Area players ‘ecstatic’ for BG reinstatement

The Bowling Green baseball program is back.

After being eliminated by the school as a result of budget cuts that were made in response to the novel coronavirus pandemic, there’s now an agreement in place for program to return.

BGSU and the Save BGSU Baseball group have agreed to a financial framework to reinstate the team. The university confirmed the news in a statement on its website June 2.

“After very positive and productive dialogue with alumni and former student-athletes nationwide, Bowling Green State University is pleased to reinstate its baseball program effective immediately.,” the statement read. “In just days, our passionate baseball alumni and donors have committed $1.5 million over the next three years. During this time, the University, in partnership with a select group of baseball alumni, will pursue a longterm funding solution to sustain and support the program.

“BGSU is grateful for its alumni and friends who have stepped up during this difficult time to ensure their alma mater is positioned to thrive on the other side of the current COVID-19 crisis. We are inspired by the efforts of our baseball alumni, and we look forward to continuing to cultivate and reinvigorate all BGSU alumni. We are excited for Opening Day in the spring.”

When Bowling Green announced the program was being cut, it estimated the athletic department would save $500,000 per year. In 18 days after the announcement, $1.5 million was raised by the alumni organization in an effort to save the team. It paid off.

“I was ecstatic and I was really happy,” former Vermilion baseball player Mason Montgomery said.

Prior to the announcement, former Wellington baseball player Max Carevic was feeling good about the program’s chances of being restored.

“I was really excited,” Carevic said. “I had a good feeling about it the past couple of weeks. I was hearing a lot of news that we were raising a lot of money and the alumni just kept fighting. It seemed like they just wouldn’t give up. I was really happy and excited about it.”

Players and their parents were made aware of the decision on a Zoom call with the alumni group.

“It was really amazing to hear,” Montgomery said. “It was really awesome to see what the alumni did. It was an awesome feeling (choosing) the school that you initially wanted to choose to go to for four years, then all of a sudden, you can’t go there anymore but then it’s brought back.”

Montgomery described the time period between finding out that the program had been cut to hearing it had been brought back, as a “roller coaster of emotions.”

“After (the program got cut), it was just shocking,” Montgomery said. “You essentially just had to sit back and realize that if you want to keep doing this, if you want to keep playing baseball, then you’re going to have to go through the whole process again.

“(It involves) contacting coaches, getting calls from coaches, talking to them, talking with your family and parents and trying to figure out the best option. (You also have to figure out) what you really want to do now. So it was back to step one and trying to figure out where the best fit was for you to go to school for the next four years.”

Carevic was caught off guard by the news that the program had been cut. After the initial shock wore off as the month went along, he began to see some light at the end of the tunnel.

“Initially, it was such a surprise. So I was in shock at the beginning,” Carevic said. “Just complete shock, and I didn’t see it coming at all. Then everything was going on and schools were reaching out to everyone. At the end, there started to be a little hope so I getting excited. Then just yesterday, they broke the news that it was official. It’s been a wild month, that’s for sure.”

The players don’t know too much as there are more details that have yet to be released and shared with all of those involved. However, Montgomery is hoping for a normal offseason.

“There’s still a lot more information that has to be given to the alumni group from the school and the coaches and us,” Montgomery said. “Not everything has been unveiled, so we don’t know everything yet. For the most part, it hopefully should be pretty normal.”