The Miami Dade College baseball team was forced to forfeit seven games—four of which were versus Southern Conference opponents—after it was discovered that two of the team’s athletes were academically ineligible during the games.
In question were games played between Feb. 24 and March 9. As a result of the forfeited games, the Sharks fell from first place in the Southern Conference to fourth at the time.
The ineligible players are pitcher Alejandro Blanco and third baseman Ian Acevedo, according to MDC officials. Both players became ineligible when they fell below full-time enrollment status. To be considered a full-time student, an athlete must be enrolled in at least 12 credits in the semester they are competing.
Blanco and Acevedo could not be reached for comment for this story when the paper was sent to the printer.
Miami Dade College Athletic Director Anthony Fiorenza said the College became aware of the issue when a professor notified him that they had withdrawn one of the players from a class. It is unclear how the issue with the second was discovered.
Fiorenza said the College regularly checks to see if players are academically eligible but that mistakes sometimes happen.
“Sometimes, some things go through the cracks,” Fiorenza said. “Happens all the time.”
Fiorenza said that the College immediately reported the problem to NJCAA Region 8 Men’s Commissioner Bob Zelinski, who enacted the punishment, that included the forfeiture of the seven games.
The Sharks have managed to bounce back. They are currently 25-16 (14-9 in the Southern Conference)—second place in the conference—trailing only Eastern Florida State College (29-13).
“We’re in a one-game playoff system everyday,” said MDC head baseball coach, Danny Price. “It’s a feeling that we know we have to come out and play every day. We don’t have that luxury of being close to clinching.”
According to Price, the two student athletes who were ruled ineligible were given the opportunity to return to the team if they were willing to do community service at where ever Price wished for them to serve. The students declined the offer, he said.
