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Michigan announces Tracy Smith as new head baseball coach

Andrew Olson

By Andrew Olson

Published:

Michigan baseball officially has a new skipper. Tracy Smith has been introduced as the new head coach of the Wolverines.

“We are excited to welcome Tracy Smith, his wife, Jaime, and their family, to U-M to lead our baseball program,” AD Warde Manuel said. “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.”

Smith brings 25 years of head-coaching experience to U-M. His resume includes 805 victories, 90 MLB Draft picks, including 7 first-rounders and 7 USA Baseball Collegiate National Team selections.

Smith succeeds Erik Bakich, who left Michigan to take the Clemson job. Smith aims to build on the Wolverines’ success under Bakich.

“My family and I are proud to join the University of Michigan family, and this storied Michigan baseball program,” Smith said. “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 is familiar with the midwest and Big Ten. A Kentland, Indiana native, Smith coached Indiana from 1995-to-1996 as an assistant and head coach from 2006-to-2014. The Hoosiers were 287-237 under Smith, reaching the NCAA Tournament 3 times, including a trip to the 2013 College World Series.

Smith was most recently the head coach at Arizona State from 2015-to-2021. The Sun Devils went 201-155 in Smith’s tenure, playing in the NCAA Tournament 4 times.

Andrew Olson

A former Florida beat reporter, Andrew writes for the Saturday Tradition News Desk.