By BEN FIDELMAN 

Daily Sports Writer

MINNEAPOLIS — Like a tree’s 

rings signaling age, outfield walls 
at college baseball stadiums show 
how a program has grown through 
the years. Michigan added to that 
legacy in a big way on Sunday by 
winning the Big Ten Tournament 
and clinching the team’s first bid 
to the NCAA Tournament since 
2008.

“We talked the other day about 

changing the 35 to 36 on the wall 
(at Ray Fisher Stadium),” said 
Michigan closer Jacob Cronen-
worth. “We all had a common goal, 
and that’s what 
helped us with 
our 
confidence 

in today’s game.”

With 
the 

bases 
loaded 

and 
two 
outs 

with Maryland 
fighting in what 
could be its last 
at-bat, 
Bakich 

descended down from his usual 
perch on the top rung of the dug-
out stairs. He stood at the side of 
the bench, with his hands on his 
hips and bright-maize jacket glow-
ing with pride. “Now this is base-
ball,” he said, gazing out over the 
field.

Assistant coach Nick Schnabel, 

who’s been alongside Bakich since 
their playing days at East Carolina, 
could sense the end was near even 
though the Terrapins were threat-
ening. “I can smell it,” he exhaled 
to nobody in particular.

Maryland’s Brandon Lowe, the 

team’s leading hitter, popped a ball 
to left fielder Kevin White, and 
the celebration began.

Players were already halfway 

from the dugout to the mound 
when the ball touched down 
in White’s glove, engulfing the 
already-embracing 
Wolverine 

battery of Cronenworth and Ken-
dall Patrick. The cluster of players 
jumped around the infield before 
toppling to the ground from the 
weight of the bullpen that had 
suddenly arrived and dragged 
everyone down to a dog-pile.

Hats and shirts with “B1G 

Tournament Champions” were 
quickly distributed, and play-

ers took turns 
taking pictures 
with the slick 
trophy.

But 
Bakich 

wasn’t in the 
celebration with 
the other coach-
es and players. 
He was leaning 
against the dug-

out rail, arms crossed in front of 
him and a smile in his eyes, just 
soaking it all in.

“This is what it’s all about. It’s 

unbelievable.”

The third-year coach of the 

Wolverines (37-23) had taken the 
team back to college baseball’s 
promise land: the NCAA Tourna-
ment.

***
After Michigan home games, 

the coaching staff’s children own 
the turf at Ray Fisher Stadium. 
Whether it’s running the bases 
or taking batting practice in the 

cages, people with the last name 
Bakich and Schnabel often out-
number everyone else on the field.

It gives a family feel to Michi-

gan baseball. Players will be 
doing interviews for TV or print 
media and little Colt Bakich sud-
denly sprints through his legs, 
prompting a surprised smile from 
the sometimes grumpy athletes.

Though 
using 
youngsters 

to help facilitate the feeling is 
unconventional, the family feel-
ing is nothing exclusive to Team 
149.

Stretching back to Michigan 

baseball’s “decade of dominance” 
in the 1980s, many program 
alumni from that period say that 
their resume of 10 Big Ten regular 
season titles, nine NCAA regional 
appearances and four trips to the 
College 
World 

Series probably 
wouldn’t 
have 

happened if not 
for the Michi-
gan 
baseball 

bond.

“When 
you 

sign on to come 
to 
Michigan, 

part 
of 
it 
is 

because of the 
Michigan base-
ball family,” said Jeff Jacobson, 
who played for the Wolverines 
from 1980-83. His son, Eric, is 
currently a senior second base-
man for the team. “It’s a very 
strong group, and there has been 
a lot of success in the program. 
There’s a bond that develops 
through hard work and success.

“Being with each other through 

at your worst moments when 
you’re exposed to thousands of 
people, all the errors or walk-off 
home runs that you give up. There 
are the highest moments as well. 
Everyone shares that bond.”

The evidence from this season 

— the last week in particular — has 
been clear to agree with the idea 
that winning catalyzes the Michi-
gan bond. Throughout the tourna-
ment, Michigan became known 
as the most confident bunch, even 
though they were ranked lowest of 
the eight teams in Rating Percent-
age Index.

Playing with 

a swagger, the 
team looks and 
feels 
like 
it’s 

growing 
clos-

er with every 
game.

“I’m 
so 

happy for the 
guys,” 
said 

former Michi-
gan and major 
league pitcher Jim Abbott, who 
won two Big Ten Tournaments in 
his college career. “There’s tre-
mendous pride when you get to 
do something impactful for the 
program, like winning a cham-
pionship, there’s nothing better 
than that.”

And the Wolverines will have 

a shot next weekend at adding 
another number to the outfield 
wall, another ring to the tree of 
Michigan’s oldest varsity sport 
having become the eighth squad 
from Ann Arbor to reach the Col-
lege World Series in Omaha.

“We’re standing on the shoul-

ders of 148 years of proud Michi-
gan baseball tradition and being 
lifted up by many great teams 
and great men that came before 

us,” said Michi-
gan coach Erik 
Bakich after it 
was announced 
that the team 
would advance 
to Regional play 
to take on No. 19 
Bradley in Lou-
isville.

“We’re 
just 

trying to write 
our chapter on 

page 149 and just trying to con-
tribute and do our piece.”

***
In early February, Bakich gath-

ered Michigan baseball players, 
their families, program alumni 
and community members for a 
pre-season banquet to kick off the 
spring practices schedule. Called 
the leadoff banquet, the evening 

started off with a catered meal, 
before Bakich settled the room 
down and addressed the few hun-
dred people that comprised the 
crowd.

From the first words he said, it 

was clear that his words would set 
a tone for the rest of the season.

About five minutes into the 

speech, he said that this would be 
the “interactive” portion of the eve-
ning. Bakich asked that all Michi-
gan baseball alumni in the room 
stand, yielding about 30 adults. 
Next, he asked for those who were 

Big Ten Champi-
ons for the pro-
gram to stand, 
and about three-
quarters of the 
original 
group 

remained stand-
ing. Finally, he 
asked those who 
had won the Col-
lege World Series 
to stand — and 
three 
elderly 

gentlemen responded.

Hailing from the 1962 Wol-

verine squad that took home the 
program’s lone national cham-
pionship, the elder men drew a 
standing ovation from the crowd. 
Current players could be seen 
straining on their tiptoes to get a 
look at the heroes — the men who 
epitomize what it is that they all 
work so hard for.

More recently, other program 

alumni have reached out to give 
their support to the team as it 
heads into NCAA play this week-
end at Louisville.

“We’re standing on the shoul-

ders of 148 years of great Michi-
gan teams and all the support 
we’ve received from guys on the 
1953 
National 
Championship 

team,” Bakich said. “Bill Moake 
sent a message, he was the cap-
tain of that team. Ed Hood, Dick 
Hoenig from the 1962 team sent a 
message. Barry Larkin and Ryan 
LaMarre sent the team a picture 
holding up the ‘No. 1’ sign.

“It’s awesome, you see all these 

guys tweeting at us, and it’s just 
a lot of positive energy being 
directed at us, and our guys see 
that, and it just gives them confi-
dence, and it gives them strength, 
and it fires them up.”

The players can feel the back-

ing of Michigan’s oldest varsity 
program in this, their time of suc-
cess. Now it’s up to them to make 
something happen with it.

When they return to the lead-

off banquet with their kids some-
day, these players want to be on 
their feet for that standing ovation.

Baseball all in the family

AMANDA ALLEN/Daily

The Michigan baseball team thrives on the support of past times, which have won 36 Big Ten and two national titles.

“It gives them 
strength and it 
fires them up.”

“When you sign 
on to Michigan, 
part of it is the 
baseball family.”

“We’re just 

trying to write 
our own chapter 

on Page 149.”

10

Thursday, May 28, 2015
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
SPORTS

