Statement Regarding
Florida College Baseball Program
After a yearly review/evaluation process and several meetings, a statement was sent from the College’s administration and Athletic Director to the Florida College Board of Directors recommending the termination of the baseball program at Florida College after the close of the 2008 spring season. At their February meeting, the Board approved the recommendation.
Two major factors led to this decision being made.
- Equity/Compliance issues: Federal regulations, specifically Title IX, have continued to be discussed during our yearly reviews. Title IX is primarily a two pronged equity issue, regulating both the number of athletic programs a school offers men and women, and the amount of funding for those programs. Florida College, because of major financial commitments such as new residence halls, is not, nor will be in the near future, in a position to adequately fund this present program or any additional programs to meet compliance. Terminating the baseball program brings us into compliance immediately and eliminates all Title IX equity concerns.
- Level of play in Florida: The quality of baseball played in Florida at every level, especially at the high school and college levels, is highly competitive, which has made recruiting a difficult task. Even with adjustments in our philosophy and approach to recruiting, it has continued to be a challenge. Our main concerns are recruiting student-athletes who are academically sound, and who can reach the level of play needed to compete here in Florida. Because of the number of games played in the school year, baseball players have to miss an inordinate number of classes. This has created an eligibility hardship for some players. Regarding talent level, having to recruit 25-30 players for baseball puts additional pressure on coaches to recruit that many players who fit our overall recruiting philosophy.
As the Director of Athletics, I am committed, as is Coach Leggatt, to helping all current baseball players in anyway I can. They will have our full support through the remainder of this season and we will do all we can to help them with their academic and athletic futures.
Kenny Moorer
Director of Athletics
