Queen Creek HS to file appeal with AIA over baseball team probation
Queen Creek High School will appeal the probation that was imposed on its baseball team by the Arizona Interscholastic Association Monday, hoping to have it rescinded by citing similar violations at other schools and offering a plan to avoid future missteps.
Athletic Director Chris Driving Hawk told The Arizona Republic in an email that the school will appeal the one-year probation, which was made Monday by the AIA Executive Board during it's start-of-the-school-year meeting.
The AIA action, which stems from a pitch-count violation in last spring's playoffs, means the school is ineligible for the playoffs for a year, starting from the time it was placed on probation.
"We are committed to providing a positive spring season for our baseball student-athletes while holding our programs and coaching staff to the expectations articulated in the AIA bylaws," Driving Hawk said in an email. "We will follow the proper process to appeal this decision.
"We are reevaluating the corrective actions we presented to the Executive Board and plan to present an appeal that (1) addresses previous bylaw violations, (2) provides action steps that eliminate future violations from taking place, and (3) gives our baseball student-athletes the opportunity to compete in the postseason."
In the correction actions it took prior to the AIA placing it on probation, Queen Creek stated that Driving Hawk and coach Mikel Moreno will review the pitch-count bylaw; they will meet weekly during the baseball season to ensure all bylaws are being followed; the Game Changer app will be implemented and run by a parent for all varsity baseball contests; after every varsity game, the coach will submit pitch counts to the AD on the AIA approved form; the head coach will serve discipline.
Queen Creek was forced to forfeit a playoff win over Hamilton because one of their players had thrown more pitches than was allowed under an AIA bylaw that required a minmium of two-days rest. Hamilton went on to win the 6A state title.
In the appeal, Queen Creek could point out that two seasons ago Miami had to forfeit its 2A semifinal win over Benson after its pitcher was determined to be ineligible for exceeding the pitch-count limit from pitching two days prior, not giving him enough rest between outings within the AIA pitch-count bylaw rules.
Miami took the forfeit, and did not face probation the following season.
The AIA's decision to place Queen Creek on probation could be due to Coach Mikel Moreno's comments after the forfeit came down on May 14.
At the time, a frustrated Moreno told The Republic, "It hasn't been taken away because Hamilton knows, my boys know, anybody who was in attendance knows my boys kicked their ass. That's indisputable. If Hamilton wants to win on technicality, they got us on a technicality."
Two days later, Moreno, after having a conference call with AIA assistant executive director Joe Paddock, told The Republic that he took full responsibility, saying, "I failed my kids."
"I said, 'If we were in a courtroom, I would tell you, I'm throwing myself at the court's mercy. Punish me. Don't punish the boys. We do this for the kids. We do this to serve kids,' " Moreno said on May 13. "I said, 'Me, I was irresponsible. I failed my kids.' I said the powers that be are not serving kids right. I don't understand when you're talking about a four-pitch discrepancy."
To suggest human-interest story ideas and other news, reach Obert at richard.obert@arizonarepublic.com or 602-316-8827. Follow him on Twitter @azc_obert.
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Queen Creek to file appeal with AIA over baseball placed on probation
