[3] After his brief professional playing stint, Bakich embarked upon his coaching career as a volunteer assistant at Clemson University in 2002.

[2] Bakich then moved to Vanderbilt University in 2003 to become the school's recruiting coordinator, hitting coach, and outfield instructor.

In 2004, Vanderbilt increased its batting average from .258 the previous season to .304, the largest jump in school history.

[1] In June 2009, the University of Maryland hired Bakich to replace former nine-year head coach Terry Rupp.

[1] Bakich sought to rebuild the program and eventually achieve regular appearances in the NCAA tournament, an event Maryland had not qualified for since 1971.

"[4] Maryland finished its first season under Bakich with a 17–39 mark and 5–25 in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).

On June 27, 2012, Bakich was named the 19th coach in the history of Michigan Wolverines baseball.

Erik Bakich made many assurances that Michigan baseball will be back to winning championships at a consistent rate, not just every once in a while.

Bakich also talked a lot about pitching and defense for Michigan, and bringing in the best recruits locally, regionally, and nationally.

[9] On June 16, 2022, Bakich signed a six-year, $6.25 million deal to be the head baseball coach of the Clemson Tigers.