Erick Bakich and Tim Corbin are more than rival coaches as Clemson and Vanderbilt set to potentially square off in their NCAA Tournament regional.
Both have deep and personal Tiger roots.
Bakich, the second-year Clemson head coach, and Corbin, the Vanderbilt head man, coached together as assistants at Clemson under the legendary Jack Leggett, and now, their paths will cross again in the place where their respective careers took shape.
“Coach Leggett, he gave me a chance in Division 1 baseball,” said Corbin. “I mean, if it wasn’t for him, I’m not too certain I’m standing here. I met my wife (at Clemson). I developed a marriage there. Just a lot of great memories of South Carolina. The girls live in Charleston.”
Eric Bakich was asked about the connection between he and Corbin, but instead of dwelling on sentimentality, he instead focused his words on rallying support for his team. That, however, does not mean a bond of friendship does not exist, only that it is time for the Tigers to take care of business before revisiting past pleasantries.
“We just need the fans to show up and be loud,” proclaimed Bakich. “Let’s just focus on that, if we want to focus on something. When the crowd is loud, and they stand up and clap with two outs and two strikes and they actually have synchronized chants and they cheer and they get into it and they’re actually an active participant in the game instead of a spectator, our guys absolutely feed off that.”
The link between Erik Bakich and Tim Corbin is undeniable, though. Corbin served as an assistant coach at Clemson from 1994-2002. The two adversaries’ careers overlapped for the first time in 2002, Bakich’s first and only as an assistant at Clemson. That year, the Tigers advanced to the College World Series, finishing third.
The following year, Corbin was hired as the head coach of the Commodores, and Bakich went with him to Nashville and would be one of Corbin’s top assistants from 2003-09. Their seven seasons coaching together helped form a strong bond between them, but for the moment, they are friendly foes trying to guide their teams back to the top.
“We need DKS (Doug Kingsmore Stadium) to be filled with six- or seven thousand participants acting as if they’re the 10th man on the field,” stated Bakich. “Not just showing up to watch a game. And if we can do that? Wow. I can’t wait to hear this place rocking.”
Erik Bakich knows a few things about big-time baseball. He helped guide Michigan to national prominence as the Wolverines’ head coach from 2012-2022 before coming back to Clemson to assume the reigns. The Tigers, who finished 40-13 during the regular season and ACC Tournament, are the sixth overall seed in the field.
Vanderbilt, meanwhile, had a down season by their standards. The Commodores, who are perenially a national powerhouse, ended their campaign with a 38-21 record. Still a great season. Neither side has any illusions of it being an easy go of things should the two teams meet.
Clemson plays their first game against High Point at 7 p.m. on Friday. Vanderbilt opens with Coastal Carolina. Should both win their opener, then the Tigers and Commodores will square off. It would be the first time Bakich and Corbin have met each other on a diamond in five years when Bakich’s Michigan squad faced Corbin’s Vanderbilt team in the 2019 College World Series.
Vanderbilt baseball’s Tim Corbin on return to Clemson for NCAA tournament (tennessean.com)
Time changes a lot, but the ever-ticking clock has not eroded the friendship between the two, nor their competitive fires.
“Erik and (wife) Jiffy (Bakich) are very close to Maggie and I (and) were godparents to the kids,” said Corbin. “Jack still on staff there. So yeah, a lot of tremendous people.”
If Clemson and Vanderbilt meet on the diamond, it will be a tremendous game, too.
