Escalon commissioners pull minor boys from Bel Passi travel division after parents and coaches cite safety, scheduling and oversight problems

Escalon Recreation Commission members voted March 5 to withdraw the city’s minor boys baseball teams from the Bel Passi “come-as-you-are” league after parents and volunteer coaches raised safety, scheduling and process concerns. The motion passed in a roll-call vote: Commissioners Bauer, Silva, Trejo, Hogan and Showalter voted aye.

The decision followed more than an hour of public comment and coach testimony that described problems with pre-season evaluations, an unexpectedly informal draft process, field and scheduling conflicts, and what many parents described as a mismatch between Escalon recreation teams and travel or select teams in the Bel Passi matchups. Kevin Sanchez, a former recreation commissioner who addressed the panel, said, “This is kind of a mess. And this is not what on the rec commission we voted for.” Parent Jamie Pierce said she was “very concerned with the lack of communication” and warned bluntly that “our kids are going to get hurt” if mismatched teams faced more competitive travel squads.

Staff said the city had tried to keep teams in the Oakdale Baseball Softball Association (OBSA) as recommended by council, but OBSA could not…