UTB-TSC announces end of baseball program
A statement issued Tuesday officially acknowledged that the UTB-TSC split caused budget shortfall that ended the baseball program, following the fallout of the news leaked Monday.
Officials explained in a statement that athletics receives all of its funding through student fees. Therefore, because the student body will be split between UTB and TSC, the department faces up to a 50 percent loss in funding.
“It’s a very difficult situation,” UTB-TSC baseball coach Bryan Aughney said. “What’s very unfortunate about it is we were not given any options.”
In this case, fewer students at each school equals less money for sport programs. The baseball team’s last season is this year. It begins Jan. 20 with an exhibition game against UTB-TSC alumni.
TSC Board of Trustees Chairman Francisco “Kiko” Rendon said picking up the baseball program was not currently being analyzed.
Officials said men and women’s cross-country will be added to satisfy the Red River Athletic Conference requirement of having six teams. UTB-TSC is also a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics. The decision about the baseball program, the statement said, was made on the recommendations of an Athletics Task Force that studied the issue for several months. UTB President Juliet V. Garcia said the same as she confirmed the end of the program Monday night. She also said the baseball program has the highest costs.
Aughney said the cost of running his baseball team is $300,000, while he believes the cost of running a cross-country program is $80,000. He said he did not spend his full budget last year, leaving him with a surplus and that his program was not given the option to make adjustments.
“There’s definitely room in our budget to (change) some things,” he said. “We do zero fundraising. ... I was never given the opportunity. I was never given any forum to speak in.”
The baseball media guide lists about 100 Scorpion baseball sponsors. Aughney, who faces the prospect of being without a job after this season, said options like placing advertisements on the baseball team’s outfield wall might have been explored.
He said junior class students would face the toughest time because they have one year of eligibility left and it will be difficult to find a school that would take such a student transfer. He also said his “gut instinct” is that scholarships after this season will not be honored.
Randy Frazier is the father of one of the baseball players expected to face the most difficulty. His son, Scott Frazier, is an UTB-TSC junior from Meridian, Idaho on a scholarship. He is second baseman.
Frazier said his son plans to return to finish out the season because he’s a “team guy,” but that the family is taking a “pro-active” approach to finding the student another place to play.
“He’s worked on this for his whole life,” the father said of his son playing baseball. “It puts him in a precarious situation.”
He said he placed blame on university administration and Scorpions Director of Athletics Todd Lowery for the way the news developed. Waiting to make the announcement until after winter break was a mistake, he said, though UTB-TSC finals ended just this week.
The baseball player’s father said administrators had to know this was a possibility and should have prepared appropriately.
“I wouldn’t feel any different then I do right now,” Frazier said of a press conference on the subject. “But, boy, I tell you what, you just have to say at least you handled it in a direct manner instead of letting it get out the way it did. Two-thirds of (the players) are home for Christmas break and they’re hearing about this. ... They got a tough deal that school splitting and all that, I understand that, but just the way it was handled was a travesty.”
