By Jim Ecker
Perfect Game USA

The University of Vermont has awarded more than $900,000 in bonuses and extra compensation to its top executives since 2006. Just seven years ago, there were four administrators at the school who made more than $150,000. Now there are 38.

Vermont apparently has money to toss around. Except for the varsity baseball and softball programs, that is. Now that the school is staring at a $1.1 million deficit in the athletic department for the 2009-10 academic year, something had to give.

The answer: Eliminate the baseball and softball programs after the 2009 campaign. They figure that will save $839,000.

Too bad they can't retrieve those bonuses.

Bill Currier, in his 22nd year as Vermont's baseball coach, obviously knew there were budget problems, but Robert Corran, the athletic director, said there were six or seven possible scenarios to make ends meet. The last of those scenarios was cutting one or two sports.

"We've been one of the most successful sports here," Currier told Perfect Game. "We certainly didn't think it was going to be us."

Currier said there was hardly a peep from top officials to save the program.

"Nobody stood up for it here, all the way up the ranks," he said. "No one stuck their neck out, which was unfortunate."

There's been a petition drive to save the baseball and softball programs at Vermont, with more than 2,000 signatures to date. Maybe that will help.

"It's pretty powerful," said Courier. 'It reaches people all over the country. There's been a huge outcry. Parents, alums, friends."

They want the programs restored, but so far nothing has happened.

Currier said a few members of the Board of Trustees, who oversee the university, have been applying pressure on the Vermont president to save the program. Currier is hopeful something good will happen, but knows it's a longshot.

"If nothing happens before the First of April, it's done," he said.

Currier said he was not givena chance to save the program before an official announcement was made on Feb. 20 that baseball would be cut.

"No. No chance," he said. "No talking to alums or anybody. Obviously, there was an individual decision by the athletic director. He had his game plan in order and he executed it."

There are currently 288 NCAA Division I baseball programs in the country.As it stands now, that number will drop to 286 next year with Vermont and the University of Northern Iowa falling by the wayside. By total coincidence, the Vermont and Northern Iowa baseball teams played games in Winter Haven, Fla., this past week on spring trips.

"It would have been appropriate if we'd played each other," said Currier.

They didn't, but Currier and UNI Coach Rick Heller exchanged notes and sad stories.

Currier, a Vermont grad, began his 22nd season as head coach this year with a 463-437 record. He's led the Catamounts to three NCAA tournaments and a pair of conference titles, butthe program that began in 1888 won't make it to 2010 unless something dramatic happens in a hurry.

Vermont is about to lose the only D-I baseball program in the state. And Currier is too young to retire.

"I'm 49," he said, "and I'll be looking for a job."