UC Davis baseball returns amid hazing investigation

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UC Davis athletic director Rocko DeLuca announced through the school’s communications office Monday afternoon that the Aggies baseball program, suspended since July due to what the school called of credible hazing issues, had been approved to resume training and certain team activities while the hazing investigation continues.

DeLuca also announced that three interim coaches are in place to ease the transition to a spring season. They are: Tony Bloomfield, a longtime Davis resident whose baseball teams at Cosumnes River College in Sacramento were among the best in the state, reaching the playoffs 17 of his 19 seasons; Randy Choate, a Davis resident who started in the big leagues in the 2000s and won a World Series ring with the Yankees in 2000; and Ray McIntire, former director of baseball operations in Arizona for the Pac-12 Conference.

DeLuca said that as a college and baseball program, we ask for the confidentiality of interim coaches and our student-athletes when they start training later this week. There will be no updates or additional comments until the investigation is concluded.

He said of the interim coaches: We are fortunate that a few talented members of our local community have agreed to help with team practices and baseball activities while the coaching staff remains on leave. These individuals have diverse baseball backgrounds and will provide in-depth experience to our student-athletes.

More than two months have passed since UCD suspended its baseball program after a hazing allegation and we still don’t have the answers to these questions, nor do we know why the school abruptly closed. the sport. Coaching staff have been on administrative leave while the school investigates the allegation. The school refused to say what happened, when it happened or even if anyone was injured.

The school didn’t even initially say why the baseball program was suspended. School Chancellor Gary S. May referred to the hazing in a note in the middle of a blog posted for faculty and alumni under the headline Checking with Chancellor May: Onward Toward Fall and the caption Checking in elsewhere.

He wrote that we are responding to credible allegations of misconduct primarily related to hazing and that the university will take appropriate action to investigate these allegations. The university has a zero tolerance posture when it comes to hazing.

UCD went 14-43 last spring and finished last in the Great West at 8-32, the program’s worst performance since 2009. UCD said the investigation could last until the fall months.

Joe Davidson has covered sports for The Sacramento Bee since 1988. He has won 14 awards from the California Prep Sports Writer Association. In 2021, Davidson was awarded the CIF Distinguished Service. He is a member of the California Coaches Association Hall of Fame. Davidson was a high school athlete in Oregon, where he participated in football and track and field.

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