The Texas A&M Aggies lost former head coach Jim Schlossnagle to their arch-rival Texas Longhorns last week, in a move that shocked Aggie fans everywhere.

After all, Schlossnagle had just berated the media the evening before bolting for Austin for simply asking questions about his connection to the job. Nonetheless, Schlossnagle left, leaving an extremely sour taste in the mouths of Aggies everywhere.

And following the swift hiring of Michael Earley as Schlossnagle’s replacement, Texas A&M Chancellor John Sharp took the opportunity to take a shot at the former coach during Earley’s introductory press conference.

“Considering the shady way this all happened & the final result, A&M got the far better part of this deal,” Sharp told Brent Zwerneman of the Houston Chronicle. “A coach loyal to his players & school is worth his weight in gold. Now we’ve got that coach.”

However, Sharp wasn’t the only person in the Aggies organization who was thrown off by Schlossnagle’s actions.

Following his exit to the Longhorns, it was reported by Kendall Rogers of D1Baseball that a deal had been done between Schlossnagle and Texas before the start of the postseason.

Texas A&M Athletic Director Trev Alberts has now seemingly backed up those reports, telling Zwerneman that Schlossnagle was extremely avoidant in the weeks leading up to his exit.

Per Alberts, Schlossnagle avoided a meeting scheduled regarding the renovation of Blue Bell Park – allegedly a major sticking point for the coach – and canceled one-on-one meetings with the AD.

“We hosted a regional, and after the regional, I said, ‘Can we meet?’ ” Alberts said to Zwerneman. “We scheduled a meeting for Monday (June 3), and he canceled. We scheduled a meeting for that Tuesday, and he canceled… That Wednesday I went and sat … (Schlossnagle’s) son was in his office, and so I sat in (assistant coach) Nolan Cain’s office. I talked for 40 minutes with Nolan Cain until he came.”

At the end of the day, what’s done is done. Schlossnagle has departed College Station, and Earley is now leading the charge.

And it seems all of Aggieland is thrilled with the outcome.

It is easy to feel discouraged after the mixed results in the latest STAAR data set. Last month, the Texas Education Agency released scores showing that progress has slowed and the percentage of students meeting standards declined by one percentage point in Dallas County and across the state.

While this stagnation in reading and math scores in state academic assessments signals that pandemic learning losses linger, a closer look at Dallas County school districts shows that some are defying the trend.

One such outlier is Cedar Hill ISD, and its above-average performance is worth examining. In this district, the number of students meeting state standards in fourth-grade reading and math grew by more than five percentage points year to year. In sixth grade, the number of students who met reading and math standards grew by over 10 percentage points, the Commit Partnership reported. The district has consistently improved its academic performance over the years.

What is Cedar Hill ISD doing? The answer points to a mix of practical academic strategies, consistency in school leadership, parental involvement and accountability. The old saying rings true: It takes a village. The progress is remarkable for a school district where two-thirds of the student body are economically disadvantaged.

Amber Shields, managing director from Early Matters Dallas in Commit, underscored several strategies implemented by the district of about 7,000 students. This includes early intervention for students at risk of failing a subject, professional development for a younger teacher workforce and high-quality instructional materials. The district has also enhanced how it engages with parents. Cedar Hill ISD conducts workshops to keep families informed and provide them with resources and materials for at-home support.

“This means that these students are on a path to living wage attainment. … It begins with our students meeting these important benchmarks in school,” Shields told us.

Most important, the district has had consistent leadership. Gerald Hudson in Cedar Hill is one of three superintendents in Dallas County with a tenure of five years or more. The other two are Ricardo López in Garland ISD and Magda Hernandez in Irving ISD.

Cedar Hill is not the only bright spot: DeSoto, Irving, Lancaster and Mesquite school districts are also exceeding the average statewide growth in performance, according to Commit.

Across Texas, the overall picture is grim, with only 40% of eighth-grade students scoring at grade level or above in math. There is an urgency to change this picture. The state’s economic momentum and innovation need a strong local talent pipeline.

While parents in other Dallas County districts may be disappointed in those districts’ results, there is a silver lining: Many districts are employing the right strategies to raise student scores, Shields said. But results take time.

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ARLINGTON, Texas — Texas Rangers shortstop Corey Seager was out of the lineup for the second straight game Tuesday night since getting hit by a pitch on his left wrist.

Manager Bruce Bochy said Seager took some swings before the series opener at home against San Diego, and was doing better since getting hit Saturday night. The shortstop went to the ground before getting up and walking off the field after getting struck on a check swing in Baltimore.

Initial X-rays revealed no broken bone, and that was confirmed by an MRI on Monday after the Rangers got home from the trip.

While the Rangers hope to get Seager back soon, third baseman Josh Jung hasn’t swung a bat since his last rehabilitation game June 20. He is coming back from a fractured right wrist that occurred when he was hit by a pitch in the fourth game of the season on April 1. He had surgery the next day.

Jung has been dealing with inflammation and soreness in the tendon of his wrist after 17 at-bats in four rehab games.

“Just trying to get this thing to calm down. That’s really all we’re doing,” Jung said Tuesday in the Rangers clubhouse.

Outfielder Evan Carter, who has missed 31 games with a lumbar sprain, has been taking some swings at the team’s complex in Arizona, and Bochy said he should be facing live pitching within a few days. Carter is still considered a rookie even after his debut at the end of last season and his standout play through the playoffs as the Rangers won the World Series.

Right-hander Tyler Mahle was making his first rehab start Tuesday night for Double-A Frisco, about 13 1/2 months after he had Tommy John surgery in May 2023. The Rangers signed him to a $22 million, two-year contract during the winter, knowing he would be out for much of this season. If all goes well, he could join the team in early August.

Jung was voted by fans as the American League starter in last year’s All-Star Game when he was a rookie. He said he is trying to keep his legs fresh and in shape. He does some stuff in the batting cage trying to see pitches and can go through some fielding work without throwing the ball.

“Not a whole lot baseball activity-wise,” he said. “I try to do everything I can to stay as ready as I can. … I’m not really able to do a whole lot right night, so just do everything I can to stay ready in my mind.”

Bochy said Jung had a significant injury, and the manager expressed that he’s “not surprised there’s been a hiccup or two along the way.”