Baseball is returning to the University of Oregon’s roster of intercollegiate sports, Athletic Director Pat Kilkenny announced today. At a press conference held Friday afternoon at the Stadium Club at Autzen Stadium, Kilkenny and Reneé Baumgartner stated that baseball would return in the 2008-09 season, and will be joined at that time by a new women’s competitive cheerleading squad.
“This is a time of mixed emotions for both myself and the University of Oregon,” Kilkenny said in an athletic department press release. “I am obviously excited to return a piece of the proud tradition of intercollegiate athletics back to the University, as well as provide more opportunities for women in a sport that has demonstrated remarkable growth.
“At the same time, it is unfortunate we are unable to be all things to all people.”
The press conference confirmed baseball’s return, which had been rumored in the past few weeks and, as Baumgartner said, “comes up every season” from Duck fans and donors. Kilkenny and Baumgartner confirmed the program’s return was an issue discussed since this past April, when Baumgartner was chosen to lead a group to investigate the return of the sport, which has been absent since its disillusion in 1981.
With the addition of baseball also comes a brand new women’s sport, women’s competitive cheer, the third new women’s sport since 1996. Baumgartner said the addition of competitive cheer brings the University closer to meeting Title IX regulations by furthering a “history of expansion” of women’s sports, and by closing in on scholarship equity. Baumgartner said that she hopes the athletic department’s spirit of innovation and desire to be on the cutting edge will be reflected in future years in competitive cheer, which is not currently an NCAA varsity sport but one that many believe will come under NCAA regulation soon.
The additions necessitated the cutting of the wrestling program after the 2007-08 season. The athletic department will honor the contracts of the wrestling coaching staff, including head coach Chuck Kearney, and the scholarships of the student-athletes expected to compete next year. Athletes with remaining eligibility will be allowed after next season to transfer to another school (the NCAA does not require a year between competing at Division-I schools for wrestling as it does for basketball, football and other programs) or retain their financial aid at the University throughout the duration of their eligibility.
“Obviously we’re very disappointed,” Kearney said in a prepared statement. “We have the 2007-08 season to compete and with the Pac-10 Conference Championships here (March 2-3, 2008), we’re hoping our student-athletes will be able to focus on competing at the maximum of their abilities and taking the next step after that.”
The Emerald will provide more coverage and analysis of this developing story in Monday’s print edition and online at dailyemerald.com.
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