Absence dulls the spring

[FurmanATT]

One of my occasional diatribes is in the topper. -- MD
#Paladins take big joust in Virginia. And there's more. https://wellpilgrim.wordpress.com/2024/ ... osse-wins/

[Sad Din]

Good stuff. Thx

SB has big series v woofy this WE.

If Dins dont take the series, seat could be getting a little warm

[apaladin]

Totally agree Monte, not havng baseball sucks and always will.

[FGT]

Meanwhile LaSalle, who also dropped baseball in 2020, has announced the sport is coming back.

Also, Tennessee State just announced they are bringing baseball back as well. They dropped the sport in 1993.

No Division 1 school, in the South, with an on campus facility has eliminated baseball in at least the last 55 years except for Furman. It’s even more crazy when you think about the recent facility investments.

[MidlandsPaladin]

Meanwhile LaSalle, who also dropped baseball in 2020, has announced the sport is coming back.

Also, Tennessee State just announced they are bringing baseball back as well. They dropped the sport in 1993.

No Division 1 school, in the South, with an on campus facility has eliminated baseball in at least the last 55 years except for Furman. It’s even more crazy when you think about the recent facility investments.

So you are saying there is a chance...? As long as Latham Stadium exists and isn't repurposed, I will hold out hope.

[Davemeister]

Hope is Good, but someone will have to hold out a lot of $$$ to make it happen.

[apaladin]

Hope is Good, but someone will have to hold out a lot of $$$ to make it happen.

Hope is all we have unfortunately.

[Affirm]

Hope is Good, but someone will have to hold out a lot of $$$ to make it happen.

Hope is all we have unfortunately.

Need to have a plan, in addition to hope and $$$.
Before or definitely after those $$$ are raised, then still need a plan, or a variety of potential plans.
LGT noted that LaSalle is bringing baseball back. Note that LaSalle does not have football. Also note that LaSalle presently has 10 women's sports compared to 6 men's sports. Again, they do not have the "big numbers" of men playing that they would if they had football.
Presumably, LaSalle has less concern about Title IX requirements as they look to add a men's sport, baseball,
Whether that is true or not, note this statement in a Philadelphia Inquirer article: "... [ LaSalle] has decided to bring back baseball ... and add several new women’s sports, including rugby, triathlon and acrobatics and tumbling. "
LaSalle is one of the Big 5 in Philadelphia, and they play all those other 4 schools in basketball every season. They won the NCAA Basketball National Championship in 1954. Also, as Atlantic 10 members, LaSalle gets to regularly play a fairly good basketball schedule.
For Furman to be able to bring baseball back, we need to be looking at beginning 2 or 3 new women's sports.
"Acrobatics & tumbling" is an emerging NCAA sport. Division 1 programs for that exist at Presbyterian and East Tennessee State.
Women's gymnastics could be a possibility. Closest programs appear to be Clemson, Georgia (big time), NCSU, and UNC-CH.
Field Hockey exists at Davidson, Wake Forest, and Appalachian State, but apparently not at any other "nearby" schools in D-1.
Just some ideas that we may need to be thinking about in regard to Title IX if and when we bring back baseball.

[Affirm]

The Chronicle of Higher Education has a recent article that identifies a number of colleges which have delved more deeply than usual into their endowments. LaSalle University appears to be one of those. At least one of the other schools in the Chronicle article has already decided they must cease operations by the end of 2025. And we have discussed Birmingham-Southern on UFFP, which will cease operations next month due to finances. BSC was not even one of the schools identified in the Chronicle article. Altogether, there were about 10 mentioned in the article. Another one was Guilford College in Greensboro, NC.

[apaladin]

If baseball came back why would we need to add 2-3 womens sports? Currently we have 7 mens and 9 womens. Wofford has 9 mens includng baseball and 10 womens. WCU has 7 mns includng baseball and 8 womens.

[FUBeAR]

If baseball came back why would we need to add 2-3 womens sports? Currently we have 7 mens and 9 womens. Wofford has 9 mens includng baseball and 10 womens.

Maybe you can use this to ‘work out the math’…FUBeAR doesn’t math in the off-season

Athletic Scholarship Limits: Men's Teams - Men's Varsity Sports 2022-23
Scholarship limit per Team: NCAA I
Baseball 11.7
Basketball * 13
Bowling
Cross Country - NCAA limits include T&F 12.6
Fencing 4.5
Football - NCAA I FCS 63
Golf 4.5
Gymnastics 6.3
Ice Hockey 18
Lacrosse 12.6
Rifle - Includes co-ed teams 3.6
Skiing 6.3
Soccer 9.9
Swimming & Diving 9.9
Tennis 4.5
Track & Field - NCAA limits include X-C 12.6
Volleyball 4.5
Water Polo 4.5
Wrestling 9.9

Athletic Scholarship Limits: Women's Teams - Women's Varsity Sports 2022-23
Scholarship limit per Team: NCAA I
Basketball * 15
Beach Volleyball ** 6
Bowling 5
Cross Country - NCAA limits include T&F 18
Equestrian 15
Fencing 5
Field Hockey 12
Flag Football
Golf 6
Gymnastics * 12
Ice Hockey 18
Lacrosse 12
Rifle- includes co-ed teams 3.6
Rowing 20
Rugby 12
Skiing 7
Soccer 14
Softball 12
Swimming & Diving 14
Tennis * 8
Track & Field - NCAA limits include X-C 18
Triathlon 6.5
Volleyball * 12
Water Polo 8
Wrestling 10

[Sad Din]

new calls to bring back BB.

In SD's humble opinion...
1. finish Bball practice facility
2. New FB facility ... either field house or indoor training area (with indoor track would help the entire campus)
3. Upgrade some other sports
4. baseball

unless of course somebody wins the lottery and funds it all at once

[apaladin]

Move #4 Baseball to #3, other sports have it pretty good now.

[Affirm]

If baseball came back why would we need to add 2-3 womens sports? Currently we have 7 mens and 9 womens. Wofford has 9 mens includng baseball and 10 womens.

Maybe you can use this to ‘work out the math’…FUBeAR doesn’t math in the off-season

Athletic Scholarship Limits: Men's Teams - Men's Varsity Sports 2022-23
Scholarship limit per Team: NCAA I
Baseball 11.7
Basketball * 13
Bowling
Cross Country - NCAA limits include T&F 12.6
Fencing 4.5
Football - NCAA I FCS 63
Golf 4.5
Gymnastics 6.3
Ice Hockey 18
Lacrosse 12.6
Rifle - Includes co-ed teams 3.6
Skiing 6.3
Soccer 9.9
Swimming & Diving 9.9
Tennis 4.5
Track & Field - NCAA limits include X-C 12.6
Volleyball 4.5
Water Polo 4.5
Wrestling 9.9

Athletic Scholarship Limits: Women's Teams - Women's Varsity Sports 2022-23
Scholarship limit per Team: NCAA I
Basketball * 15
Beach Volleyball ** 6
Bowling 5
Cross Country - NCAA limits include T&F 18
Equestrian 15
Fencing 5
Field Hockey 12
Flag Football
Golf 6
Gymnastics * 12
Ice Hockey 18
Lacrosse 12
Rifle- includes co-ed teams 3.6
Rowing 20
Rugby 12
Skiing 7
Soccer 14
Softball 12
Swimming & Diving 14
Tennis * 8
Track & Field - NCAA limits include X-C 18
Triathlon 6.5
Volleyball * 12
Water Polo 8
Wrestling 10

If we have maximum in each (unlikely?), my “in-my-head” adding shows about 97 men’s to about 97 women’s for Furman. That is if baseball would be in the total. Also would be IF max scholarships for each sport are made available, which is questionable. Then also don’t we have to be concerned about the actual relative gender makeup M-F %’s of the student body?

[FUBeAR]

If baseball came back why would we need to add 2-3 womens sports? Currently we have 7 mens and 9 womens. Wofford has 9 mens includng baseball and 10 womens.

Maybe you can use this to ‘work out the math’…FUBeAR doesn’t math in the off-season

Athletic Scholarship Limits: Men's Teams - Men's Varsity Sports 2022-23
Scholarship limit per Team: NCAA I
Baseball 11.7
Basketball * 13
Bowling
Cross Country - NCAA limits include T&F 12.6
Fencing 4.5
Football - NCAA I FCS 63
Golf 4.5
Gymnastics 6.3
Ice Hockey 18
Lacrosse 12.6
Rifle - Includes co-ed teams 3.6
Skiing 6.3
Soccer 9.9
Swimming & Diving 9.9
Tennis 4.5
Track & Field - NCAA limits include X-C 12.6
Volleyball 4.5
Water Polo 4.5
Wrestling 9.9

Athletic Scholarship Limits: Women's Teams - Women's Varsity Sports 2022-23
Scholarship limit per Team: NCAA I
Basketball * 15
Beach Volleyball ** 6
Bowling 5
Cross Country - NCAA limits include T&F 18
Equestrian 15
Fencing 5
Field Hockey 12
Flag Football
Golf 6
Gymnastics * 12
Ice Hockey 18
Lacrosse 12
Rifle- includes co-ed teams 3.6
Rowing 20
Rugby 12
Skiing 7
Soccer 14
Softball 12
Swimming & Diving 14
Tennis * 8
Track & Field - NCAA limits include X-C 18
Triathlon 6.5
Volleyball * 12
Water Polo 8
Wrestling 10

If we have maximum in each (unlikely?), my “in-my-head” adding shows about 97 men’s to about 97 women’s for Furman. That is if baseball would be in the total. Also would be IF max scholarships for each sport are made available, which is questionable. Then also don’t we have to be concerned about the actual relative gender makeup M-F %’s of the student body?

Cool - thx for mathing. FUBeAR feels, but doesn’t know, that we prolly max out schollies in any sport we sponsor. Took us a LONG time to get there for Football, but believe we’ve had 63 for a while now. Had 55 when everyone else had 95 and won a bunch of SoCon Championships spottin’ ‘em 40. Just sayin’ …. But FUBeAR digresses … and, yes, FUBeAR believes schollies has to more-or-less mirror the M-F demographic of the overall student body ….that’s 57/43 right now https://www.furman.edu/admissions-aid/ ... t-profile/

So…if we say 97 for dudes (including baseball) and FUBeAR did a little correct mathing, we would need to get to 126 Women’s Schollies … so +29…Rowing (we already have a lake) and Wrestling would get us there. FUBeAR faced off with some dang good FU coed wrestlers back in the day…so it’s a perfect fit also!

Problem solved. Batter up!