By Ryan Leon and Christian Magdaleno, May 13, 2025
Sonoma State University remains dead set on discontinuing its athletics department despite backlash from students and the community.
Sonoma State interim president Emily Cutrer sent a campuswide email Jan. 22 to students, faculty and coaches affiliated with the university, according to CBS News. The email notified recipients of a discontinuation of 22 academic programs, six departments and the university’s athletics department.
The decision was made in large part to a nearly $24 million budget deficit for the 2025-26 academic year, and the deficit was caused by a 38% decline in enrollment numbers during the previous decade, according to the university. To address the budget deficit, the university laid off several faculty members, including coaches from the athletics department.
Jacob Garsez, the head coach of Sonoma State’s baseball team, said it was “brutal” seeing the campuswide-sent email for the first time, but it was important for him to remain optimistic and continue to perform his job.
“There’s never really a way to prepare for something like that, and we were completely blindsided by it,” Garsez said. “Whenever you’re faced with adversity, you try to make sure everybody focuses on what they can control, and for us, that was getting better on the baseball field down the stretch.”
Seven Sonoma State student-athletes filed a lawsuit against the university in March claiming the university committed “fraud and misrepresentation” as the university planned to discontinue the programs well before the campuswide email had been sent, according to CBS News.
As a fourth-year student expected to graduate and Sonoma State pitcher Colton Wuelfing said the news doesn’t affect him much, but he senses the impact the decision has on fellow student-athletes.
“I think (the university) knew what they were going to do, and they got us all back in class so they could get our tuition and all that, and they announced (the discontinuation), so that wasn’t a great move,” Wuelfing said. “It’s sad for sure. There’s a lot of history with Sonoma State. They’ve been a very successful program.”
Garsez said he and his team have been pushing to prevent the university’s final decision, and part of that push involves a lawsuit expected to begin May 1.
“I think that’s going to be a big deal for us and our potential future at Sonoma State, but we also have to start looking for what that next opportunity can be like,” Garsez said. “So, put trust in everything, and hope it works out.”
Wuelfing said many student-athletes who aren’t graduating have entered the NCAA transfer portal, but many of them are uncertain of their future. According to university officials, student-athletes who choose to stay enrolled at Sonoma State are eligible to receive scholarships based on their scholarships’ current terms.
In addition to the athletics department, the degree programs expected to be discontinued include French, philosophy, women and gender studies, dance, art history, environmental sciences and economics according to the university.
Wuelfing said despite the unfavorable news, he enjoyed his final season playing with the Seawolves.
“It was awesome,” Wuelfing said. “This was a great group. It didn’t go the way we wanted, obviously, with a lot of adversity, but it was a great group, a tight group… a lot of character with these guys.”
Wuelfing didn’t only have praise for the athletics department. He also reflected on the university as a college student.
“Looking back on it, it was fun,” Wuelfing said. “I met a lot of good people. I learned a lot of things about myself and about life and good life lessons to take into the next steps of my career.”
Garsez said he doesn’t want to see his team — nor its athletics department — get discontinued, but he’s pleased with the department’s accomplishments regardless of its fate.
“Sonoma State athletics is a special place,” Garsez said. “It shouldn’t ever go away. It’s a special athletics department that’s had a great past and should have a bright future. And so, with this particular team, if it is the last (season), they battled, they fought and they got better. I think that says a lot about their character and who they are.”
Feature image courtesy of Christian Magdaleno
