Brock Murtha wants to play one last season of college baseball at Navy. The fifth-year senior filed a lawsuit against the NCAA in search of a temporary restraining order.
His case is not like the others.
In an era of college baseball and college sports where athletes are trying to extend their careers for financial or professional reasons, Murtha just wants to ball with his bros. It can’t hurt.
Who is Brock Murtha?
A native of Sayville, New York, Murtha served as the team captain in high school. He was a First Team All-Long Island, All-State, All-County and All-League player who received multiple collegiate offers.
The 6-foot-0, 195-pound infielder ultimately chose to play at Notre Dame.
Murtha spent the 2021 and 2022 seasons with the Fighting Irish but made only six appearances as a freshman and used only one year of eligibility. And then it was off to the transfer portal.
Navy gave Brock Murtha an opportunity to play right away. He started 49 of 50 games for the Midshipmen as a third-year redshirt freshman and finished third on the team with a .287 batting average.
2024 was even better. Murtha was named to the All-Patriot League Second Team as the team leader in batting average and a the team leader in on-base percentage— .345 and .473, respectively.
Although his junior season in 2025 was not quite as strong, it was still a successful campaign with an on-base percentage of .408 and batting average of .272. Pretty good!
Here is where things get messy.
Murtha thought he had another season of eligibility for 2026. The NCAA said otherwise.
The NCAA will not let him play another college baseball season for Navy.
A large number of athletes in college football, baseball and basketball filed lawsuits against the governing body of collegiate athletics in pursuit of another year of eligibility. Some of them claim irreparable financial harm if they cannot receive NIL money. Others claim they have a better chance of success as a pro if they can get another year of development. Some of the cases stem from illness or injury.
Brock Murtha did not claim any of the above. His lawsuit stands alone.
Unlike the other college athletes who filed for another season of eligibility, Murtha quite literally cannot go pro. He will commission as a Marine Corps officer in May.
Thus, the inability to play for the Midshipmen is preventing the professional development of a future military officer. This lawsuit hopes to get him back on the field.
“The harm I am facing is not the loss of ‘fun’ or ‘games.’ It is the loss of critical leadership reps that are essential to my ability to lead Marines in high-consequence environments. Once I commission in May, these opportunities are gone forever. No monetary award can replace the professional competence and compassion I am losing every single day I am held off that field.”
As detailed by Daniel Libit of Sportico, there would be no issue in the first place if the Naval Academy’s athletic department had not made errors in its initial petition to get Murtha another season of eligibility.
The NCAA says he exhausted his four years of eligibility in 2021 at Notre Dame, and in 2023, 2024 and 2025 at Navy. Murtha contends that he should not be docked for 2021 because he made only five appearances as a defensive replacement and one single at-bat during the 20th game of a 47-game season.
A federal court in Maryland will hear arguments on Thursday regarding Murtha’s request for a temporary restraining order. The TRO would allow him to compete in the ongoing college baseball season as a sixth-year senior. Games officially got underway last month. Navy currently sits at 7-3.
The post Navy Baseball Player Seeks Restraining Order Against NCAA For Threatening National Security appeared first on BroBible.
Navy Baseball Player Seeks Restraining Order Against NCAA For Threatening National Security
Pinoy Human Rights
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