A few members of the Santa Monica High baseball team were sent home from a recent tournament in the San Diego area for a “student behavior issue,” according to school district officials.
Details remained scarce about the incident this week, but no police were called and no arrests were made, according to Santa Monica-Malibu school district spokeswoman Gail Pinsker.
Three players were sent home early with parents, according to Pinsker.
The behavioral issue was handled by Vikings coach Loren Drake, Pinsker said. It was unclear how the incident came to Drake’s attention.
Pinsker declined to say whether or not the incident was drug-related.
“I am unable to verify the alleged incident with the three Samohi students who were sent home early from a baseball tournament last week due to privacy laws,” she said. “The alleged incident is under investigation and any disciplinary action considered will be based on adherence to Education Code and SMMUSD board policy. The results will be confidential.”
Pinsker said she had been briefed by Samohi principal Eva Mayoral, who was not immediately available for comment. Multiple attempts to reach school athletic director Tim Ballaret were also unsuccessful.
The high school and the school district are on spring break until April 4.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, a current varsity player who said he was not involved in the incident said Thursday that the team had not been briefed on the incident.
“We’ll find out what’s happening and then build from there, and we’ll see what we’re really made of as a team,” the player said.
Samohi played three games in the San Diego area March 21-23 as part of the annual Lions Tournament.
The Vikings defeated Chula Vista-Olympian 5-0 on March 21, when Lowell Schipper threw five shutout innings and fellow senior AJ Inatsugu went 3-for-4 with one RBI and one run.
The following day, with senior Nik Nahass on the mound, Samohi topped San Diego-Mt. Carmel 7-3. The Vikings then fell 5-1 to Highlands Ranch (Colo.)-Valor Christian the day after that.
On March 23, the team Twitter account was updated with a post reading, “Be a good teammate,” along with an image listing 10 desirable attributes that don’t require talent: being on time, work ethic, effort, body language, energy, attitude, passion, being coachable, doing extra and being prepared.
Since the reported incident, Samohi (7-6) has lost games against Chula Vista-Hilltop, Ventura-Buena, Valencia and Torrance.
The high school baseball program has produced several professional-level prospects in recent years, including Cody Decker, Tyler Skaggs and Conner Greene. Current players Schipper and Jaylon McLaughlin are planning to continue their athletic careers at Richmond and Nevada next season, respectively.
But the Vikings are no stranger to controversy. In 2014, the team advanced in the playoffs after then-coach Kurt Schwengel protested an opponent’s illegal pregame Wiffle ball batting practice.
SMMUSD was heavily criticized by program alumni and community members when Schwengel was canned after two successful campaigns. He was replaced at the helm by Drake, who guided the team to the CIF section quarterfinals last season.
The Vikings are scheduled to face Long Beach-Wilson on April 9 before starting Ocean League play April 12 at Hawthorne. Their conference home opener is slated for April 14.
