A Team That Looks Like America, with Erik Bakich

Travel ball has changed the look of teams at all levels of baseball, including the NCAA, where players are disproportionately white – often from homes that can afford the youth sports arms race. That’s why the University of Michigan team stood out at this year’s College World Series. Head coach Erik Bakich said he wanted to build a team that models the country’s racial diversity. How did he do it? What advice does he have for youth programs that struggle to stay relevant in the travel ball era? Bakich discussed this in a conversation at the 2019 Project Play Summit.