Article on Mean Green Baseball Reunion

Doug Rush · July 28, 2023

https://dentonrc.com/sports/colleges/mean_green/former-unt-baseball-players-reunite-dream-of-programs-return/article_43e3b874-1960-5a68-8feb-554c0d690f7b.html

Edited July 28, 2023 by Coach Andy Mac

Doug Rush · July 28, 2023

Really good article by Brett Vito in the Denton Record Chronicle. The Mean Green Baseball Project is very appreciative of Mr. Mosley meeting with us and hosting us in our reunion.

meangreenbaseball.com

Jonnyeagle · July 28, 2023

This is good to hear @Doug Rush and I wanted to ask you if you think the naming rights sponsor or other donors will be willing to help kickstart the program. Also do you have a rough estimate of how much it would cost and can we use existing facilities in the interim? I have wanted baseball for a long time and most of the schools in the AAC have it so I think we should as well. And they probably want us to as well.

I want to thank you and all of your teammates for your support of UNT athletics.

Doug Rush · July 28, 2023

3 hours ago, Jonnyeagle said:

This is good to hear @Doug Rush and I wanted to ask you if you think the naming rights sponsor or other donors will be willing to help kickstart the program. Also do you have a rough estimate of how much it would cost and can we use existing facilities in the interim? I have wanted baseball for a long time and most of the schools in the AAC have it so I think we should as well. And they probably want us to as well.

I want to thank you and all of your teammates for your support of UNT athletics.

Jonnyeagle I am not sure about the naming rights sponsor but I doubt any of it would go to baseball. We are actively seeking other donors including a big donor. We are seeking that for the athletic center since it has to be funded first. And we are also seeking a big donor for the stadium. I would say 30-40 million for baseball is needed to build everything the way the administration wants to build it. As for other venues, we have met with the city of Denton about a joint venture, and we have met with the Frisco Roughriders about possibly using their venue some. But, the best solution is to find a person who wants their name on a stadium and wants to fund it. The land behind the indoor facility is presently designated for baseball and would make a great on campus spot.

A huge problem at U.N.T. that Mr. Mosley has informed us of is that we just lag way behind other major universities in giving to the scholarship fund, overall giving to the athletic department, and in buying season tickets. We only have about 250 total baseball players who played in the 70's and 80's but we are pledging to up our game. That will make a very small dent. I know there are hundreds of thousands of U.N.T. alumni in the metroplex. And there are quite a few thousand former U.N.T. athletes from a variety of other sports who surely have gone on to some success in life. But, as of right now giving back is not high on the priority list for some reason. Most of the baseball players had never even been asked to give back and admittedly some had pledged not to until we resurrected baseball, but many who are there have changed their mind on that I believe.

Our goal is to have baseball at U.N.T. in 5 years or less while still avidly supporting existing sports.

Zeleny' Orel · July 29, 2023

22 hours ago, Doug Rush said:

Jonnyeagle I am not sure about the naming rights sponsor but I doubt any of it would go to baseball. We are actively seeking other donors including a big donor. We are seeking that for the athletic center since it has to be funded first. And we are also seeking a big donor for the stadium. I would say 30-40 million for baseball is needed to build everything the way the administration wants to build it. As for other venues, we have met with the city of Denton about a joint venture, and we have met with the Frisco Roughriders about possibly using their venue some. But, the best solution is to find a person who wants their name on a stadium and wants to fund it. The land behind the indoor facility is presently designated for baseball and would make a great on campus spot.

A huge problem at U.N.T. that Mr. Mosley has informed us of is that we just lag way behind other major universities in giving to the scholarship fund, overall giving to the athletic department, and in buying season tickets. We only have about 250 total baseball players who played in the 70's and 80's but we are pledging to up our game. That will make a very small dent. I know there are hundreds of thousands of U.N.T. alumni in the metroplex. And there are quite a few thousand former U.N.T. athletes from a variety of other sports who surely have gone on to some success in life. But, as of right now giving back is not high on the priority list for some reason. Most of the baseball players had never even been asked to give back and admittedly some had pledged not to until we resurrected baseball, but many who are there have changed their mind on that I believe.

Our goal is to have baseball at U.N.T. in 5 years or less while still avidly supporting existing sports.

It all comes down to monetary support for UNT athletics, which has been a historical problem for the 50+ years I have followed UNT sports. Each year I have had hope that we have turned the corner, but it hasn't happened, although we have moved up some in the pecking order. Unfortunately, that requires even more monetary support. I agree that there has to be a priority expenditure of the money we do have and the athletic center is first on the list as it impacts the most student-athletes. NIL has complicated securing money for facilities, but I truly think the athletic center has to be funded quickly or we will lose ground in the AAC. I am once again hopeful that new marketing and fund-raising strategies might help...the old ones haven't done the job! So if you win the big lottery, remember UNT! GMG