On July 9, 2003, a new era in TCU baseball began as Jim Schlossnagle became just the program's ninth coach since 1940. The outstanding work Schlossnagle has done since his arrival was rewarded in September 2010 as the head coach inked a contract extension through 2016.
"Jim Schlossnagle is a perfect fit at TCU," remarked Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Chris Del Conte. "He takes tremendous pride in wearing a Horned Frog uniform. "In addition to his on-field success, Jim has done a remarkable job in helping create a passionate fan base for TCU baseball that saw us average over 3,000 fans per home date last year. He has established TCU as a name synonymous with the elite in collegiate baseball. He has also taken a great responsibility in recruiting and mentoring our student-athletes in the baseball program to be outstanding representatives of TCU. Everything about Jim is first class. He simply does things the right way."
"I am continually thankful to Mr. Del Conte and Chancellor (Victor) Boschini for not only giving me the opportunity to be at TCU, but for their continued commitment to our baseball program and its student-athletes," Schlossnagle said. "It is very rare in my profession to find the perfect combination of a university that is committed to excellence across the board, a city that, for me, is the best place to live in our country and a fan base and support group that has allowed our program to become extremely relevant in the community.”
Schlossnagle guided the 2010 team to their first-ever College World Series appearance. Getting there was not easy, but the Frogs did so in record-breaking fashion. Under his direction, the Frogs finished the season ranked No. 3 by all the major polls after compiling a school-record 54-14 record and coming within one game of playing for the National Championship. In total, the Frogs broke 16 team and six individual records.
Prior to UNLV, Schlossnagle served an eight-year stint at Tulane as associate head coach and recruiting coordinator for the Green Wave. Schlossnagle joined the Tulane program in August of 1993 and was an integral part of the Green Wave's success, helping Tulane to six NCAA Regional appearances during his tenure. Schlossnagle served as the Green Wave recruiting coordinator for the last five years and garnered three nationally ranked recruiting classes which helped produce two 48-win seasons and a number one NCAA Regional seed.
The nation's winningest team in 2001, Tulane finished the season with a 56-13 overall record and a 21-6 mark in C-USA. The Green Wave defeated defending national champion LSU 7-1 to win the New Orleans Super Regional and advance to the College World Series for the first time in school history.
Along with being an outstanding recruiter, Schlossnagle has also had great success in developing pitchers. From 1994-2001, Tulane's baseball program ranked first or second in C-USA in ERA and placed at least one pitcher on the all-conference team seven times. In that same period, 18 Tulane pitchers signed professional baseball contracts.
In 2000, Sports Illustrated ranked Tulane's pitching staff in the top five among Division I programs. According to the January 2001 issue of Baseball America, Schlossnagle was one of the top-10 assistant coaches who "looked like one of the best candidates to take a head coaching position with a major program."
Prior to arriving in New Orleans, Schlossnagle served as the pitching coach at Clemson in 1993. The Tigers finished that campaign with a 45-20 record, an Atlantic Coast Conference championship ¬¬¬and a third place finish in the NCAA Midwest Regional. Seven members of the `93 Clemson pitching staff were drafted into professional baseball.
Schlossnagle spent three seasons as an assistant at Elon (N.C.) College where he helped lead his alma mater to a 99-41 record, two South Atlantic Conference Championships, a District 26 title and an Area 7 Regional appearance.
In 1990, the Fightin' Christians recorded a school-record 40 wins and ranked second nationally in ERA (2.41) under the guidance of Schlossnagle, who served as the pitching coach and recruiting coordinator. In 1991, Schlossnagle's pitching staff ranked third nationally with a 2.85 ERA.
A native of Hagerstown, Md., Schlossnagle was a pitcher on the 1989 Elon squad that finished 39-7 and appeared in the NAIA World Series. He graduated magna cum laude with a bachelor's degree in physical education in 1992 and earned a master's of education in human performance and health promotion from the University of New Orleans in 1995.
Schlossnagle and his wife, Kami, have a son, Jackson Lambert, and a daughter, Kathleen Grace.