Facing a mutiny of players and a stalwart coach, Florida Tech canceled their 2008 softball season.
Early in February, a number of players on the team were reprimanded by third-year coach Ellie Hanover for having intimate relationships with each other, according to a number of sources familiar with the situation who did not wish to be named. The affairs were causing conflicts among players as relationships increased tension between them.
Sometime after their last game (Feb. 28), team captains approached the athletic department with a petition signed by the team asking the school to remove Hanover.
Athletic Director Bill Jurgens balked at the offer, and tried to work out an agreement between the players and Hanover. For weeks the two sides exchanged offers, with little coming out of it.
The team initially canceled five games, and a deal seemed imminent as 11 of 13 players agreed to terms with the coach and returned to practice. Two days later, disagreements built again.
On March 12, the A.D. ended the argument, canceling the remainder of the Panthers’ season.
“After a nearly two-week attempt to reconcile disparate viewpoints within the Florida Tech softball program, I have reached the unfortunate conclusion that these exhaustive efforts have proven unsuccessful,” Jurgens wrote on the FIT website. “Therefore, I have decided to cancel the remainder of the season. All players will retain their scholarships through the end of the semester, and the coaching staff will be retained at Florida Tech.”
Attempts were made to contact Jurgens at his office and on his cell phone, but he did not return messages left by The Minaret on March 25.
Sources indicated that at year’s end Hanover will review each player’s scholarship status and decide whether to keep the players or sign a new squad.
The decision by Florida Tech clears up a weekend for Tampa, but Sports Information Director Tom Kolbe said that the games will not count as forfeits, but rather canceled games.
“We’ll use [the time off] to focus more on Rollins,” said sophomore UT softball player Jessica Tejas. “They’re [Rollins] always a team for us to beat. Them and Florida Southern. We never approached it [the time off] as a bye-week. It’s just more time for us to get ready for games in the postseason.”
UT had a three game series scheduled with the Panthers on the weekend of April 4-6. Although they miss out on the chance to beat Florida Tech, UT players will get a weekend to rest up before a conference showdown with conference-leading Saint Leo and Rollins.
“We’ll be practicing, spending time on the field, and then resting a bunch,” said senior Kallan Casey. “[Rollins] has to be one of our biggest rivals. We played them pretty badly last year.”