Varsity baseball was cut from ISU athletics in 2001, a casualty that upset many fans of America’s pastime.

As a club sport, though, baseball is making a comeback.

“There are several guys on the team who could easily walk on to Division III and community colleges,” said Scott Tinkoff, club president.

“Competition within the conference and around the country has definitely picked up in the past three years.”

The club belongs to the National Club Baseball Association, playing in the Central Plains Conference.

The conference has expanded to six teams this year, adding South Dakota and Missouri to the mix of Iowa State, Iowa, John Brown University and Nebraska.

Last year, with only four teams in the conference, the Cyclones had a record of 21-5. After winning the conference title, they narrowly fell short of playing in the National Club Baseball World Series in Florida.

The club lost many players from last year’s team, but Tinkoff said it still anticipates success.

“This year will be a reloading of sorts for us,” Tinkoff said.

“We lost a lot of senior leadership from last year’s team. The combination of a solid returning core and the addition of numerous talented players should keep us contending for a third consecutive conference title.”

Some players aren’t as optimistic about the club’s chances, though.

Kurt Boettger, who has been a member all three years the club has existed, said he thinks this year may be harder than his teammates think.

“We’ll be fine, but the league and the conference are really blowing up,” Boettger said. “Competition will be tougher this year than it has ever been.”

One road block for most club teams is finding a place to play, but since Iowa State used to have a varsity team, there is already an existing location — Cap Timm Field.

One disadvantage, though, is the club must rent the field from Iowa State, Tinkoff said.

Players say they participate in the club for a variety of reasons.

Boettger said he may not have the talent to play at a higher level, but uses the club to keep his love of the game alive.

“Perhaps when I came here I would’ve given walking on [to the varsity team] a shot, but I wouldn’t have made it,” Boettger said. “Besides that, it just takes too much to succeed in D-1, especially the Big 12.”

The club uses a relaxed approach to cut down on the stresses some varsity teams put on their players’ shoulders, Tinkoff said.

“We work hard and play to win each game,” he said. “But the stress that accompanies most college baseball experience is not there.”