Between games of Michigan's doubleheader against Ohio State on Saturday, members of Michigan's 1961 Big Ten championship team and 1962 national championship team were honored with an on-field ceremony.
It served as a reminder of Michigan's rich baseball tradition. Baseball was the first varsity sport at Michigan, starting in 1860. Since then, the Wolverines have won two national championships and sent almost 50 players to the big leagues.
Unfortunately, tradition was one of the few things the Wolverines had going for them in recent years.
Since the Wolverines' last Big Ten title in 1989, they have finished the season with sub-.500 records four times and finished higher than fifth in the conference only twice.
But with Saturday's thrilling come-from-behind victory over Ohio State, Michigan captured the 1997 Big Ten title. Maybe it will help ease the memory of recent losing seasons. And maybe it will serve as a bridge to the Wolverines' storied past.
But most importantly, the championship could be a bridge to the future - the start of a new winning tradition.
"Michigan has a great tradition in baseball, and in all sports, really," Michigan coach Geoff Zahn said. "When I got in here, I said that I wanted to bring it back to where it was in the 1980s, when they were winning championships and won regional tournaments."
Michigan won the Big Ten eight times in the '80s and appeared in the College World Series four times. Those teams featured such players as Barry Larkin, Hal Morris, Chris Sabo, Scott Kamieniecki and Jim Abbott. Larkin, Morris, Sabo and Kamieniecki have all won a World Series ring. Abbott won an Olympic gold medal.
Winning breeds winning. Winning programs generate their own momentum. Maybe the '97 Wolverines have done that.
Michigan rightfielder Derek Besco, who has felt the frustrations of coming close without succeeding, was an integral part of Michigan's championship run.
"I finally won something," said Besco, whose two-run homer in the first gave the Wolverines an early lead. "I was close a couple of times in high school, and now I have finally got a championship under my belt. It's great. I am so happy we won, I just can't believe it."
But no matter how far this current group of Wolverines advances in the postseason, and regardless if any of them play in the major leagues, they can say they won a championship for Michigan.
And they can call themselves winners.