It was one of the saddest things in college sports.
Mississippi Valley State’s baseball team lost 21-4 and 20-0 to Arkansas on back-to-back days. The next week, Little Rock (academically known as the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, or UALR) pummeled Valley 20-3.
Let that be Lamar playing either Arkansas team, and it’s bound to be a dogfight. Ask Arizona and LSU.
But poor Valley is just not on the same playing level as either one of those teams.
Oh, the Delta Devils compete in Division I. They’re in the same conference as Texas Southern and Prairie View A&M and choose to be to even market itself on the same playing field as similar historically black universities.
Playing on a level field is a different story.
One can imagine Valley received a nice payday from the butt-kicking it took in three games. In fact, that’s a way of life for many limited-resource institutions, and in some cases, it may not always keep them in the black.
It’s evident Valley doesn’t (and possibly can’t) invest much in pitching. Only three pitchers are listed on a roster of 17, and two of those are not listed as full-timers.
Financial information on Valley athletics wasn’t immediately available. But to get an idea of its struggle, consider this:
The university itself is located in Itta Bena, Mississippi, right in the middle of the poorest region in the United States — the Mississippi Valley, or the Delta. The state has the highest poverty rate at 22.9 percent, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. The poverty rate in Leflore County, where Valley is located, is 41.1 percent.
The university’s endowment in 2014 was $1,448,946, according to data from U.S. News & World Report. So you can easily imagine, support from taxes and alumni donations are not very strong, and athletic scholarships, for that matter, are scarce.
And it doesn’t help that Valley competes with Jackson State and Alcorn State for the same students, but it has to for its very existence. Valley, as is the case with its SWAC neighbors, exists as the most viable four-year higher education opportunity for many of its residents, just as Lamar does here.
Yet, Valley is the same university that put Jerry Rice in the national limelight. And its men’s basketball team has been to the NCAA tournament five teams (most recently in 2012), nearly defeating eventual runner-up Duke 30 years ago.
So, it’s special when a “little guy” can advance in the NCAAs, and it’s what adds to the madness of March.
Granted, many little guys stand stronger than we think in the way of academic and athletic resources. While the Florida Gulf Coasts and South Dakota States will find a fair-weather following this coming week, they may not exactly face the same plight of a Mississippi Valley State.
That’s why every victory matters.
So far, Valley is still in the hunt for the First Four. The Devils, seeded seventh in the 10-team SWAC Tournament in Houston, took down second-seed Alcorn State 64-61 Wednesday night and will play Jackson State at 2:30 p.m. Friday in the semifinal round.
On Thursday, every Division I team scored a financial win. The NCAA Board of Governors approved a $200 million distribution to be used “explicitly for programs that benefit student-athletes” that help with academic advising or aid in mental health wellness, for example, the association announced.
“We’ll use it to benefit our student-athletes with life skills and anything and everything we can within the rules and regulations set forth in the directive from the NCAA,” Lamar athletic director Jason Henderson said. “I don’t know what that final amount is from the NCAA with our scholarship numbers, but we’ll find a way to use it to the most benefit for our student-athletes.”
The funds can be used to cover the full cost of attendance and four-year guaranteed scholarships, as well as unlimited meals and snacks. Lamar offers the maximum amount of scholarships in each sport, Henderson said.
But for schools like Valley, it may only be a small win. The funds, to be disbursed next spring, will provide the most support to schools that have the largest populations of student-athletes. Valley enrolled fewer than 2,000 students in 2014, according to U.S. News.
Yet, Thursday’s news is “a chance for all of Division I to enhance the student-athlete experience and make sure we’re giving them everything they need to be successful not only on the field now but in the next two years of their lives,” Henderson said.
For now, any “little guy” — in the Southland or the SWAC — is worth rooting for. Some are funded better but don’t have the championship history a Lamar or Valley can boast. So just getting to the dance is worth all the red-carpet treatment.
Others, like Valley, need a big return on their investments the most.
They’re the reasons March is maddening — in a good way.
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I.C. Murrell can be reached at 721-2435 or at ic.murrell@panews.com. On Twitter: @ICMurrellPANews