Catawba Valley Community College has announced it will continue the baseball and softball programs heading into the 2023-24 school year.
The CVCC Athletic department will continue to compete in the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) in baseball, men’s and women’s basketball and softball. The Red Hawks will also provide opportunities of intercollegiate competition in two non-traditional sports — esports and bass fishing.
This past December, CVCC announced it was suspending several athletic programs, including cross country, baseball, softball and volleyball following the completion of their 2022-2023 competitive seasons due to current budget restrictions and the state funding structure.
However, through outside funding and donations, the Red Hawk baseball and softball programs will be able to continue.
“We are happy to continue with our baseball and softball programs,” said Nick Schroeder, CVCC Executive Director of Student Life & Athletics. “While we are incredibly happy to have a strong support system for our athletic programs, we will continue to appeal to the North Carolina Community College System to address the funding structure for student activities, for the benefit of all students who attend North Carolina community colleges.”
This past year, esports earned a national championship, a national runner up and seven top-eight finishes nationally in seven game titles. Also, the bass fishing program was ranked as high as 13th in the Bass Pro Shops School of the Year standings and won its first Major League Fishing tournament in Florida.