UPDATE #1
The school has put out an official release about the situation which is below.
CLEVELAND, Ohio – Pending budget cuts and the lack of adequate facilities have forced Cleveland State University to announce the end of its NCAA baseball program at the conclusion of the 2011 season.
“This team has had a long and proud history, but the cost of maintaining baseball in Northeast Ohio has become increasingly prohibitive,” said CSU Athletic Director John Parry. “My heart goes out to the players, coaches and alumni who have honored this 79-year-old program and made it an important part of this University and of their own lives.”
Over the past decade, the NCAA baseball season has progressively started earlier in the year, favoring southern teams in warmer climates. Northern schools have been forced to practice indoors and build expensive all-weather fields.
Compounding the problem, CSU has no baseball facilities and has resorted to playing in a facility in Avon, Ohio, more than 20 miles from campus. Considerations to build a new ballpark on the University’s North Campus were eclipsed this year by a lack of public and private funding. The costs involved with playing and practicing off site simply could not be maintained in this economic climate, Parry said.
The decision will not affect CSU’s classification as a Division I athletic school, nor will it affect its membership in the Horizon League. Existing baseball scholarships will be honored throughout their terms, and players will be allowed to transfer to other schools at no penalty.
Original Post
According to sources close to the situation, Cleveland State is on the verge of dropping their baseball program. We will update the situation when more information becomes available.
