The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Players waiting, hoping BG baseball gets restored
It was a whirlwind spring for Bowling Green baseball players Mason Montgomery and Max Carevic.
After having to navigate through everything that came with the novel coronavirus pandemic, the pair received some devastating news.
The Bowling Green baseball program had been cut.
It was a crushing blow to a pair of former area athletes. Montgomery, a freshman, played baseball at Vermilion, while Carevic, a sophomore, played baseball for
Wellington.
The team found out about the news during a regularly scheduled Zoom meeting May 15.
The players knew something was wrong once they saw Bowling Green athletic director Bob Moosbrugger’s face on screen. He didn’t normally take part in their meetings.
“(Moosbrugger) broke the news to us, and I was just shocked,” Montgomery said. “I was in shock, and I just sat there. I never thought this would happen. Once everything set in after that meeting, I was just thinking about a hundred things at once. What’s the future going to look like? (I thought about) going through the (recruiting) process again and all of that stuff.”
Two weeks have passed since the news broke, and a key question stands out for both athletes: Where do they go from here?
Montgomery and Carevic are weighing their options and will have plenty to think about. Right now, they are not rushing to make any decisions. That’s because not all hope is lost for the BGSU baseball program.
“As of now, our coaches told us to hold off on everything because they are trying to bring the program back,” Carevic said.
“As of right now, I’m not looking too in depth anywhere because our coaches told us to hold off for another week. They will have a final decision by the end of the week (as to) whether or not the program is coming back.”
BGSU alumni have raised $1.3 million in an effort to save the program. According to The Toledo Blade, that money would be distributed during a five-year window that the “Save Baseball at BGSU” campaign set to find alternative revenue sources for the baseball program. The campaign said they had 140 contributors as of May 25. Montgomery and Carevic were told a final decision on whether the program will be reinstated is expected to come May 29.
Alumni raising money in an effort to save a program is not an unprecedented event. In 2015, Cleveland State announced it would no longer fund its wrestling program. Supporters immediately began finding ways to raise money to save the program before CSU announced a plan to raise student fees by $15 per semester in order to help fund the wrestling program. Carevic, Montgomery and their teammates are hoping to hear some good news from their coaches and the school May 29.
“I’m just keeping my fingers crossed and hoping for the best right now,” Carevic said. “From everything I’m hearing, I think it’s about a 50-50 chance (it gets restored) as of now. A lot of people are feeling really optimistic about it, so I’m just keeping my fingers crossed and hoping for the best.”
Bowling Green announced it will honor the athletic scholarships that were given out to players. This gives them an opportunity to remain at the school if they choose. Another alternative is transferring schools, something Carevic is considering.
“I entered the transfer portal and I’ve been getting calls, almost daily, about opportunities at different places around the country,” Carevic said. Montgomery is also weighing his options, one of which is possibly remaining a Falcon.
“My plan right now is to keep all of my options available,” Montgomery said. “I’m looking at different schools to play baseball at and have been talking to some coaches. If baseball doesn’t work out, BG is still honoring their athletic scholarships for us to still go to school there. So that’s always an option, too. When the time comes, I’m going to figure out what’s best for me and my family. My goal right now is to find a school where I can still play baseball at.”