For the last 14 years, four Boston-area college baseball teams have marked off a certain two days on the calendar in the middle of April. On these two days, small-time collegiate kids get a taste of big-league dreams. On these two days, the gates of Fenway Park are flung open to receive the varsity teams of Harvard, Boston College, Northeastern and the University of Massachusetts.

These are the days of the Beanpot Classic. And this year, for the first time, those storied gates will be barred.

Two weeks ago, the coaches of the schools involved were informed that the 15th annual Beanpot would not be held at Fenway Park. Instead, the teams will take the field at Campanelli Stadium in Brockton, Mass., home of the Brockton Rox, members of the Independent Northeast League.

The exact reason for the change is debatable. While the Red Sox claim the move is due to a maintenance issue, the teams suspect that it is matter of funding. Most of all, though, the overwhelming feeling for the players and coaches involved is bitterness.

“The players are just really disappointed,” said Harvard coach Joe Walsh. “It’s a great thrill to be at Fenway Park—we all look forward to it.”

Dr. Charles Steinberg, Executive Vice President for Public Affairs for the Red Sox, said that the change was a result of a need to re-sod the infield grass. Following the winter, two-thirds of the infield grass was dead and had to be artificially enhanced for Opening Day. The scheduled days of the Beanpot, April 20 and 21, fall during a Red Sox away series. According to Steinberg, this is the only time when the field can be re-sodded.

“We offered [the Beanpot teams] the weekend preceding but it didn’t work,” Steinberg said. “It had to be laid.”

The coaches would be sympathetic, though still disappointed, if the move was due to an unforeseeable occurrence like this. Even a scheduling conflict—such as a rescheduled Red Sox home game—would be understandable. But they perceived a different impression of the situation.

According to Walsh and UMass coach Mike Stone, the driving factors appear to be financial. The draw of the local teams and the tradition of the Beanpot seemed to be insufficient to offset the cost of the security and gate personnel required to staff the ballpark.

Harvard coach Joe Walsh said that the college teams involved had been contacted by the ballpark management, who wanted at first to schedule the Beanpot directly following a noon Red Sox game so that all the park staff would already be at the field. Failing this, there was talk of playing at a minor league affiliate. But this also failed to materialize, and the teams ended up in Brockton.

According to sophomore infielder Josh Klimkiewicz, the team was at first elated to hear that they might be playing following the 11:05 a.m. Red Sox-Yankees game on Monday, April 19, the same day as the Boston Marathon.

“Especially on Marathon Monday, if the Beanpot was right after, people would have to stay,” said Klimkiewicz, a Lexington native who also attended a local high school. “Who wouldn’t want to see the four Boston-area teams playing each other? And I’m sure they would have made a lot of money, keeping the concessions stands open.”

When this option proved unfeasible, however, the disappointment was crushing.

“All we heard was that [the Red Sox] couldn’t afford to do it if they couldn’t make money themselves,” Klimkiewicz said.

Steinberg denied that the change was related to funding, and said that he had considered allowing the college teams to play despite the re-sodding. But if the teams played on the recently re-sod grass, he said “it could be dangerous, someone could slip. Safety first, that’s the key ingredient.”