Rob Childress Out As Head Coach At Texas A&M After 16 Seasons

Texas A&M on Sunday announced Rob Childress is out as head coach after 16 seasons at the program’s helm. His contract was up this year, and it will not be renewed after a last-place finish in the SEC West Division.

The move was not unexpected, as Childress went into the season in the last year of his contract and the Aggies had their worst season since his first. After Saturday’s season finale, a loss to Louisiana State, Childress was asked about his future.

“I’m very proud of the things we’ve accomplished in the 16 years here and we’ve done things the right way and treated people the right way and won an awful lot of games, too, and a lot of championships, but that’s not my call,” Childress said.

Athletic director Ross Bjork said in a statement that he believed the program needed a new direction.

“In our analysis, we believe the program needs a new voice and a new identity, and our search for the next head coach will begin immediately,” Bjork stated. “We, as Aggies, have high expectations for Texas A&M baseball, and we believe this is the best college baseball program in the country and we will attract a great head coach.” 

Childress went 621-334-3 at A&M. He led the Aggies to two College World Series appearances (2011 and 2017) and four super regional appearances. He also led them to the 2016 SEC Tournament title, two Big 12 regular-season championships (2008 and 2011) and three Big 12 Tournament titles (2007, 2010 and 2011). Under Childress, the Aggies reached 13 straight NCAA Tournaments, missing regionals in only his first and last seasons.

Despite all of A&M’s success under Childress, results had slipped over the last few seasons. The Aggies haven’t finished better than fourth in the division since 2016 and they came up short on the biggest stages a few too many times for a program with Omaha aspirations.

Childress and the Aggies also had the misfortune of running into Texas Christian in super regionals in both 2015 and 2016. A&M went a combined 99-30 those two seasons, but could not get past the Horned Frogs to reach Omaha.

Under Childress, A&M was excellent at producing premium pitching. During his tenure, nine Aggies pitchers were drafted in the first two rounds, including lefthander Asa Lacy, the fourth overall pick of last year’s draft.

While Childress in the end didn’t meet the lofty expectations for A&M, he guided the program to significant heights and through the transition from the Big 12 to the SEC. He leaves with the third-most wins in program history.