Remembering UTC Baseball [Part 2]: From Silence to Resurgence

Remembering UTC Baseball [Part 2]: From Silence to Resurgence

The ncaa boasts 347 division i schools across the united states.

Just 53 of those do not have a baseball team.

The chattanooga mocs are in that 15 percent minority.

In a town where professional baseball draws thousands of fans every summer home game, utc students and community members are still scratching their heads as to why utc's successful team from the 70s has not been reinstated.

Supporters of all generations are hoping the university will hear them.

From shock ... to silence ... not much has been said of utc's now nonexistent baseball program over the last 40 years.

One day it's here.

The next, an all but forgotten piece of history.

Mark mariakis: "it was disappointing that they dropped a successful program, and i don't know how hard they've tried to get it back."

Tyler mazrimas: "i think it's crazy.

I think it's wild."

Eric rice: "going to a school like utc, you kind of assume, 'well, they've got a division i basketball team.

They've got a division i football team.'

You just kind of assume there's a baseball team.

So when people find out it's really just shock, not really knowing why."

Title ix and financial limitations have been the school's standard answer.

So, students have taken matters into their own hands and created a high-level club team -- one that won the ncba division ii national championship in 2016.

Randy smith: "i think there's a lot of community support beginning to build.

... you could fund it, you could get donations.

You could fund it in this community right now.

There's money in chattanooga.

You just have to find it."

Finding players to fill the roster would be even easier, according to supporters.

Mazrimas: "i think baseball in the southeast is some of the best in the country.

There's so much talent, not even so much as quality talent, but depth of talent."

Mariakis: "you could recruit a 100 mile radius of chattanooga and field a very competitive baseball team."

But are the growing support and geographical benefits enough to get the mocs back on the diamond?

Rice: "we all want there to be a baseball program at utc, but we all know that while we're here, it's probably not going to happen."

Smith: "it's time for utc to stop using title ix as an excuse.

It's been 40 years, let's make something happen."

I reached out to the chattanooga been 40 ye so was what ... i reached out to the chattanoog athletic department multiple