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Michigan baseball reportedly close to hiring former Indiana, Arizona State head coach
By Paul Harvey
Published:
Michigan baseball found itself in an unwelcome spot this offseason, losing longtime head coach Erik Bakich to the head coaching vacancy at Clemson. Bakich left Ann Arbor with a lengthy and impressive resumé.
In 10 seasons, Bakich led the Wolverines to 5 NCAA Tournament appearances. That stretch included a College World Series runner-up finish in 2019 and 328 total wins.
Fortunately, it looks like Michigan has found an accomplished coach to take the helm of the baseball program. According to Kendall Rogers with D1 Baseball, Michigan is expected to hire Tracy Smith. Rogers cited Michigan sources for the information in his reporting.
🚨BREAKING: @umichbaseball is expected to hire former Arizona State and Indiana head coach Tracy Smith as its new head coach, multiple sources tell @d1baseball. Smith led IU to the College World Series and most recently had a stint at #ASU. https://t.co/6ItKiv78UU pic.twitter.com/vMXb1aJGkP
— Kendall Rogers (@KendallRogers) July 2, 2022
The 56-year-old Smith is no stranger to the midwest and has head coaching stops at Miami (OH, his alma mater), Indiana and Arizona State. Smith’s most recent stint was with the Sun Devils from 2015-21.
Smith has compiled over 800 career victories and 9 NCAA Tournament appearances in his time as a head coach. That stretch includes leading Indiana to its first-ever College World Series appearance in 2013.
Paul is a lifelong fan and student of all things college football. He has been covering college football since 2017 and the B1G since 2018.