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Michigan’s Erik Bakich Named NCBWA Coach of the Year

On the day the Wolverines play their first College World Series game in 35 years, their head coach earned his first major award in six years at Michigan.

By Jay Sarkar
Michigan Baseball coach Erik Bakich
Twitter/Michigan Baseball

OMAHA, Neb. -- As the Wolverines prepare to face Texas Tech Saturday afternoon in their College World Series opener (2 PM ET, ESPN,) their head coach received a major honor Saturday morning in Omaha.

Erik Bakich has been named the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association National Coach of the Year.

”Erik Bakich has done a magnificent job of returning the Michigan baseball program to its traditional status,” said NCBWA executive director Bo Carter. “To go on the road and upset the No. 1 NCAA Championship seed UCLA is one of the great feats in college baseball this season. He has been an inspiration and a great motivating force for the Wolverines throughout the season and now into the College World Series. Congratulations to coach Bakich for this national honor.”

Bakich has led the Wolverines to a 46-20 (16-7 Big Ten) record this season, the most wins by a Michigan team sine 2008. The Wolverines finished second in the Big Ten during the regular season, and reached the semifinals of the Big Ten Tournament after dropping their opening game.

In the NCAA postseason, Michigan won its first two games of the Corvallis Regional before dropping one to Creighton. In the winner-take-all game, Michigan defeated Creighton 17-6 to advance to the Super Regionals for the first time since 2007.

In the super regionals, Michigan continued on the Road to Omaha and defeated No. 1 ranked UCLA twice to advance to the program’s eighth College World Series. Michigan beat UCLA three times this year on the road, once during the regular season and twice in the Super Regional.

The Wolverines will look to continue on the path towards a national championship facing Texas Tech on Saturday. The double-elimination portion of the tournament will see Michigan face either Florida State or Arkansas on Monday in either the winners or the losers bracket. The eight teams will be whittled down to two by the semifinal games on June 22nd, and the best-of-three final series is scheduled for June 24-25/26.