Off-season banter. Killing time until football starts.

[Trailgoat]

Utes could be really good this season. All the pieces are in place. All eyes on the Oline. Optimistic BB will see a turn around next season.

Time for Harlan to make another hard decision and cut the baseball program. Watching the CWS sure sheds light on Utah having no business fielding a baseball program, a complete waste of money especially since the baseball team spends more of the season blowing money on travel costs because of the non-baseball climate the live in. No different than USC or UCLA dumping money into an alpine ski team. Clearly the UofU is not interested in spending money on making the program competitive with the P12 teams. The stands are empty and the on on campus stadium upgrade was shot down. If the P12 is making Utah field a baseball team, so be it then.

No disrespect to the players and coaches who put in their time for the baseball program. The players will all have plenty of options to play at a warm weather school that is committed to their baseball program. Counting the days to football kick-off and the RES blowing up! Go Utes!

[Gugstanley]

I like baseball but the way the NCAA does it is bad for teams with Utah’s weather. They spend atleast a month straight on the road to start the season. Even in March it has been snowing during home games.
I agree that money should be spent on a sport Utah can be competitive or just use it on the other sports Utah currently fields.

[GameForAnyFuss]

OK I’ll bite. What is your criteria for determining if a team is worthy of being funded by Utah?

[noneyadb]

Lame take from OP.

[PhiladelphiaUte]

I’m definitely on board with cutting Baseball.  Colorado doesn’t field a team either, and likely for the same reasons Gugstanley (weather) and nonyabd (lack of local commitment) stated.  So let’s cut Baseball, and replace it with Ice Hockey!  It’s a more exciting game, and the Grizzlies have already shown that there’s enough interest in the area for it to be successful.  Plus, our club team had already shown some decent success with 3 Pac-8 titles from 2013-2016 — success that enabled them to move up into a higher division (ACHA Div-1).

[JB]

I believe they have won a conference title so it can be done.  The problem is Utah High School baseball is good but not great.  Recruiting has to be tough.  

[Duhwayne]

We just added a proven winner as coach. I know you’re killing time til fall camp but I wonder how baseball recruits will view a thread like this. Some of our players get drafted.

[CincyUte]

I’d be curious to know more about some of the things our baseball team has accomplished in the 130 years of its existence.  We won the Pac-12 a few years back.  CJ Cron.  What else?

[AZUTE]

Doesn’t matter who they hire until the university decides to put some real money into the program it’s always gonna be a bottom D1 team.

It’s the only sports team at the U that hasn’t had some kind of facilities upgrade since joining the PAC. That should tell you all you need to know.

Do a quick internet search of pac12 baseball facilities and you’ll see why Utah is so far behind.

Smith Ballpark is awesome in terms of the quality of the field and stadium amenities but Utah has zero home field advantage there.

Like the song says

Money money money mooonnneeey money

[Hellhound152]

Bonus points for the Ted DiBiase reference.  This whole thread is a buzzkill.

[UtahPilot47]

Replace it with wrestling or men’s soccer.  The Pac 12 and the west needs more wrestling programs.  Wrestling is a low cost sport.  Men’s soccer is very popular in Utah and the state’s flagship school needs a team.

[noneyadb]

Can’t tell you how bad this post p**ses me off…

I have a son in baseball, 13U, and we struggle to keep him involved because of the way leagues are ran here… We moved to Salt Lake from Reno and the difference in each communities efforts to keep kids interested in baseball is night and day and it shows on the field.

Your issue isn’t with baseball. It’s with cities not keeping “America’s Pastime” relevant.

[dystopiamembrane]

First, there are good arguments for reducing the number of programs that Utah fields – consolidation of dollars, etc. And, let us not forget that on the main forum for Utah sports, UH.C, the support for any student-athlete activity other than football (and basketball, if they start winning) is near zero.