JMandatory Credit: Bruce Thorson-USA TODAY Sports
Ok so last week I made a dramatic, I’m back again post and then promptly disappeared. A pregnant wife who will now need knee surgery thanks to a slip and fall and a sick kid combined with the offseason will do that. But I’m re-re-committed to you kids and your Ute needs.
So I’m here with one question, Can Utah Ever Really Compete in Pac-12 Baseball.
Some evidence that might say no is…
1. Colorado doesn’t even bother playing and unlike us, they were always BCS.
2. Wazzu, the only true cold weather school in the Pac-12, never wins, although there just might be other issues at play.
I think the only way that it might happen is if we had a serious donor who wanted to compete at baseball. See Oregon. Oregon didn’t play baseball and then Oregon St. went and won the national championship a couple of times. Phil Knight got jealous and Oregon baseball was born and is now a power.
What would it take? I’d love to hear your thoughts but I think one thing would be crucial…
A 3,000 seat indoor baseball stadium. Its clear climate is a serious factor in winning in College Baseball. Even Oregon St. only has to deal with 50 degrees and rain. The last true cold weather team to win a baseball national title is Minnesota in 1962 depending on what you want to call Wichita and their title in 1989.
An indoor baseball stadium would show a massive commitment to baseball that would have to resonate with recruits. And as Oregon shows, the willingness alone to dump a giant amount of money into a sport will go a long way to making you good.
Give me your thoughts…