U of W baseball team reeling after surprise budget cut

Staff and players with the University of Winnipeg's men's baseball team say they were both surprised and hurt by the school's decision earlier this week to cut the team as a cost-savingplan.

Morgan de Pena, coach of the Wesmen baseball team, said he was "totally caught off-guard" by the decision to scrap the team. It is one of only two teams in Canada that offer college-level ball on par with schools in the U.S.

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"I had no idea anything like this was coming," said de Pena, head coach for the past two years.

On Monday evening,the university's board of regents approved $3.7 million in costcutsin the 2017-18 operating budget.

Chris Minaker, senior executive officer with the University of Winnipeg, said Tuesday the choice came down to tough budget decisions created by stagnatingfunding from the province. The schoolcut funding for baseball, along with funding for wrestling teams and this season'smen's soccer.

But de Pena said his team virtually paid for itself through fundraising and he doesn't believe the money saved is worth cancelling the program.

"We pay for the buses, we pay for the hotels, the players also pay for the apparel, all the equipment bats and balls we cover off all those costs," he said. "We're totally self-funded, so where's our burden on the budget?"

De Pena expects many of his players and recruits will likely sign up with a different school next year, which may mean a move to the United States.

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One of this year's recruits was coming all the way from Australia, while other players are from Minnesota, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, B.C. andToronto, along with several local Manitoba players.

"Now I have to call them all and tell them they have to find another place to play It hurts everybody," de Pena said.

The University of Winnipeg and the University of British Columbia are the only two post-secondary schools that are part of USA Baseball's collegiate league a big draw for players.

'It was almost like a family'

Marc Lepore, originally from Vaughan, Ont., plays third base for the Wesmen baseball team. He has been with the team for three years.

Losing the team has been like losing a best friend, he said.

"It was almost like a family. You live with these guys, you practice with these guys every day," said Lepore.

Lepore has not decided yet where he will go to finish his degree in criminal justice but he is considering a move to theU.S., despite the higher tuition.

Baseball was the "big reason" why he decided to attend the University of Winnipeg, he said.

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"This did keep me in Canada," he said, referring to the baseball program.

Lepore said returning to the university next year without baseball wouldn't feel the same.

"For three years, you're taught the Wesmen way and the sense of community and belonging, and then you just wake up one morning and your program is cut," he said.

"Those were probably the best three years of my life."