Rob Childress will not return as Texas A&M baseball coach. Texas A&M athletic director Ross Bjork announced that Childress’ contract is not being renewed Sunday morning.

“Coach Childress is a great man and we appreciate his long-term dedication to Texas A&M and for leading our baseball program with class and dignity in every phase,” Bjork said in a released statement. “Coach Childress deserves our respect and admiration for how he represented our program, and we wish him and his family all the best in their next chapter. I also want to thank our players for their determination and perseverance during this season with all of the protocols in place.

“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. 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 was Texas A&M head coach for 16 seasons, going 622-336-3. He took the Aggies to a school-record 13 consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances from 2007-19, including two trips to the College World Series (2011, 2017). Under Childress, the Aggies won six NCAA Regional titles, two conference regular-season crowns and four league tournament titles.

This season, Texas A&M was 29-27 overall but missed the SEC Tournament for the first time after finishing 13th in league play.

Texas A&M’s announcement says a national search for a new head coach will begin immediately.