time will tell if this hire pans out, but compared to former pitching coach Max Weiner, who is now serving in the same role with the Texas Longhorns, both coaches come from similar backgrounds, which has obviously worked out for Weiner.
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This article originally appeared on Aggies Wire: Aggie HC Michael Earley discusses hiring pitching coach Barry Enright
