Sign-stealing allegations against De La Salle baseball could not be proven, EBAL investigation concludes
The De La Salle baseball team has been cleared of allegations regarding sign-stealing after a monthlong East Bay Athletic League investigation, the league’s 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 substantiate the claims made against the DLS baseball program.”
He added on Monday that the claims made by Dougherty Valley are closed.
Last month, Dougherty Valley coach Kyle Stewart alleged in a formal complaint to the EBAL and North Coast Section that De La Salle had “personnel whom have devices such as cameras, telephoto lenses, walkie talkies, and verbal cadence from the coaching staff (that) 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 “meticulously followed the process outlined by the East Bay Athletic League (EBAL) bylaws. After thoroughly reviewing our findings, the EBAL president concluded that the spurious allegations were unsubstantiated.
“We trusted the process and were confident that no wrongdoing would be found because our team did not do the alleged things.”
Dougherty Valley officials declined to comment on Monday, saying that any response about 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 games this season.
Before the EBAL investigated the matter, De La Salle did its own probe and came to the same conclusion that the league ultimately would.
“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 stealing. Moreover, the photographer was identified as someone who attends and photographs high school baseball games and is well-known throughout the local area. He was at the game to take photographs for his personal use and to sell these images. He was not there at De La Salle’s direction or request.”
The NCS does not address sign stealing in its bylaws. The practice is common throughout baseball history but generally confined to the players and the field of play. When a team uses a scheme or technology to steal signs, that is viewed as unsportsmanlike behavior.
Dougherty Valley won at home over De La Salle 6-5 on March 27, marking its first win in 15 games between the EBAL teams.
Dougherty Valley lost at De La Salle 6-0 in the rematch on April 30.
De La Salle had captured 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.
The Concord powerhouse won 33 consecutive postseason games dating to 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, had a 7-16 record this season.