By By BRUCE HIXON – Sports Editor
Members of the Jefferson Davis Community College athletic department have mixed feelings towards a new rule that changes the way scholarships are counted for athletes who are involved in multiple sports.
Multiple sports athletes are currently counted as one scholarship overall. For example, a baseball program that has a player who signed his scholarship through basketball does not have to count that player's scholarship towards its allotment.
Starting next year, athletes who play multiple sports will be counted as a scholarship for each sport that individual plays.
Warhawks basketball coach Allen Gainer is in favor of the rule change.
JDCC baseball coach Darrell Blevins understands the rule change, but is against it.
Multiple scholarship counters figure to have little impact on men's sports at JDCC.
Women's sports could be a different story at JDCC. While only one individual is involved in volleyball and softball this year, Lady Warhawks softball and volleyball coach Misti Nims has had several players play two sports.
In addition to the new multiple scholarship counter rule change, JDCC coaches deal with the equivalent of a double scholarship counter for athletes they sign from out of state.