OHSAA to Hubbard baseball: ‘You’re out!’

Violation gives Poland new tournament life after sectional final defeat

Staff report

The Poland baseball team has new life in the Division II district tournament.

The Bulldogs, eliminated in an 11-10 loss to Hubbard on Wednesday, are back in the tournament after the Eagles were disqualified for an Ohio High School Athletic Association violation.

Hubbard (17-12), the Struthers district’s No. 7 seed, upset second-seeded Poland in a sectional final, but the OHSAA announced on Thursday that the Eagles were found to be in violation of bylaw 9-2-1, which prohibits teams from playing games on school days in non-boundary states.

The Eagles played five games in Murfreesboro, Tenn., from March 28-30. Hubbard was in school on the March 28 and 29.

According to OHSAA the bylaw, players can miss school to play in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Pennsylvania, West Virginia and in Ontario, Canada. However, teams can play in states like Tennessee as long as there is “no loss of school time.”

Poland (17-6) will face Northeast 8 rival Niles in a district semifinal Monday at Cene Park in Struthers. First pitch is scheduled for 4 p.m. at Field 2.

Calls made to Poland baseball coach Rich Murray, Poland athletic director Brian Banfield, Hubbard baseball coach John Schiraldi and Hubbard athletic Chuck Montgomery were not returned by press time Thurday night.

On April 11, The Akron Beacon Journal reported that Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary’s baseball and softball teams were banned from tournament play for violations of the same OHSAA bylaw.

Both Irish teams played games in Tennessee in late March. SVSM’s spring break was April 18-28.