Travis Chestnut: I stuck with Jim Schlossnagle 'because I wanted to be an Aggie and in the SEC'

As the fallout continues from Jim Schlossnagle’s move from Texas A&M to Texas, some Aggies players are speaking out. That includes outfielder Travis Chestnut, who spoke about what it was like to play under Schlossnagle.

Chestnut spoke with The Eagle’s Travis L. Brown about his time in College Station and why he stayed at Texas A&M. He said it wasn’t because of Schlossnagle. He saw an opportunity to play for the Aggies and in the best baseball conference in the country.

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“Not once in my career was he a respectable man to me,” Chestnut told Brown, in part. “I stuck with him because I wanted to be an Aggie and in the SEC.”

Schlossnagle’s move sent shockwaves around the college baseball world. Texas made the move official less than 24 hours after Texas A&M fell to Tennessee in the College World Series final and said a reporter was “selfish” for asking about rumors connecting him to an open job. He later apologized during his introductory press conference Wednesday afternoon.

The reaction was swift after Schlossnagle’s decision, including from players that night. Pitcher Chris Cortez took to social media to share his thoughts on what lies ahead for Texas A&M, and he didn’t want it to diminish the Aggies’ run to the CWS finals.

“This should not take away from what this 2024 Texas A&M baseball team has done,” Cortez said on social media. “The players make the team, not the coaches. Less than 24 hours ago we were one of the last two teams standing, playing for a National Championship. Nothing can take that away from us.”

In the aftermath of Jim Schlossnagle’s departure, Texas A&M got hit hard by the transfer portal. Multiple stars from this year’s national runner-up team hit the open market, including SEC Freshman of the Year Gavin Grahovac and star outfielder Jace LaViolette. All told, seven Aggies entered the portal with the window set to close next week.

All told, during his time at Texas A&M, Schlossangle had a 135-62 record. He also led the Aggies to two CWS appearances in his three years, making the program’s first trips to Omaha since 2017. Now, he’ll take over for David Pierce at Texas after the school fired him prior to Game 3 of the College World Series on Monday, and the Longhorns introduced Schlossnagle Wednesday with a press conference in Austin.