In a surprise move, the University of California-Berkeley is dropping collegiate baseball, as the school is eliminating five programs to save $4 million annually in athletic-department costs.
The decision was a surprise, to say the least; Evans Diamond has seen a lot of good players pass through the gates over the years, such as Andy Messersmith, Geoff Blum, Jackie Jensen, Mike Epstein and Jeff Kent. Many have stepped up to donate money to the program as well.
The program will end at the conclusion of the 2011 season. All players will be released from their scholarships and be allowed to transfer immediately to another school. There will still be 10 schools playing baseball in the Pac-10: newcomer Utah fields a baseball program, but Colorado does not.
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