Mean Green Baseball

C Vo · May 23, 2011

What are the latest plans for adding a baseball program? I know a facility will have to be built & there are some Title 9 problems to address. Division 1 baseball only gets 11.5 scholarships so the Title 9 issues aren't that great. I'm a big fan of softball. But having a baseball team on campus is what I need to enjoy spring & early summer.

Do you think baseball will be added in 3, 4, 5 or more years?

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Mean Green 93-98 · May 23, 2011

I don't know the latest plans, but I know it's in the plans somewhere.

In my uneducated opinion, 5 years would be optimistic, but not unreasonable.

Mean Green Matt · May 23, 2011

I have always thought 2-3 years after the stadium was built we would see a baseball team on the field, but that is nothing more than a guess.

untcampbell · May 23, 2011

Not sure about a timeline, but I got an "external" tour of the facilities (we didn't go into the new stadium), and our tour guide pointed out that the Mean Green Village has land dedicated to a future baseball stadium. It is probably in the master plan paperwork that shows up on the site once in a while but it looked like it is planned for that vacant land just north of the softball field almost directly across from the football stadium.

Just that they proactively mention it is positive to me.

GMG

untbowler · May 23, 2011

Add Baseball and then add Women's Bowling for Title 9 purposes, SHSU in first year went to NCAA Championships, SFA and Arky State both have programs as well.

KRAM1 · May 24, 2011

$$$$$$$ for two new programs coming from where?

untbowler · May 24, 2011

$$$$$$$ for two new programs coming from where?

From the extra money our 3 highest paid coaches should be bring in over the next few years due to wins and getting out in community bringing in more MGC members.

LongJim · May 25, 2011

Football and drives the bus. That's why MGC membership, season ticket base, and attendance are critical.

If those areas start taking off, baseball will eventually follow, but I don't see it happening until/unless there is a huge increase in MGC/season ticket sales.

KRAM1 · May 25, 2011

I agree 100%. I would actually like to see baseball return to UNT, but have no hope that it will until and IF Mean Green Club memberships start to climb in both numbers and dollars and until the football and basketball teams start drawing much higher attendance and season ticket numbers. The football program does, indeed, drive the bus. So, if you really want baseball back at UNT make sure you join the Mean Green Club and buy season football and basketball tickets. Anything that raises attendance and financial support for UNT will bring baseball back to UNT and nothing much more complicated than that.

So, if you would like to see baseball return, join the Mean Green Club (and raise your contribution level if you are already a member), buy season football tickets and buy season basketball tickets. Simple, huh?

Oh, and it wouldn't hurt either to find some "rich folks" who would like to financially "jump start" the fundraising campaign for baseball....

UNT Mean Green · May 25, 2011

I agree 100%. I would actually like to see baseball return to UNT, but have no hope that it will until and IF Mean Green Club memberships start to climb in both numbers and dollars and until the football and basketball teams start drawing much higher attendance and season ticket numbers. The football program does, indeed, drive the bus. So, if you really want baseball back at UNT make sure you join the Mean Green Club and buy season football and basketball tickets. Anything that raises attendance and financial support for UNT will bring baseball back to UNT and nothing much more complicated than that.

So, if you would like to see baseball return, join the Mean Green Club (and raise your contribution level if you are already a member), buy season football tickets and buy season basketball tickets. Simple, huh?

Oh, and it wouldn't hurt either to find some "rich folks" who would like to financially "jump start" the fundraising campaign for baseball....

Some of those "rich folks" exist and are ready to give...many people believe baseball will be the best sport at North Texas

oldguystudent · May 25, 2011

Selection Monday is a mere 5 days away. Depending on how the weekend goes, the Sun Belt still has a chance for 3 bids. FIU is the real deal in baseball with FAU and Troy making great strides. By virtue of the strength of the Sun Belt in baseball (which exceeds its strength in basketball and absolutely crushes its strength in football) along with ample opportunity for some genuine quality midweek games and early season weekend series against regional competition, it is not unrealistic to start a baseball team at UNT and get a post season bid within 2 or 3 years.

UNTflyer · May 25, 2011

There are no Title IX problems. We can add baseball and not add another women's sport.

We have 6 men's teams and 10 women's teams. Title IX does not require equal sports or equal scholarships, we just need to ensure there are athletic opportunities for women.

GrandGreen · May 26, 2011

There are no Title IX problems. We can add baseball and not add another women's sport.

We have 6 men's teams and 10 women's teams. Title IX does not require equal sports or equal scholarships, we just need to ensure there are athletic opportunities for women.

RV has stated he believes he can add baseball without another women's sport because of NT's excellent Title IX record.

I still wonder why so many assume NT baseball will be quickly successful. Look at softball after many years, they just finished in last place and have had little success. Also the strongest sport in the Belt is baseball, which should help in recruiting but the conference competition will be substantial.

Green Crazy · May 26, 2011

RV has stated he believes he can add baseball without another women's sport because of NT's excellent Title IX record.

I still wonder why so many assume NT baseball will be quickly successful. Look at softball after many years, they just finished in last place and have had little success. Also the strongest sport in the Belt is baseball, which should help in recruiting but the conference competition will be substantial.

Because Texas is loaded with great baseball talent. Programs all around us like UTA and DBU pull good talent from the area, why not us? We could even steal some of the players that feeder programs like McLennon.

oldguystudent · May 26, 2011

Because Texas is loaded with great baseball talent. Programs all around us like UTA and DBU pull good talent from the area, why not us? We could even steal some of the players that feeder programs like McLennon.

This. I don't know how softball works, and I'll make sure to reserve myself that special place in PC hell by admitting that I don't much care. But I do know a thing or two about baseball.

College baseball is predominately a California/Texas/Louisiana/Florida sport. If you'd like to discount TCU's recent success because they're a "Big" school, then consider that Dallas Baptist, UTA, Texas State, Stephen Austin have all made the post season. Going by RPI, the Sun Belt is currently the sixth best conference out of 32 D1 conferences. North Texas has some really amazing high school programs from which to recruit. It is entirely feasible for a school like UNT to achieve success in baseball at a much faster rate than football or basketball.

So, if UNT wants a successful baseball program, it only needs two pieces to this puzzle.

1) Facilities that seat 3,000. To be honest, if you can average 1,000 a game, and you're school name is not LSU, Arkansas, Ole Miss or South Carolina, this is a really good thing. The reason that you want 3,000 is because it sends a message to parents of potential recruits and the selection committee that you are a serious program with eyes set on hosting in the post season. (Think Fouts vs. the new joint) Amazingly, outside the SEC, you really don't even need to have super agro great facilities. Mostly bench seating is still acceptable save for a few seatbacks for the top hat and monocle set.

2) Good coaches. Highest priority placed on head coach and pitching coach. With the new bats, the era of hitting 9,000 foot home runs off the wrists is over. It's all about pitching now. Finding a good coaching staff is a LOT easier to accomplish than football or basketball. The top salary for a world series winning coach in baseball is about $600,000. The salary for a good Sun Belt coach is probably under $200,000. Like other sports, the baseball coaching community is a pretty tight knit community, and there are a LOT of capable coaches out there who have been brought up and groomed under the greats looking for a shot. If you don't want to go that way, there are also a lot of older greats looking to build something in a new location. I know that a certain school to which the AD has ties is one that shall not be named, but it's got one hell of a baseball tradition with a far reaching network that could provide some incredibly solid leads for a coaching staff. Again, parents of potential recruits recognize these things.

Enjoy selection Monday and see if the Sun Belt does indeed get three bids. I'm looking for FIU to surprise and make it to the supers. But mostly, I'll be watching the west coast and all those flip flop wearing, limp wristed hippies duking it out for a ticket to Omaha.

ColoradoEagle · May 26, 2011

Amazingly, outside the SEC, you really don't even need to have super agro great facilities. Mostly bench seating is still acceptable save for a few seatbacks for the top hat and monocle set.

I've been to three college baseball stadiums (TCU, Arkansas, Louisville), and all three had chairbacks for every or almost every seat. At some point I think you might have been able to get away with aluminum benches, but I doubt that's true anymore or going forward if you want to host a regional.

oldguystudent · May 26, 2011

I've been to three college baseball stadiums (TCU, Arkansas, Louisville), and all three had chairbacks for every or almost every seat. At some point I think you might have been able to get away with aluminum benches, but I doubt that's true anymore or going forward if you want to host a regional.

Yeah. You do have a point on that because this is Texas and there are a lot of really nice facilities. I still think of stadiums out west. There have been some regionals in places out there that you would simply guffaw at.

TCU put in a lot of renovations to compete. Still, their grandstand is nothing to write home about. It's erector set aluminum with crappy plastic chairs, and some of the sight lines aren't sight lines at all. I stopped going after the Fullerton series when I literally couldn't even see the field. In their favor, it's very noisy erector set aluminum.

As for Arkansas, they're big time SEC baseball with a real gem of a stadium that should NOT be used for comparison to other D1 conferences. If I am ever gainfully employed again, this is on my list of places to visit.

Louisville has a stadium funded by an individual who loved baseball.

The stadium has 1,500 chairback seats, with several knolls along the outfield wall which seats an additional 1,000 people. The stadium opened in 2005 and is named after former Louisville baseball player and founder of Long John Silver's, Jim Patterson. Patterson donated $5 million of the complex's $10 million cost.

Louisville hosted in 2007, so you can see that even with only 1,500 seats, they were able to do it. I can promise that they had to put in temporary seating along the knolls though. The NCAA requires a minimum of 3,000 reserved seats to host.

In Louisville's favor are free admission and dollar beers in the stands, even for the unwashed masses.

ColoradoEagle · May 26, 2011

TCU put in a lot of renovations to compete. Still, their grandstand is nothing to write home about. It's erector set aluminum with crappy plastic chairs, and some of the sight lines aren't sight lines at all. I stopped going after the Fullerton series when I literally couldn't even see the field. In their favor, it's very noisy erector set aluminum.

Actually, I'd rate Lupton over Louisville. Louisville's stadium is 95% erector outside of very, very limited seating (think 2 rows) just behind the net. The rest is aluminum stands with plastic chairs. Lupton uses the same style seats you'd find out at Rangers Ballpark and is much better in that regard. Also I think it's only the second deck at Lupton that's aluminum, but I can't remember (it's been a few years).

GrandGreen · May 26, 2011

Yes, there are a great many good baseball players in the metroplex. Actually, there are excellent athletes in all sports, but that does not mean that it is easy for NT to recruit them. I don't know why many think softball is so different from baseball as far as implementing programs. I haven't done any research but my guess is there is just as many good local softball players as baseball and the problem with competing with the pros is absent.

I am not against NT adding a baseball team, but I hope they do not until the rest of our team sports are properly funded. They have made good process in most of the so called non-revenue sports but I would definitely want them to get the track program were it should be, before adding anything.

oldguystudent · May 27, 2011

I would definitely want them to get the track program were it should be, before adding anything.

Don't worry. A baseball team at UNT is never going to interfere with or threaten football.

Army of Dad · May 27, 2011

I agree 100%. I would actually like to see baseball return to UNT, but have no hope that it will until and IF Mean Green Club memberships start to climb in both numbers and dollars and until the football and basketball teams start drawing much higher attendance and season ticket numbers. The football program does, indeed, drive the bus. So, if you really want baseball back at UNT make sure you join the Mean Green Club and buy season football and basketball tickets. Anything that raises attendance and financial support for UNT will bring baseball back to UNT and nothing much more complicated than that.

So, if you would like to see baseball return, join the Mean Green Club (and raise your contribution level if you are already a member), buy season football tickets and buy season basketball tickets. Simple, huh?

Oh, and it wouldn't hurt either to find some "rich folks" who would like to financially "jump start" the fundraising campaign for baseball....

You know I heard that "If you build it, they will come."

ColoradoEagle · May 27, 2011

Here are some pics of Louisville's ballpark. In the last image, that's Papa John's Stadium in the background.

oldguystudent · May 27, 2011

The turf basepaths are weird. I wonder what it's like to slide on that.

ColoradoEagle · May 27, 2011

The turf basepaths are weird. I wonder what it's like to slide on that.

I didn't go out onto the field, but as near as I could tell the whole thing (except for the pitcher's mound) is turf. I hope we don't do anything like that.

oldguystudent · May 31, 2011

The Sun Belt got three bids to the post season this year. Troy and FIU got at-large, and a shocking sub-.500 UALR won the conference tourney and the auto-bid. I thought FAU was going to make it, but after getting swept three straight in the conference tourney, their RPI dipped down just a little too low to justify the bid.

All three teams drew tough regionals. FIU is the #2 seed in North Carolina, Troy is the #3 seed at Vandebilt with their first game against Oklahoma St, and UALR is the #4 seed at Oregon St.

Edited May 31, 2011 by oldguystudent