Cleveland State University announced it will cut the school’s baseball program at the end of the season.
“It’s a very difficult decision for the coaches and the players,” said John Parry, CSU athletic director. “We’re prepared to focus on helping them as best we can, to find another place or another job or another school to continue to play baseball.”
Baseball has been a part of the university for 79 years. The Vikings are currently 9-32 and have not had a winning season in more than 20 years.
Parry said in this past decade, teams in warmer climates have had an advantage. The NCAA baseball season has started earlier, forcing northern teams to practice indoors and build expensive all-weather fields. The Vikings play at All Pro Stadium in Avon, more than 20 miles from campus.
“It’s a combination of not having an on-campus field and trying to play in Northeast Ohio,” Parry said. “Also, it’s our third most expensive sport. In fact, it helped us reach our budget goal perhaps quicker than looking at two or three other sports.”
Dropping the program will save the athletic department about $350,000.
The school says cutting the baseball program will not affect its membership in the Horizon League or its NCAA status; the school has 16 varsity-level sports, which is two more than required by the NCAA.
Parry said aside from personnel cuts, the school has no plans to cut other sports programs.