Casey Close is one of the most decorated players in University of Michigan history, especially in his senior season in 1986 when he named the Baseball America College Player of the Year, an All-America by the American Baseball Coaches Association, Collegiate Baseball and Baseball America, and the Big Ten Player of the Year. The outfielder finished 1986 as the Big Ten triple crown winner in conference games, hitting .469 with seven home runs and 19 RBIs. He also played on the Wolverines’ 1983 and 1984 College World Series teams and was a part of three Big Ten title teams (1983, 1984, 1986). He finished the 1986 season with a .440 batting average, third best in school history, and had a career .373 average.