After building it, baseball's Bakich hopes they’ll come

Even in his days as an assistant at Vanderbilt, Erik Bakich had a plan to build his own team, regardless of wherever he ultimately landed.

But when it came to selling prospective fans on the Terrapin baseball program he inherited two years ago, he decided to take a page from another Terp coach's book.

Bakich knows fielding a winning team — something the Terps (1-3) haven't done in years — is the ultimate ingredient to building a following. But in the lead-up to today's home opener against Navy, Bakich took the advice of Terrapin men's soccer coach Sasho Cirovski.

"You need a strong following. You need a group of guys," Bakich said. "Like when The Crew started for soccer. They had a group of loyal followers, and now it's grown into what The Crew is today. That's what we're doing right now. That's what Sasho had to do, too. I've talked to him about it. He had to go door-to-door, frat-to-frat. That's what it takes, and that's what you have to do."

And that's just what Bakich has done. Every Monday, he's visited university fraternities to make sales pitches for his Terp team, which is coming off an encouraging opening weekend at No. 6 Texas. Bakich hopes to start a grassroots movement similar to what Cirovski's program fostered and eventually turned into a dedicated legion of fans who show up for games regardless of opponent — something that hasn't yet happened at Bob "Turtle" Smith Stadium.

But with a set of bleacher seats near the opposing bullpen along right field now specifically designated for students, Bakich has laid the groundwork for a more student-friendly experience.

"Now, the opposing pitcher and catcher, when they get loose, they've got to warm up directly in front of our new student section," Bakich said. "It's going to be rowdy, and it's going to be hostile, and that's what we want. That's what we need."

And while the section has been constructed and readied for today's home opener against the Midshipmen (0-3), it still needs a name. The university's Sports Marketing Club is holding a contest to name the student section, with the winner receiving $300 in Under Armour apparel. According to club co-founder and co-president Brian Manassa, a sophomore letters and sciences major, the section will be christened with a sign of the winning name when the Terps open their home ACC schedule against Boston College on March 18.

"The students are our best target to really improve the attendance immediately in the short term," Bakich said. "And building the student section was a huge reason for that. That was just something that we had to do. We're really trying to get the students involved, and we've got a great response from the students."

In addition to the student section in right field, a new left-field lounge area has been erected and furnished with a grill that accepts Terp Bucks. Bakich hopes that even if students don't stay for whole games, they'll come by for a few innings for a taste of his team and stadium fare. If nothing else, Bakich is confident it will add a distinctive scent and ambiance synonymous with baseball.

"It just sort of just brings new energy to the program," shortstop Alfredo Rodriguez said. "We go out there and we see new changes every day, from the foul poles to the stands, it motivates us to play well for Coach Bakich and do our best."

Building a fan base for a nonrevenue sport like baseball or soccer only takes time, and Bakich knows the best attraction for fans is a winning team — something he is confident he has this year.

When students realize the same, Bakich said, they'll finally have a place of their own to watch.

"All the little details that go into making our program reach that next level have been achieved up to this point," Bakich said. "Now, do we still have some more things that we want to do? Obviously. [But] in the short term, everything that we wanted to get accomplished before the start of this season [is done]."

schneider@umdbk.com