Former ISU baseball player Jerry McNertney knows more than anyone about the rich history of the ISU baseball program. He should – he’s played, coached and spent evenings watching his son play for the Cyclones. On the eve of the seventh anniversary of the program’s dismissal from the athletic program, McNertney admits that he misses spending his evenings at Cap Timm Field.

“I was sad to see it go,” McNertney said. “It’s a special thing, having a program like we had for so long, It would be a big plus for the area if baseball was ever back here at Iowa State.”

McNertney is one of 18 Cyclones to play baseball at the major league level. He went on to play nine seasons in the major leagues for the St. Louis Cardinals, Seattle Pilots, Milwaukee Brewers, Chicago White Sox and Pittsburgh Pirates. His son, Jason, played for the Cyclones in the late 1990s.

After 108 seasons, Iowa State dropped its program in April 2001. Former athletic director Bruce Van de Velde dropped the program, along with men’s swimming and gymnastics, in compliance with Title IX regulations and the resulting budget cuts. Iowa State and Colorado continue to be the only schools in the Big 12 conference without a baseball program.

As a result of the regulations, many sports that don’t generate revenue have been dropped by colleges across the country. In most cases, sports like wrestling, tennis, swimming and gymnastics have been dropped because of low attendance numbers. In fewer instances, baseball or football have been cut.

If the baseball program ever returned to Iowa State, McNertney believes the people of Ames would attend more than they used to. McNertney said he would be a regular attendee if the program was reinstated.

“It’s been gone for some time, and the people of this university and this city would appreciate having the program back,” he said. “I’ll always support the university. I’d definitely go to the games – you bet I would. I think it could do pretty well now with recruiting. The state of Iowa is a great baseball state.”

A club baseball team was formed in 2002, and several teams were created to accommodate the high student interest. Eventually, a traveling team was formed from the best players in the club. While they aren’t officially a Division 1 program, the traveling team has played well. They’ve won their conference twice, in 2003 and 2004, and finished second in 2005. Many of the players would welcome the program’s return.

“From our perspective, it’s nothing we really have any control over. We play in a good conference. If the program did come back, I think it would be great for the university,” said club player Mark Scallion.