By Thomas Dick
BRYAN-COLLEGE STATION, Texas – Texas A&M baseball has named former LSU player and assistant coach Nolan Cain to the staff, Aggie head coach Jim Schlossnagle announced Friday.
“Nolan is quite simply one of the premier coaches and recruiters in college baseball,” Coach Schlossnagle said. “His success at LSU on the recruiting trail speaks volumes and for itself. At the same time, he is an outstanding coach and teacher of the game at a variety of positions. We are excited to have him and his beautiful family in Aggieland.”
Cain arrives in the Brazos Valley after eight seasons on former head coach Paul Maineri’s LSU staff, including five seasons as assistant coach and recruiting coordinator. He also worked one season as the Tigers’ volunteer coach and two seasons as coordinator of operations.
“Nolan has been one of the top recruiting coordinators in the country because of a combination of abilities he possesses,” Mainieri said. “To begin with, he is an outstanding judge of talent. He is relentless in his work ethic and no one will outwork him in seeing players and communicating with them. He is very connected with those critical people out there that organize events, scouts, coaches, advisors, and those that influence young players. And finally, he has a personality that makes him so likable by everyone with whom he comes into contact.”
Cain is nationally recognized as one of the top recruiters in the nation. Three of his last four recruiting classes at LSU were ranked in the top 5, including a No. 2 rating by Baseball America for his 2020 class. His 2018 recruiting class earned the top spot from Baseball America and Collegiate Baseball. The 2017 class was ranked No. 5 by Collegiate Baseball.
“He began as our coordinator of baseball operations before moving onto the field as the volunteer coach,” Mainieri said. “When an opening occurred mid-year just before the fall signing date, I immediately moved him into the full-time position of recruiting coordinator and what a job he did! He held together that recruiting class under a crisis management situation before putting together his own top-5 recruiting classes over the next several years, including a No. 1 ranked class.”
During Cain’s eight seasons on the LSU staff, the Tigers earned five NCAA Tournament national seeds, two College World Series appearances, five NCAA Regional titles, two SEC championships and two SEC Tournament crowns.
Cain’s success can be seen at the next level with a list of professionals that include Major Leaguer Jake Fraley of the Seattle Mariners (a second-round draft pick), Oakland Athletics’ 2017 second-round choice Greg Deichmann, Baltimore Orioles’ 2019 third-round selection Zach Watson and Detroit Tigers’ 2020 second-round pick Daniel Cabrera. He mentored LSU catchers Saul Garza and Hunter Feduccia, both picked in the MLB Draft.
“Nolan Cain will be a great addition to the staff at Texas A&M,” New York Yankees special assistant and former Chicago Cubs vice president/general manager Jim Hendry said. “He has great versatility in all areas of coaching on the field and he is an outstanding recruiter. His 15 years as a player and coach at LSU under Paul Mainieri has prepared him for this great opportunity. Coach Schlossnagle will do a great job at A&M and I truly believe Nolan will be an integral part of the success.”
Cain was a four-year letterwinner at LSU, making 73 career appearances, including 71 out of the bullpen, for the Tigers in four seasons (2006-09). He posted a 7-1 record with one save, a 4.04 ERA and 95 strikeouts in 102.4 innings.
The burly right-hander played a big role on LSU’s 2009 national title run. He pitched in 19 games, posting a 5-0 record with a 4.01 ERA and 38 strikeouts in 33.2 innings. He pitched 3.1 scoreless innings with four strikeouts in Game 2 of the College World Series Finals against Texas.
Cain signed a free agent contract with the Detroit Tigers in June 2009 and pitched for two seasons in the organization, including four games with the Double-A Erie SeaWolves.
The Cantonment, Florida, native earned a bachelor’s degree in interdisciplinary studies from LSU in May 2009.
Cain is married to the former Kristen Hobbs, an LSU softball player from 2004-07. They have a son, Cason, and a daughter, Ryann.
“Nolan is a special person that will be a tremendous asset to the Aggie baseball program,” Mainieri said. “He is a fiercely loyal person, and he will demonstrate that loyalty to Jim Schlossnagle and to Texas A&M just as he did to me and LSU. He has a wonderful and supportive family with a wife, Kristen, who was a former athlete and coach herself, and understands what it takes to be a successful coach at the highest level. Nolan is a versatile coach on the field and can be used in a multitude of ways by Coach Schlossnagle. Nolan will be a superstar coach in this business and eventually develop into a man that will be a great head coaching candidate himself under Coach Schlossnagle’s tutelage.”