OXFORD | Jim Schlossnagle has been involved in several pivotal moments during Mike Bianco’s career.
The two are close friends, maybe Bianco’s best friend in the coaching world, and their relationship dates back to the 1990s when Bianco was an assistant at LSU and the first-year Texas A&M head coach was an assistant at Tulane.
When Bianco got the Ole Miss job in June of 2000, Schlossnagle was one of his first calls to be the lead assistant coach. Schlossnagle said no, as did now Virginia coach Brian O’Connor, now Florida coach Kevin O’Sullivan and now Florida Atlantic coach John McCormack.
Dan McDonnell eventually said yes and would architect the roster for Rebel teams that would go to four super regionals in a five-year period before moving on to Louisville.
In 2012, the only time Bianco has been in position to win a road regional, Schlossnagle and TCU beat Ole Miss twice in a row to end its season. In 2013, Schlossnagle was the head coach and Bianco the pitching coach for the United States Collegiate National Team.
Two years later, Ole Miss eliminated the Horned Frogs in the College World Series, picking up that second win in Omaha that guaranteed the Rebels the highest national finish (third) in school history.
Starting tonight at 6:30, Ole Miss (31-19, 13-14), winners of seven straight, face the Aggies (33-16, 17-10), winners of seven of their last eight, for the final weekend of the regular season. The Rebels are trying to complete their push to an NCAA at-large berth that could carry implications on Bianco’s tenure at the same time.
Bianco needs to beat Schlossnagle twice this weekend to guarantee a spot in the NCAA Tournament. One win, and Ole Miss potentially has to win a game in Hoover to feel good on Selection Monday. And, for the first time since 2014, Bianco needs a quality postseason result for his own security.
The Aggies, meanwhile, are tied with Arkansas atop the SEC West and are in contention to host a regional. Schlossnagle went to the College World Series five teams in 16 seasons at TCU before jumping over to College Station.
Schlossnagle flirted with Mississippi State a few seasons ago before choosing Texas A&M in 2021 partly because of the Aggies’ resources, partly because of what TCU couldn’t or wouldn't do and partly because nearly two decades is a long time in Division I coaching.
“He’s a great coach,” Bianco said. “I’ve been friends with Jim since our days as assistants and we’ve known each other for a long time and all his success… and it’s not a surprise and they do everything well.
“When you look at it, they win the close games because they play the game the way it’s supposed to be played. They pitch it well enough to win and hits it well enough to win and field it well enough to win. They play well enough in the league and against the best competition.”
The two talked earlier this week when Ole Miss was deciding whether to cancel its midweek game against Arkansas State for RPI purposes. Texas A&M did the same with Incarnate Word two weeks ago. The Rebels are at 38 in the RPI entering the weekend. A&M is No. 19.
Bianco, who is 8-7 against Schlossnagle in his career, has also used Schlossnagle as a resource regarding Team USA. Bianco is the manager of the team this summer and has weekly Zooms with Team USA administrators and assistant coaches Kirk Saarloos (TCU), Cliff Godwin (ECU) and Josh Holliday (Oklahoma State).
Bianco said he took a lot from that time with Schlossnagle in 2013. Team USA went 20-3 that summer including a 5-0 record against Cuba.
“That was a great summer with him,” Bianco said. “That was a neat summer on a lot of neat levels but from a coaching side and sitting in a bus as we drove and traveled around North Carolina with the other coaches and pick their brains; we all gained something. That’s besides being around the best players in the country. You wake up and look down and like 18 of 24 players are in the Big Leagues.”
Texas A&M is 10-5 on the road this season, with an SEC series loss to Alabama and series wins over LSU, Georgia and Vanderbilt. Schlossnagle is 1-3 at Swayze Field, winning one game in 2009 after the other two were snowed out, and Ole Miss swept TCU to start the 2013 season. The two coaches split neutral site games in 2017 and 2021.
“I’ve been there a couple times, but it was early in the season,” Schlossnagle said on Wednesday. “I’ve never been there when it’s packed or for the postseason. (Bianco) is a good friend, and I’m looking forward to the experience and Oxford is a great college town. For us it’s about handling the environment.”
