UMass Baseball

[maplehurst]

There was an article in the Boston paper today that UMass may drop its baseball program. Apparently, dropping the sport will save a lot of money, as Governor Patrick has mandated they do. Still, I hear that there is interest in going to Div I football, as UMass opens at Kansas State this year. There is talk of using the model UConn used to go to Div I - a five year plan. I think that, if UMass goes Div I, they may be able to finance their baseball program from football revenue.

[bonadad07]

Maplehurst, I cannot imagine that UMass can come up with the money to finance the jump to Div 1 for the football team. and if they did, I don't see it turning a profit. I think BC is the only school in Mass that makes money. With the budget woes in Mass (and elsewhere) good luck trying to get money to expand a sports program even if it is to try to save another sport.
That being said, I would hate for UMass to drop baseball, it is a good program and great opportunity for local kids to play Div 1. Providence dropped their program a while back, so not many options

[bonnies123]

I understand BC is the big school, but BC isn't exactly a great football school anymore. I think it's completely feasible for UMASS to make a jump to D-I, but what conference do they join, the Big East? Would the Big East want another one sport school like all the basketball schools that only play basketball at the D-1 level.

[thebonafan08]

Mar 25, 2009 21:51:19 GMT -5 bonnies123 said:

I understand BC is the big school, but BC isn't exactly a great football school anymore. I think it's completely feasible for UMASS to make a jump to D-I, but what conference do they join, the Big East? Would the Big East want another one sport school like all the basketball schools that only play basketball at the D-1 level.

All the basketball schools in the Big East have full D-1 programs in all sports, you are not allowed to have only a D-1 basketball team. Marquette,Providence, Depaul etc... all participate in the Big East congference in basketball and all of their other sports except for football if they have a program. For the most part their is a rule somwwhere that says if you have one team that is D-1....all of them have to be, following this rule UMASS technically already has a D-1 football team it is just FCS not FBS.

[njbona02]

There are alot of schools that play D-1 Hockey that are not D-1 in anything else.

[MuttMantle]

And a lot of schools play D-1 Lacrosse & not D-1 in any other sport.

[res]

I think that a number of schools who were traditional DI schools in certain sports were grandfathered in the mid 80's when the NCAA regs were modified. Other schools were later allowed to move certain programs up provided they did not offer athletic scholarships (at least the DIII schools, don't know what happens if a D2 moves up). They are allowed to offer other kinds of financial assistance.

The most affected sport is indeed hockey. Johns Hopkins (grandfathered) and Hobart (not) are the only non DI programs (in other sports) playing DI lacrosse, to the best of my recollection. There are also isolated examples in water polo, soccer, wrestling, volleyball and, my favorite, fencing.

[thebonafan08]

Mar 26, 2009 8:34:54 GMT -5 MuttMantle said:

And a lot of schools play D-1 Lacrosse & not D-1 in any other sport.

As I said....for the most part and I also would not say a lot...I would say a few and they are exceptions ...as res pointed out....it had to do with when they changed the rules. Right now the only reason Bona has a D-1 tennis/golf team is because they have to if they want a D-1 basketball team. Otherwise almost all small schools would not bother paying for D-1 anything except the revenue sports.

[res]

And that is why the NCAA specifically prohibited teams from moving up in the "revenue" sports of basketball and football.