UNI Baseball program ties up loose ends

It’s often said when one door closes, another door opens. The University of Northern Iowa Baseball program closed its final game May 16, topping off a 103-year tradition. While many members of the team have moved on to find scholarships to play baseball at other schools, others remain searching for that open door that hasn’t yet revealed itself.
   
The University announced in February that the team would be cut at the end of the season due to budget reductions unless they could come up with $1.2 million in fundraising in less than two months. The team was unable to raise the money in the amount of time and officially removed from UNI’s athletic program.
   
Although the baseball season is now over, Head Coach Rick Heller has been returning to his office each day to tie up loose ends before he leaves his post.
   
“In the last game the reality of the situation really hit hard,” said Heller. “Basically after that it was just a matter of taking care of the business that needed to be taken care of, trying to place the players and find employment for ourselves.”
   
Heller has been with the UNI Baseball program for 10 years. Although UNI was the only baseball program in the Missouri Valley Conference that was not fully funded, the Panthers racked up 30 win seasons three times. As of June 30, Heller will no longer have the title of UNI Baseball Head Coach.
   
“Once I started cleaning my office out it was really just sad to take pictures off the wall and knowing this is the end. For me I’m a creature of habit so I’ve still been coming in to the office everyday and it really didn’t seem a lot different, but now its really starting to sink in,” he said.
   
The team’s equipment will be disbursed in various locations.
   
“Some of it will continue to be used by softball – you know cages, pitching machines and things like that,” said Athletic Director Troy Dannen. “Some of it I’m sure will eventually be put in the surplus auction that the university does with any of the state property we no longer use. “
   
The end of the program won’t keep many of the team members away from a baseball diamond.
   
“A vast majority of the guys who were on scholarship have found scholarship opportunities in other places,” said Dannen. “I know most of them have found other places to play.”
   
The five students that were recruited at the beginning of the year have all found new schools to play with. Coach Heller said he knew of only two UNI Baseball team members who are staying at university for sure. There are a few players who have not yet found their next destination.
   
“A lot of college coaches around the country did not contact guys initially out of respect because they didn’t want to seem like vultures. So we have a group of guys who were jumped right away. And a lot of the guys were gone right away, but then you have your four to eight guys at the backend that are still searching for a place to play,” he said.

“A lot of coaches after the season was over felt more comfortable asking if there where any players that need a place to play,” he continued. “Every day we get three or four calls or e-mails wanting to know if there’s a third baseman left, pitcher left or a catcher left. So we are responding to those people and putting them in touch with our guys that are still out there.”
   
While helping to place the remaining players, the coaches are also seeking future employment. They face a small pool to choose from, as there are only three openings in the entire country.
   
“For me its added pressure because if I don’t get a head coaching job I can’t take the assistant coaches with me, which will mean we will have three other coaches on their own and there’s just nothing out there this year,” said Heller. “So that’s been the hard part.”
   
While a few of the players will remain, the university will suffer a loss of long standing tradition and committed student-athletes and staff.
   
“ UNI will be losing a big part of what we thought this place represented, and that was a group of kids and coaches that not only worked extremely hard at their sport but also did a great job on campus as far as being good citizens and doing a good job in the classroom,” said Heller. “You’re losing a bunch of guys who fought hard and overachieved and really represented the university in a first class way and that won’t be replaced unfortunately.”

Head coach Heller would like to thank the faculty and staff that stood behind the baseball team, even before this year for all of their support.

 

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