Sheldon Player Ruled Ineligible, No Sanctions Against Two Others

There will be no sanctions levied against two baseball players who participated this summer in a club team coached by Sheldon varsity head coach Mike Hughes. A third player, who like the other two transferred to Sheldon from outside the school’s attendance area has been ruled ineligible to play for the Huskies next spring.

EGUSD athletic director Jim Smrekar began an investigation into a lengthy letter written by several parents of varsity baseball players that demanded the removal of Hughes as coach. Friday afternoon he told the Citizen that after consulting with Sac-Joaquin Section commissioner Pete Saco, he determined that one player who was a part of the River City Outlaws, the club team Hughes and his son Doug coached this summer, is ineligible to play for the Huskies next spring.

“The final decision, though, is up to (Saco),” Smrekar said.

The player is allegedly in violation of CIF rules that prohibit a student/athlete to follow a coach to a different school. Sheldon athletic director Denise Aguilar said Friday she was in contact with the student’s parents informing them of the apparent violation.

Smrekar said two of the boys alleged in the letter to have been recruited by Hughes transferred legally to Sheldon for the 2011-2012 school year. Another boy who played last summer with the Outlaws remained at his original high school, according to Smrekar.

“I am pretty much finished with my part of the investigation and the rest of the matter has been turned over to (Sheldon principal) Paula (Duncan),” Smrekar said.

Frank Hadfield who has a grandson on the Sheldon team phoned the Citizen Thursday to say that a document with the signatures of 15 parents of baseball players demanding Hughes removal of coach will be delivered to Smrekar. That document had not been received by Smrekar as of late Friday.

Duncan says she has not seen the alleged letter.

The original 2,300-word letter alleging improprieties by Hughes and his oldest son Doug, an assistant varsity coach, was unsigned and, according to two parents who were responsible for authoring the letter, intended to be hand-delivered to Sheldon athletic director Denise Aguilar.

According to Hadfield, Aguilar didn’t return numerous telephone calls to her placed by Hadfield to set up that meeting. In frustration, he emailed a copy of the letter to the Citizen.

Aguilar and Duncan say they never received any phone call from any parent nor anyone wanting to discuss the Huskies’ baseball program.

Another parent who asked for her name not to be used at this time has taken credit for writing much of the letter, but had says she had input and support from eight other parents. That was confirmed by two other parents, also asking to remain unnamed.