Like every other major American university, the rites of spring at NIU include discussion of baseball.

Of course, since there is no baseball team at NIU, the talk generally raises questions like, “Why did baseball leave?” and “When will baseball return?”

Former NIU baseball coach Walt Owens raised discussion about restoring the baseball program at Wednesday’s Athletic Board meeting. Although no motions were passed, the board threw enough weight behind the effort to make baseball a long-range topic for Athletic Director Gerald O’Dell.

Simply put, O’Dell ruled out any action in the near future because he said his office is “on the verge” of beginning the “exhaustive process of conducting an internal review of our athletic programs.”

O’Dell said his top two priorities involve reviewing the department and “getting the current sports in order,” while baseball would be part of a third priority to “develop long-range plans.

“There would need to be feasibility studies conducted,” O’Dell said, adding it would be “at least a year” before baseball possibilities could be entertained.

For his part, Owens presented a strong case for bringing the National Pastime back to NIU. He cited a 1986 study of state high schools by The Illinois Interscholastic listing baseball as the third most popular sport—behind football and basketball—which would indicate a healthy recruiting pool.

“We have sports that we’re participating in as a university that aren’t even on the list,” Owens said, citing field hockey as one of them. “There’s been a very strong feeling in this community for quite some time to have baseball back.

“I’ve talked to (NIU) president (John LaTourette), and he’s in 100-percent support.”

Board member Earl Hanson said he was once asked to feel out the possibility of funding baseball’s return, and said “there is a group out there who was interested.” However, Hanson said he was instructed to stay away from both the Huskie Club and NI Club booster groups, so “funding would be a problem.”

In response to the funding dilemma, Owens pointed out that a facility is already in place, with most of the equipment in storage.

Some board members were unsure of why baseball left in the first place. Gary Glenn said his understanding was poor attendance and bad weather played their parts. Owens, in denying the weather argument, looked out at the snow on the King Memorial Commons and said “we would have played today.”

Former board chairwoman Nancy Vedral said she remembered part of the reasoning involved the “two phenomenas” of program cut movements in both the NCAA and the Mid-American Conference.

“It wasn’t just money, it wasn’t just weather. It was a number of things combined,” Vedral said, noting the “idea of cost-containment” made baseball expendable behind football and basketball.

Whatever the reasons were for dropping the program, Owens said “it’s embarassing” for NIU to not have a baseball team. “We have NIU days at both Chicago ballparks. It’s hypocritical,” Owens said.

After listening to O’Dell’s reasoning, however, Owens said perhaps it was best to “wait for the year for Gerald O’Dell to get through the nooks and crannies.”

And so, it appears at least two more seasons will pass before baseball talk at NIU centers around hitting and pitching problems instead of the lack of a team.