Furman announced decisions to address the financial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, including disbanding its baseball and men’s lacrosse programs.
The school cut the salaries of the president and senior administrators, implemented furloughs and reduced budgets. Furman plans to return to in-person instruction this fall.
Furman will reduce a total of 45 athletic scholarships over the next five years. The school will honor the scholarships of current and in-coming student-athletes in baseball and men’s lacrosse for the remainder of their undergraduate careers at Furman, and assist with transference to another institution if that is their decision.
The Purple Paladins were 8-9 in the abbreviated 2020 season, the fourth campaign uncer head coach Brett Harker. Furman went 26-31 overall and 13-11 in the Southern Conference in 2019. Former major league pitching coach Leo Mazzone was a special advisor for Harker.
Furman is the second school in the past four days to discontinue its baseball program. Bowling Green dropped baseball on May 15.