I am writing this letter to the editor to congratulate BGSU baseball coach Danny Schmitz, his
staff and players for an outstanding season culminating in a Mid-American Conference tournament championship
and a berth in the NCAA baseball tournament this past spring.Quite an amazing feat considering the fact that
BGSU baseball operates with only nine scholarships while the rest of the league schools, except Buffalo,
operate with a full complement of 11 2/3 scholarships. The might not sound like that much of a difference,
but 2 2/3 scholarships in the sport of college baseball represents probably five to seven quality players.
This disparity is huge and is getting larger.BGSU baseball was cut by the equivalent of 2 2/3 scholarships
in the fall of 2009 after capturing the MAC title earlier in the spring. Coach Schmitz, his staff, and
players have been competing at a huge disadvantage ever since. The situation needs to be address and
corrected.Since 1995, under Coach Schmitz, BGSU baseball has won seven division titles, four regular season
titles, and three tournament titles (a total of 14 titles in 18 years).Name one other men’s sport at BGSU
that comes close to that record of achievement. The student-athletes and coaches deserve the full support of
the athletic department and university.If other schools in the MAC can fully support their baseball program,
why can’t we? What kind of success would be possible if they had an additional 2 2/3 scholarships. Perhaps
regional champions, College World Series, or national championships could be in their futureDr. Mazey and
new athletic director Chris Kingston please consider eliminating this huge disparity by fully supporting
BGSU baseball and getting them back on an even competitive position with the rest of the MAC.BGSU baseball,
its players, coaches, and staff deserve it and more importantly have earned itEd PlatzerBowling Green