Michigan Baseball: Wolverines know the stage, they simply don’t care

Michigan baseball is on the precipice of winning it’s first a national championship since 1962 and the young men know how big of a stage they’re on, but they don’t care and they’re not letting the pressure get to them.

It starts with the improbable story of Jimmy Kerr, where it ends, well, that’s up to how this Michigan baseball team plays tonight and, if necessary, tomorrow.

The story of Jimmy Kerr is well-documented in Steve Kornacki’s MGoBlue article A Grandfather’s Inspiration, a Grandson’s Hot Bat and Henry’s Mound Mastery and in Angelique Chengelis’ article for The Detroit News Bad luck? Kerr family member banished from Michigan games in College World Series.

What those stories bring is an in-depth look at one Michigan legacy on this astonishing team that was never supposed to make it this far.

Jimmy, like his dad and grandfather, played on some of the best Michigan baseball teams. His grandpa and the 1962 Wolverines tearing up opponents on their way to Michigan’s second-ever national championship. His dad and the 1984 Wolverines inching their way into the College World Series, falling short of his son’s mark.

Now the young padawan is stepping up to the plate and, against all odds, is one win away from steeping into his grandfather’s shoes.

While the Kerr tale is nothing short of incredible, the entire unit – with a special nod to the exceptional pitching – are due credit for taking a last-four-in group of guys to the national championship.

Every round this team battled its way out of sticky situations on defense while defeating their foe with out-of-this-world situational hitting. Every night it seems they have men on base with two outs and they don’t panic, they bear down, dig their cleats into the dirt, and smack a double to the outfield.

After losing only one in the Regionals, they met UCLA in the Super Regionals.

Do you know how good UCLA is? They won over 50 games this season and loss less than 10 before the start of the CWS. Michigan beat them not once but twice on their own turf.

After UCLA, this hot streaking Wolverine monster didn’t take a breather, they dominated Texas Tech twice and inched their way past legendary Florida State head coach Mike Martin and Co. Legendary because he is the winningest head coach of all-time and since taking over in 1980, had over 40 wins every season.

Awareness

At 7 pm on ESPN, the Michigan baseball team with be starting a game knowing they are one win away from a national championship. They know how huge this could be for the program and they know – for the most part – what the history books will say about them.

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But they don’t care and they’re not going to let the pressure get to them, not now, not tonight, not ever.

“They know what they’re playing for,” head coach Erik Bakich said. “They know what the stakes are. They know the stage. They know everything. But they’re not acting like the stage and the lights and the moment is too big, because I think they’re doing a really good job of just staying in the moment with each other and having as much fun as they can and being as loose as they possibly can.”

These kids are coming face to face with some of the highest ranked baseball players from around the country and some these Michigan stars never left their back yard. Most of them traveled from around the great lakes to play at Michigan.

Last nights star pitcher, Tommy Henry, for example, played high school baseball an hour an a half away from Ann Arbor.

And Karl Kaufmann, only 45 minutes.

These are generally not the travel ball guys but more of Bakich’s ragtag crew of hustlers that find a way to win.

With the world watching, they need to find a way to win just one more.

One more victory over the second-ranked team in the county, the favorite to win it all, Vanderbilt.