What Erik Bakich said about Michigan in Clemson press conference
Michigan Wolverines baseball coach Erik Bakich was hired away by Clemson after 10 seasons in Ann Arbor. Bakich took the Maize and Blue to five NCAA Tournaments and the College World Series Final in 2019, and is regarded as one of the top coaches in the game.
Bakich was at the top of Clemson’s candidate list, per athletic director Graham Neff, who was able to close the deal with the former Michigan head man. Bakich began his coaching career with the Tigers in 2002, serving as a volunteer assistant, making it a natural fit for both sides.
“Erik’s been at the top of our list or in the proverbial list of the right-hand drawer for certainly these last couple weeks, but if I’m being real honest, many years,” Neff said. “Obviously, with his ties here and the success that he’s achieved, certainly at Vanderbilt, Maryland and Michigan, reaching the pinnacle with Omaha.
“Absolutely was an early target, and as we spent time over the past few weeks of a search and Coach was obviously still playing for a while there, just remained really consistent.
“The thing I’ll say, too, about Coach Bakich, he made it very clear he wanted this job right away. He wanted to be the head baseball coach at Clemson, so that made it very inspiring about his desire to be here, and therefore our pursuit of him matched that.”
Bakich also received a significant raise. He made $400,000 in base salary plus $200,000 in supplemental compensation at Michigan, and will get up to $1.1 million in his final year of his new deal with the Tigers.
Here’s the breakdown on his Clemson contract, which included a $400,000 bonus for signing that will help subsidize his Michigan buyout.
• Year 1: $850,000
• Year 2: $900,000
• Year 3: $950,000
• Year 4: $1,000,000
• Year 5: $1,050,000
• Year 6: $1,100,000
Bakich is also reportedly poaching Michigan associate head coach Nick Schnabel, the 2019 national assistant coach of the year.
While Bakich is moving on, he made a point to thank Michigan in his introductory press conference.
“To the University of Michigan athletic department, all of our players — past and present — their families, seven decades of alumni that joined our team in Omaha, all the fans, I have the deepest appreciation and gratitude for what we were able to accomplish over the last 10 years, so thank you for an incredible ride,” he said.
Bakich went on to explain that he wants to keep close relationships with his Michigan players, past and present, even though he’s entering a new chapter in his career. He shared part of his message to the players when he met with them to break the news.
“I told them I loved them, and the one thing I told them was that relationships transcend geography and location,” Bakich explained. “And just because I’m in a different state or maybe wearing a different logo, it doesn’t mean I love them any less and I won’t continue to be in their lives.
“I’ll always be a coach and a mentor to them, and just because I’m not there doesn’t mean that I’m not with them or speaking to them or involved with them. I told them all, I hope to be at all their weddings some day and continue to maintain a very strong relationship.
“That’s the hardest part of leaving, the players that you are leaving and the relationships that you have, so it’s important for me to continue those.”
