News release from Texas A&M Athletics:
BRYAN-COLLEGE STATION – Texas A&M baseball head coach Michael Earley has announced the additions of former Washington head coach Jason Kelly and Texas assistant Caleb Longley to his coaching staff Wednesday afternoon.
Kelly will serve as the associate head coach and oversee the pitching staff, while Longley will act as the recruiting coordinator and work with the hitters. In addition, Will Fox will remain on the staff and serve as an assistant coach and Jason Hutchins will return for his 27th season as the director of operations.
In his two seasons at the helm of the Huskies, Kelly compiled a 54-51-1 record and guided the squad to its 12th NCAA Regional appearance in 2023. The 35 wins in 2023 were the most by a first-year head coach in program history. Kelly also oversaw six players drafted from his inaugural squad at Washington, while four garnered All-Pac-12 honors.
Prior to taking over the helm for the Huskies, Kelly spent 11 seasons as a pitching coach at Washington, Arizona State and LSU. In 2018, Kelly earned D1Baseball.com National Assistant Coach of the Year honors after helping the Huskies to their first trip to the College World Series.
“A ton of experience, and I’m going to need him by my side,” stated Earley about the addition of Kelly. “He was a gigantic piece of the puzzle for me, and I’m super excited for you guys to get to meet him and his family. He’s just a baseball guy.”
Longley joins the Aggie staff after serving as an assistant coach for the Longhorns for the past three seasons. While with Texas, Longley worked as the recruiting coordinator and hitting coach, helping the program to its three highest home run totals in school history. After taking over as the recruiting coordinator, Longley’s first class in 2024 was ranked No. 3 in the country according to Baseball America.
“He’s one of the best hitting guys I’ve ever been around in my life,” said Earley. “We used to work together a few years ago and he went off on his way, and he’s really just trailblazing college baseball. He’s widely known and respected. We don’t talk about who’s better, but we always compete against each other. And I love that. I love working with him more. He’s a big piece to my puzzle because I understand as a head coach, my responsibilities are going to be a lot different.”
Fox will enter his sixth season in Aggieland and first as an assistant coach in 2025. In his five seasons, Fox helped the Maroon & White to a 179-92 record and two College World Series appearances. In 2024, Fox assisted the Aggies in reaching new heights as the team compiled a 53-15 record and advanced to the College World Series Finals for the first time in program history.
Hutchins remains as the director of operations for the 27th consecutive season. In his tenure, Hutchins has been responsible for organizing the day-to-day activities associated with the baseball program. During his time on the staff, the Aggies have experienced consistent success, including five College World Series trips, 20 NCAA Tournament appearances and seven conference titles.
Hutchins also played for Texas A&M in 1991 and 1992, helping each of those teams to an NCAA Regional.