Cutthroats, traveling club baseball team, begin season
- posted: 16 Oct. 2007
- scrollsports@byui.edu
Eastern Idaho Cutthroats is not the newest gang terrorizing the Gem State — it is a club baseball team.
The Cutthroats changed its name from Madison Pioneers because it no longer plays in Rexburg due to a lack of facilities. Grover Wray, head coach of Rigby High School’s baseball team, allows the team to use the school’s amenities.
Though not affiliated with BYU-Idaho, all members of the team are students at the university.
“The goal of this program is to provide opportunities for preparing and newly returned missionaries at BYU-I to enjoy baseball at a higher level, when they’ve excelled at baseball before,” said Josh Donat, a senior studying communication and the general manager of the Cutthroats.
While Donat feels that the programs at BYU-I are great, he also feels that the Cutthroats are able to help spread the gospel by spreading outward to other schools to compete.
There are also leadership opportunities in club ball. The Cutthroats, like BYU-I athletic programs, is completely student-run.
“Since it is just on your own, you have to help get the other teammates involved; you have to call each other to throw during the off-season and such,” said Jon Itri, a junior studying business management.
Contrary to what some may think, the Cutthroats still support the campus athletic programs.
“We have a great respect for the campus programs. Campus gives us a huge advantage. We play more baseball at this university than any other club team,” Donat said.
Cutthroats’ players will swing their bats against Weber State on Oct. 19-20.
The Cutthroats’ fall schedule is online at eastidahobaseball.blogspot.com. 
