Throughout the last decade, Clemson fans have fallen in love with their coaches, who mostly have been tenured with the Tigers for many years. Head coaches Dabo Swinney, Brad Brownell and Mike Noonan have all been with their respective Clemson teams since 2010.
But on Sunday night at Doug Kingsmore Stadium, Tiger fans cemented a new coach into their hearts if they had not already: Clemson baseball’s Erik Bakich.
In just his second season with the Tigers, the Clemson head coach went 3-0 in the regional round of the NCAA Tournament, advancing to the super regionals for the first time in 14 years. What separates Bakich from your typical head coach is his love for not only his fans but his enjoyment of seeing his team succeed over any small goal that has been achieved.
“For me, I instantly go to dad-mode Christmas morning and watching young kids tear open presents,” Bakich said, “and to see the genuine authentic joy on their faces, that’s what we are chasing. We are chasing the celebratory moments.”
Erick Bakich
“They’ve been about all the right things since Day 1,” he added. “They compete in everything they do, from the classroom to the field and how they serve the community.”
That joy was seen immediately following Clemson’s win over Coastal Carolina on Sunday night, when after their 12-5 win to secure a super regional berth, Bakich and the squad celebrated with the fans at the Cajun Cafe.
But it wasn’t the players that initiated it, it was their leader who wanted to soak it all in with the supporters.
“When we were doing the alma mater, Coach Bakich tapped me on the shoulder and was like, ‘We are going to the Cajun Cafe, we are jumping up there,’” third baseman Blake Wright said after the game. “We have a picture of it on the wall in our facility, so to be a part of that was so cool.”
Pumping his fists while being sprayed with beer, the 46-year-old coach felt like just another Clemson player with the fans, getting himself a Powerade bath by the team as well following the win.
“Screw it, why not,” Bakich said following the celebration. “I like getting in the mix with these guys. I tend to believe I am younger than I am. But I was just inspired by the moment and wanted to jump up into the crowd.”
The combination of work and play has the No. 6 team in the country hosting another series of games at Doug Kingsmore Stadium this upcoming weekend, hosting their first super regional since 2010, which was also the last time the Tigers made the College World Series.
“We know that we didn’t come this far only to come this far and there’s much more to be done,” Bakich said, “but when you do accomplish something and have these checkpoint moments that are these awesome memory-making things, you have to celebrate that.”
While keeping a level-headed point of view on the upcoming weekend, Bakich continues to believe that the best is yet to come, which was seen in a conversation with closer Austin Gordon in front of the media.
“It was one of the coolest experiences that I have ever been a part of,” Gordon said about the postgame celebration. “I don’t think anything will beat that ever probably.”
The Clemson head coach’s response? “Next weekend,” he said, putting faith in his squad.
It is not just Clemson fans who are rooting for the team, but others who have seen Bakich lead their team before. In a Twitter post by 11Point7 College Baseball, Michigan fans have commented under a Bakich post, rooting for their former head coach and the Tigers to go back to the College World Series. Bakich led the Wolverines as their coach from 2012 to 2022, reaching the national championship in 2019. It comes to show the affection that the head coach has for all of the teams he has led.
“I loved our time at Michigan, and I am so proud of Team 153 and what they accomplished, playing for a national championship, and all the teams there,” he said. “You fall in love with the players and the families and just try to make a positive experience for everybody that they’re going to make friendships that are going to last a lifetime.”
The Tigers will have a tough task on their hands this weekend, facing the Florida Gators, who won the Stillwater Regional on Monday. A team that made the College World Series Championship a season ago, Bakich knows that the team’s biggest goal has yet to be achieved. With Clemson being at home for this series, he will hope that his home-field advantage will play a role in this weekend’s games, similar to that of last weekend.
“There’s more to do,” he said. “As much fun as that was, celebrating a regional championship, the story is still being written for Team 127. There’s more work to be done. We have a huge weekend ahead, and I’m looking forward to more electricity at DKS.”
