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‘We think our roster should look like the United States of America’: Everyone is loving this interview with Michigan’s Erik Bakich

Dustin Schutte

By Dustin Schutte

Published:

You could almost feel all the heads nodding across the country when Erik Bakich spoke about baseball in America. During the College World Series with his Michigan team in a tight contest with Florida State, the Wolverines head coach was still able to speak to everyone involved in the sport.

Michigan has become a team well-known for the diversity on its roster, a point of pride with the program. When Bakich was asked about what he looks for in players who wear the Michigan uniform, you talked a bit about his recruiting strategy, and the “ridiculous” cost to play baseball in the country.

“Well, we just think our roster should look like the United States of America,” Bakich said. “We target a lot of inner city kids. There’s a lot of great athletes out there and think it’s ridiculous the cost of travel ball and some of the showcases. It negates opportunities for a lot of kids. For us, we want to have a diverse roster and want to provide as many opportunities for kids all over the country that we can.”

Needless to say, those comments are making their way around social media, and for good reason.

Bakich was named the National College Baseball Writers Association National Coach of the Year on Saturday. He’s living up to that title, not only with Michigan’s success on the diamond, but with the example he’s setting as well.

Below is the interview featuring Bakich during the Michigan-Florida State game:

Dustin Schutte

Dustin grew up in the heart of Big Ten country and has been in sports media since 2010. He has been covering Big Ten football since 2014. You can follow him on Twitter: @SchutteCFB