Purdue Fort Wayne Drops Division I Baseball Program

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Purdue Fort Wayne announced Friday it is cutting its Division I baseball and softball programs, a decision that the school says will save around $1 million as it faces $6 million in budget cuts. The Mastodons’ baseball program, who competed in the Horizon League, went 11-42 this season and finished last in the six-team conference.

“I have the utmost respect for head baseball coach Doug Schreiber, head softball coach Amber Bowman, and their student-athletes,” athletic director Kelley Hartley Hutton said in a release. “They have consistently over-performed their given resources, facilities and scholarship levels. We have not made the adequate investments into facilities and resources over the life of these programs, and when considering the current financial climate, it was determined that there was no feasible path to address those needs.”

The school says the cut is effective immediately and it will honor all baseball and softball scholarships, leaving open the option for student athletes to remain with the university should they choose. All Purdue Fort Wayne players impact by the decision to cut the two program are immediately eligible to enter the NCAA transfer portal. As of May 23, there are 18 Purdue Fort Wayne players who appear in the portal, according to a source.

Purdue Fort Wayne had competed in the Horizon League since 2021 after previously playing in the Summit League for over a decade. The program had a fairly nondescript history, never winning a conference title or reaching the NCAA Tournament.

This is the first discontinuation of a Division I baseball program since 2021, when La Salle dropped baseball, although the school plans to reinstate the program in 2026. In 2020, Boise State, Chicago State and Furman discontinued baseball as athletic departments grappled with the Covid-19 pandemic. It’s the latest reminder of the growing divide across college baseball amid power schools and mid-majors as the sport deals with scholarship expansion.

Pending the approval of House Settlement, baseball programs in 2026 will be able to fully fund up to 34 scholarships, a move that is expected to deeply impact lower major programs.

“This is one of the saddest days in my 25 years as a Mastodon,” Athletic Director Kelley Hartley Hutton said. “We know this news will upset our student-athletes, alumni and fans. It was not made lightly, and we are committed to supporting those affected through this transition.”