Michigan baseball hires new coach

Michigan baseball has finally found its man.

After Erik Bakich decided to leave Michigan — who was the coach since 2013 — for Clemson, the Wolverines have been looking for a new man to lead the baseball team. On Sunday, the University of Michigan had an official statement on the hiring of the former Miami(OH),  Indiana Hoosier, and Arizona State coach, Tracy Smith as the new baseball coach.

“We are excited to welcome Tracy Smith, his wife, Jaime, and their family, to U-M to lead our baseball program,” said Manuel. “Succinctly put, Tracy is one of the best collegiate baseball minds in the country. He is a tireless recruiter who can evaluate, project, and develop talent at the highest level of this sport.”

“My family and I are proud to join the University of Michigan family, and this storied Michigan baseball program,” said Smith. “Having competed on the field against the likes of Barry Larkin, Jim Abbott, Casey Close and many others, I am aware of the tremendous talent and tradition of this program. I would like to thank Warde Manuel, Rob Rademacher, the staff and our student-athletes for allowing me the opportunity to build upon the history of U-M baseball and the recent successes of my friend and colleague Erik Bakich. The standards in the Big Ten Conference and at the University of Michigan are set high, and I am honored to lead our next group of champions. Go Blue!”

Smith comes to Ann Arbor with 25 years of head coaching experience. His most recent tenure was with Arizona State where he coached from 2015-2021. During that span, the Sun Devils made four NCAA Regional appearances in his six years there.

The Indiana native really got things going while he coached the Indiana Hoosiers. Smith was named the National Coach of the Year and Big Ten Coach of the Year back in 2013 while coaching the Hoosiers to their first-ever Men’s College World Series after winning 49 games that season.

Smith has been known as an avid recruiter since being out west. In 2016, he signed the No. 1 recruiting class in the nation at Arizona State, and in 2017 he had a top-five class.

Smith helped develop former first-overall pick Spencer Torkelson who now plays for the Detroit Tigers.

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Story originally appeared on Wolverines Wire