The De La Salle baseball team has been cleared of allegations regarding sign-stealing after a month-long investigation by the East Bay Athletic League, league president Clark Conover told the Bay Area News Group.
In an email to this news organization over the weekend, Conover wrote that “there is insufficient evidence to support the allegations made against the DLS baseball program.”
He added Monday that the claims made by Dougherty Valley were closed.
Last month, Dougherty Valley coach Kyle Stewart alleged in a formal complaint at EBAL and the North Coast Section that De La Salle had “staff with devices such as cameras, telephoto lenses, walkie-talkies and the verbal cadence of the coaching staff (which) creates a litany of questionable actions.”
De La Salle immediately denied all allegations.
During the investigation, De La Salle President David Holquin said his school was “meticulously following the process outlined by the East Bay Athletic League (EBAL) Bylaws.” After carefully reviewing our findings, the EBAL President concluded that the spurious allegations were unfounded.
“We had confidence in the process and were confident that no wrongdoing would be discovered because our team did not commit the acts alleged. »
Dougherty Valley officials declined to comment Monday, saying any response on the matter would have to come from the San Ramon Unified School District.
A district spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Dougherty Valley’s complaint was limited to this season’s games.
Before the EBAL investigated the matter, De La Salle conducted his own investigation and came to the same conclusion the league would eventually make.
“De La Salle immediately followed established protocols and conducted an internal investigation,” DLS athletic director Leo Lopoz wrote in a statement to the Bay Area News Group in early May. “This investigation found absolutely no evidence of sign theft. Additionally, the photographer was identified as someone who attends and photographs high school baseball games and is well known throughout the area. He was at the game to take photos for his personal use and to sell those images. He was not there at the behest or request of De La Salle.
The NCS does not address sign theft in its statutes. The practice is common throughout baseball history, but generally limited to players and the field of play. When a team uses a ploy or technology to steal signs, it is considered unsportsmanlike behavior.
Dougherty Valley won at home against De La Salle 6-5 on March 27, marking its first victory in 15 games between the EBAL teams.
Dougherty Valley lost to De La Salle 6-0 in the rematch on April 30.
De La Salle had won the previous six NCS Division I championships. The Spartans also won the first two Northern California Division I regional titles, in 2022 and last season.
Powerhouse Concord has won 33 straight postseason games since 2016 when Granada beat the Spartans 1-0 in 14 innings for the NCS Division I title two weekends ago.
Granada beat De La Salle again, 5-0, in the NorCal Division I semifinals last week.
De La Salle finished 21-8.
Dougherty Valley, which did not qualify for the playoffs, was 7-16 this season.
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