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BRYAN, Texas (KBTX) - Texas A&M University President Gen. Mark Welsh met with Texas A&M baseball team members this morning, congratulating them on their national championship run.

Welsh declined to comment on coaching staff directly but released a statement praising the Texas A&M baseball team’s performance. In it, he criticized Texas A&M’s former coaches for detracting from the celebration of their team’s historic run.

“I want to take a minute and thank our Aggie Baseball players for the truly remarkable season they just completed,” Welsh said. “They made us proud with their play, and inspired us with their respect for each other, their opponents, and the 12th Man. The disheartening news of the past 24 hours made their coaching staff the center of attention and denied our players the hard-earned opportunity to celebrate and be celebrated for their tremendous season and that exhilarating run to the National Championship Game in Omaha. They are great athletes, great teammates, great young men and great Aggies. I believe Aggies everywhere are incredibly proud to have them representing Texas A&M University. I know I am.”

University of Texas Baseball press conference
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In his introductory press conference at the University of Texas, former Texas A&M coach Jim Schlossnagle called Welsh a “dear friend” and “one of the greatest leaders [he’d] ever been around.”

Schlossnagle insisted his departure for the University of Texas was a personal decision and not a reflection on the leadership at Texas A&M, where he served on the committee that helped select athletic director Trev Alberts in March. Schlossnagle had, however, been openly vocal in his support of fired Deputy Athletics Director Chris Park, whose employment Alberts terminated as part of a mass layoff in late April.

Most of Texas A&M’s baseball coaching staff departed with Schlossnagle for the University of Texas.

In additon, several Texas A&M baseball players have entered the transfer portal. Jace LaViolette, Gavin Grahovac, Kaeden Kent, Jack Bell, Hayden Schott, and Max Kaufer are in the portal, though that does not necessarily prevent them from returning to Olsen Field next spring.