The Division II Committee on Infractions has placed Millersville University of Pennsylvania on probation for two years and adopted a number of penalties that were self-imposed by the institution in a case involving major violations in its baseball program.

The findings in the case include unethical conduct on the part of a former head baseball coach and a lack of institutional control on the part of the school.

The case was resolved through the summary-disposition process rather than a formal hearing before the Committee on Infractions. Summary disposition is used when there is agreement among the institution, the NCAA enforcement staff and involved parties as to the facts of the case. The Committee on Infractions reviewed the agreement and the penalties recommended by the institution.

The case involved numerous infractions committed by the head baseball coach and members of his staff from 1999 to 2004. In July 2005, the head coach resigned and the institution informed an assistant coach that he would not receive a contract for the following year. Though the former head coach was interviewed by NCAA enforcement staff during the investigation, he did not respond to the NCAA’s notice of allegations or written warnings that the Committee on Infractions would consider his unresponsiveness as a sign that he does not contest the allegations.

The committee found that the former head coach and former assistant conducted impermissible tryouts for prospective student-athletes. The tryouts came in the form of 30- to 60-minute hitting and pitching drills for each prospect.

The committee also found that during the summer of 2003, the former head coach provided an impermissible extra benefit by using $613 from an impermissible off-campus fund-raising account to pay the tuition and fees for a student-athlete’s summer course.

Also, between 1999 and 2005, 29 baseball student-athletes were provided with travel expenses that exceeded actual and necessary expenses during the team’s annual spring break trip.

Another eight student-athletes were allowed to make the trip and receive expenses, even though they were not eligible for competition.

In March 2004, the former head coach allowed three student-athletes who were academically ineligible to compete for a professional team during an exhibition game.

Specifically, the student-athletes pitched for a minor league team in the Philadelphia Phillies organization during an exhibition game with the institution.

Lastly, between 1999 and 2004, a volunteer coach was allowed to recruit on the institution’s behalf even though he had not completed the NCAA coaches’ certification exam.

The former head coach’s involvement in knowingly violating NCAA rules and his attempts to conceal the violations from his institution led to the finding of unethical conduct.

The institution’s failure to detect and prevent the violations led to the findings of lack of institutional control and failure by the institution to monitor its athletics program.

The penalties in this case are as follows:

• Public reprimand and censure.

• The institution will be placed on probation through January 18, 2008.

• The new baseball coaching staff is prohibited from conducting expense-paid recruiting visits until January 1, 2007.

• The new baseball coaching staff is prohibited from off-campus recruiting until July 30, 2006.

• For two years, the average athletics grant for baseball student-athletes will be reduced 10 percent below the average for grants awarded the last four years. Further, the largest single grant for the 2005-06 and 2006-07 academic years may not exceed $4,300.

• The baseball team is prohibited from competing in the conference and NCAA postseason tournaments for the 2006 season.

The members of the NCAA Division II Committee on Infractions who reviewed the case are Larry Blumberg, faculty athletics representative at Washburn University of Topeka; Jean Paul Bradshaw II, a Kansas City, Missouri, attorney; Les Brinson, faculty athletics representative at North Carolina Central University; and Bruce Kirsch, director of athletics at Franklin Pierce College.