Former Aggie skipper Mark Johnson offers thoughts on Earley & Co.

At the 2025 Aggieland FCA Golf Classic on Monday, we caught up with former Texas A&M baseball coach Mark Johnson, who spoke on the importance of FCA in his life. Johnson also shared his thoughts on Michael Earley in his first season as head coach.

Key notes from Mark Johnson interview

• I've enjoyed my whole life in College Station and my involvement in Texas A&M and the baseball program.
   
• FCA has been an important part of my life. God gave me a chance to grow a lot when I was involved in FCA at A&M, and I continue to be.
   
• R.C. Slocum was at A&M when I was there. Sometimes, they liked us. Sometimes, they didn't. Slocum was a great person to hang out with. I enjoyed all of that.
   
• Fellowship of Christian Athletes was critical in my life, and I got involved with it and started one when I was coaching at the University of Arizona. Jerry Kindall was the head coach there. I was an assistant. I met him, and God just blessed me. Kindall was an icon. It grew through there and then at Mississippi State and then here. I was always involved in FCA.
   
• A lot of young people have been touched by the FCA in the Brazos Valley. They've been involved with God and the FCA's association with Christ.
   
• I came to A&M with a deal that Tom Chandler was going to retire. I came in with the hopes of taking that spot. I was an assistant for two years, and then I was the head coach for 21 years. I was blessed because it was a great time to be here. Olsen Field had just been built. We got the fans going. One thing led to another, and we got to Omaha a couple of times but never won the big one.
   
• I was blessed to be a part of this community, and this community has supported FCA all along. The school system keeps building, so we keep adding people to our staff.
   
• With the baseball program, people are disappointed with our games this weekend, and I was disappointed we lost. Still, those were great baseball games. There were five or six diving, outstanding plays. To have that many players was great. That has always been a great series. I always enjoyed being in the Texas A&M vs. Texas series. People care. We have two schools that represent this state and the game of baseball well, at least fairly consistently.
   
• I had a little bit more experience than Michael Earley did when I took over. I was an assistant coach for 13 years at good places with good coaches. I picked the spots I wanted to go to. When Chandler called, I met with Jackie Sherrill, who was the athletic director. He said, "You can apply." I just wanted to know it was open. God spoke and helped me get the job. He was always involved in that. We won right away. We weren't always champions. I got to be on the ground level of Olsen Field opening. At the stadium now, we're getting 7,000 fans coming, and that's because of the group of players that are playing right now. They're really good.
   
• Jim Schlossnagle did a good job, and I know people are really upset with him. He's a guy who had a dream, and it was to coach there. I had my dreams, too, but I wanted to be at Texas A&M. He fulfilled his dream in an irritating way. He's got a good program going, but Earley is going to do a good job. He's a baseball man who has been at good places. I think he knows what he's doing. He's going to be fine.
   
• Everything started out slow, and baseball is strange. It doesn't just turn off and on. Earley is an outstanding coach. He's a friend of mine. I'm a hitting coach, and so is he. We've talked quite a bit about hitting.
   
• This season will play out well. I think they've got the corner turned. They started slow, but baseball will do that to you. The great players won't play great on a day they need to be great. That's not their fault, and that works for the professional athletes, too. Earley did a great job of holding them together. We played an outstanding series on the road at Texas. The future is really good. He's got great athletes right now, and he's going to have more come in. The tradition of good baseball at Texas A&M isn't going anywhere.
   
• The great athletes are going to come here. Fans are good. Our community does a good job of supporting baseball. I hate that people are going to be so disappointed that we lost that series. We lost three games by one run. That can be a hiccup. The athletes need to have a short memory. I told Earley not to flinch and just keep playing. Don't let your guys flinch.
   
• Earley knows what he's doing. I didn't give him all the answers, but we have a commonality. Same school. Same game. I've just been doing it a little bit longer than he has.