Eight baseball players ineligible following investigation

Eight players on the Wichita State baseball team are ineligible to play for some games this season. The NCAA Student-Athlete Reinstatement staff notified the team Friday. The players’ eligibility came into question after receiving discounted merchandise from an athletic equipment and apparel supplier.

“We feel the outcome is fair,” stated Director of Athletics Eric Sexton in a press release. “We have been working cooperatively with the NCAA national office since we first discovered that we had potential eligibility issues.”

The NCAA deemed eight players ineligible of the 16 WSU declared. Three position players and five pitchers will be affected. Each player will miss three, six or nine games dependent on the amount of benefits they received.

Baseball Coach Todd Butler credited the dedication and support of the administration for the quick turnaround.

“This has been a long and exhausting three-month process, and I would like to credit Wichita State University for its tireless work to lighten the toll on our program,” Butler said.

Butler said that although the situation has been unfortunate, they look forward to the challenges it could present.

Though the issues appear to be resolved, Sexton said the University will continue to work with the NCAA to resolve any remaining issue.

The NCAA investigating is continuing.