Erik Bakich has been named the National Coach of the Year by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA), after guiding Michigan to its first College World Series appearance in over 30 years.

Saturday morning, Michigan announced that Bakich had earned the honor from the NCBWA. The recognition came just a few hours prior to the Wolverines’ College World Series matchup against Texas Tech (2 p.m. ET, ESPN).

“Erik Bakich has done a magnificent job of returning the Michigan baseball program to its traditional status,” NCBWA executive director Bo Carter said on Saturday. “To go om the road and upset No. 1 NCAA Championship seed UCLA is one of the great feats in college baseball this season. He has been an inspiration and a great motivating force for the Wolverines throughout the season and now into the College World Series.”

Michigan is 46-20 this season, totaling the most wins in a season for the program since 2008. The Wolverines finished B1G play with a 16-7 mark.

Michigan won the Corvallis Regional to advance to play top-seeded UCLA in the NCAA Super Regional. In a best-of-three series, the Wolverines defeated the Bruins 2-1.

Saturday will mark the first time Michigan’s baseball team has played in a College World Series game since 1984. It is the program’s eighth appearance all time.