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Clemson baseball: For new baseball coach Erik Bakich winning is in the details

By Marty Coleman

Jun 26, 2019; Omaha, NE, USA; Michigan Wolverines head coach Erik Bakich and Vanderbilt Commodores head coach Tim Corbin meet before game three of the championship series of the 2019 College World Series at TD Ameritrade Park. Mandatory Credit: Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 26, 2019; Omaha, NE, USA; Michigan Wolverines head coach Erik Bakich and Vanderbilt Commodores head coach Tim Corbin meet before game three of the championship series of the 2019 College World Series at TD Ameritrade Park. Mandatory Credit: Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports /
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A new era of Clemson baseball has begun with Erik Bakich leading the way.

I’ve made no secret of my affection for Monte Lee, both when he replaced Jack Leggett as Clemson baseball head coach, as his team struggled and even when he was let go by Director of Athletics Graham Neff.

I believe Lee is a good man and good coach, but things didn’t work out for him at Clemson for whatever reason.

I also believe it was time to move on, that the program had hit a critical point where it was too big of a gamble to bring Lee back in 2023.

This is the honeymoon phase for Erik Bakich. He hasn’t lost a game at Clemson yet.  There’s been no baserunning mistakes, misplays in the field or inexplicable losses.  All that will come in due time, but for now he’s “golden”.

That said, I was intrigued by an article in the Charleston News and Courier that profiled Bakich, his routine, attention to detail and relationship with his players.

No detail is too small for Bakich, even how his players stand for the National Anthem.

"“He’s not going to be a player’s best friend to start,” Kauffmann said. ”But when the games start and you start winning, you’re going to start liking the guy.”Bakich’s demands may seem strict at times. His propensity to give meaning to numbers and naming every physical challenge may sound corny. But his players fondly remember these quirks, because they know where it led."

Egos will be bruised and routines changed, but when the winning begins the changes will be embraced

I never played at the collegiate level, but to this day I remember the coaches that pushed me, didn’t let me take the easy route and made me earn the right to play.  I also remember the long runs similar to the one described in the story and with it the lessons it taught that are still with me today.

dark. Next. Once promising season slipping away from Seth Beer

As much as I supported Monte Lee, a decision was made and now I’m intrigued, excited and very much looking forward to the Erik Bakich era and the future of Clemson baseball.

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