Boise State cutting baseball, women’s swimming and diving

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Boise State is discontinuing its baseball program just months after the school was forced to cut short its first season in 40 years with only a handful of games played.

The school has also cut women’s swimming and diving because of budget issues related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Boise State said cutting the two programs along with additional department and program operating reductions will reduce the overall athletic budget by nearly $3 million.

“This is one of the hardest decisions athletic departments have to make, but it comes at a time when we are facing the most serious financial challenge we have ever seen,” Boise State athletic director Curt Apsey said in a statement Thursday.

The baseball program had recently been reinstated. The school announced in 2017 that it was adding baseball after it had been discontinued following the 1980 season. The team was playing for the first time this year but the Broncos managed only 14 games before the season was canceled.

Women’s swimming and diving had been offered at Boise State since the 2006-07 school year.

“The university had already been working closely with athletics to create a sustainable budget. The pandemic has made a challenging financial situation unsustainable,” university President Marlene Tromp said. “Ultimately, the reduction of the number of sports in which we compete allows Boise State a better chance of remaining competitive at the highest level and provides a more realistic roadmap to a sustainable future for the university and athletic department.”

The school said it will honor all scholarships for athletes in the affected programs, including incoming 2020 signings.