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 accommodate most of Escalon’s older groups as schedules were finalized. Recreation staff said consultants and staff pursued local alternatives — including Ripon, Riverbank, Manteca and others — before the Bel Passi option was selected to ensure teams could play. Staff also told the commission that the consultant retained to help reorganize the program, Todd Davis, had informed staff informally that he would step back from administrative duties after opening day; Davis was not present at the meeting.

Parents and coaches described specific operational problems they said worsened this season compared with last year: evaluations run by volunteer coaches rather than a centralized evaluator; a draft that followed evaluations immediately without a clear room or staff oversight; inexperienced check-in and registration logistics that left some coaches and parents confused; base distances and field assignments that created safety and playability concerns for 6–8-year-olds; and placement of Escalon teams into divisions containing established travel/all-star teams such as Norco Valley and Bel Passi select squads.

Jamie Pierce and other parents also said a consultant contract authorized by city council last year for $16,000 had not produced the promised improvements. Pierce told the commission she believed Davis had been paid approximately $8,000 to date and said she hoped the city could recover fees if the consultant had not delivered the agreed services. Staff said the consultant had been paid under the approved contract and that Davis had signaled an informal departure; the commission did not take immediate action on contract repayment at the meeting.

Faced with the public testimony, commissioners pressed staff for near-term remedies. The commission approved a motion to withdraw the minor boys from Bel Passi; staff said it would notify Bel Passi immediately and seek to reschedule local games or convert planned practice slots into local games. Commissioners and many speakers urged staff to prioritize child safety and to work with volunteer coaches to rebuild a local schedule: several parents and volunteer coaches volunteered to form a local baseball committee to handle scheduling and liaison with staff.

On related business the commission voted to adopt Bel Passi rules for the Major division and the 13–15 division but to reject applying Bel Passi rules to the minor boys. The commission also granted staff authority to finalize and approve division rules within 30 days if timing required quicker action during the season. The commission separately adopted the Modesto Girls Softball League rules and the Premier Girls Fastpitch rules for relevant softball divisions.

Commissioners and staff also agreed to a standing communication and feedback process: staff will compile monthly logs of concerns and emails related to recreation programs and bring them to the commission so problems are daylighted earlier. Commissioners suggested forming a volunteer rec board or assigning commissioner liaisons to specific sports to improve continuity and to help coordinate scheduling, referee expectations and coach training.

Next steps identified at the meeting included immediate notification to Bel Passi of Escalon’s withdrawal for the minor division, a staff effort to reschedule or convert practice slots into games where feasible, outreach to coaches about umpire coverage and scheduling, and follow-up work on forming a volunteer committee or board ahead of the off-season to guide program policy going into next year.