Logan, UT (U-WIRE) -- The Utah State baseball club team was given another chance from the Sport Club Advisory Board [SCAB] on Wednesday night.

The baseball team, previously suspended for failure to complete proper paperwork, was reinstated after a vote of 20-2 in the SCAB appeal meeting in the Nelson Fieldhouse.

"I didn't think I would ever play baseball on a competitive team again," baseball player Landon Jones said in the SCAB meeting on Wednesday.

Thanks to the club team he said he is playing better than he ever has and didn't want to see that opportunity be taken away from other baseball players this spring.

"I hope they take advantage of this new life," assistant director of Campus Recreation Scott Wamsley said.

Even though the baseball team will have the opportunity to play their spring season there will still be heavy penalties.

The baseball team will be on probation without university funds until January 2006. When the team does start to receive funds again, they will start at the bottom rung of the tiered funding system for club sports.

On top of the year-long probation the team owes $1,000 in fines plus $50 per player to the SCAB committee, which is due before their first game in mid-February. In addition, their practice time in the Nelson Fieldhouse is suspended for the spring semester.

"We weren't expecting just a slap on the wrist," baseball coach Ernie Rivers said. "But we appreciate the opportunity to represent the university and the faith of their peers to let them play."

Wamsley said the suspension and appeal was a learning experience not only for the baseball team but also for himself and SCAB.

The baseball team was put on probation this past fall semester and the requirements of the club teams were explained to their new head coach Brett Al-Imari, Wamsley said.

At the start of this semester Wamsley said he couldn't get in contact with the club to get the paperwork discrepancies fixed. That's why he brought the suspension idea up in the SCAB meeting on Dec. 12.

"They could have been given more time to prepare for the meeting," Wamsley said. "But something had to be done."

As for the meeting itself, everything happened like Wamsley said he thought it would. He added everyone seems to be happy and satisfied with the decision.

The baseball team appointed a presidency and wrote a constitution with the help of Rivers in order to show its intent to follow the SCAB rules. Rivers said he had prior experience with other sports club programs and helped write the constitution.

Al-Imari said the team also got itself out of debt in the past week in order to be reinstated.

Al-Imari said the team was $6,400 in debt to start the fall semester.

Since then they have raised $7,000 through cleaning streets for Logan City and moving furniture for the University Inn, club president Connor Jones said. The team will also hold a dodgeball tournament Feb. 5 to help raise funds.

Now the direction of the club and all the paperwork from now on will be the president and vice-president of the club, Jones said. The blame won't be able to be placed on the coaching staff.

After one mistake the team could be suspended for a semester, Wamsley has the power to suspend the team.

(C) 2004 The Utah Statesman via U-WIRE