Chicago State University on Monday voted to end its baseball program, becoming the second Division I athletic department to do so.
CSU has decided to cut its baseball program and add men’s soccer. Athletic director Elliott Charles estimates the change could save the school $500,000 annually.
Rumor that CSU was looking to cut baseball had been swirling for months, according to D1Baseball.com.
Coaches and players weren’t told about the program’s status for months, which forced 25 players from CSU to enter the transfer portal. Players were reportedly told that their scholarships would not be renewed prior to the board’s decision to cut the program was announced, which caused confusion.
“We could’ve done and should’ve done a much better job of communicating with the families that are going to be affected by this decision,” CSU trustee Andrea Zopp told D1Basball.com. “We did not do that. There was certainly a lot happening, but that’s not an excuse.
“For those failures to communicate, I would apologize to those parents. We are sorry,” she continued. “I would hope the athletic department is doing a much better job now and moving forward in how they handle these things.
“I’m also distressed that an email was sent out terminating scholarships before we even voted on the matter,” she added. “It should not have been done that way. We’re terminating a sport and that affect’s people’s lives.”
