BASEBALL ROUNDUP : Eligibility Appeal for Esperanza Athlete Is Denied

The Southern Section Executive Committee on Wednesday denied an appeal that would have made Ryan Filbeck eligible to play baseball at Esperanza High School.

Filbeck transferred from El Toro in February after his parents separated. He applied last week for immediate eligibility under the Southern Section hardship rules.

Commissioner Stan Thomas denied eligibility because he said the move was made purely for athletic reasons. Esperanza officials appealed that decision to a three-member panel of the Executive Committee, but were turned down on the same grounds.

“It appears the move occurred because of an athletic burden,” said Corona del Mar Principal Tom Jacobson, president of the Executive Committee. “There are suggestions that the father (Leon Filbeck) was looking at other baseball programs, whether it was before the divorce or not.”

Kevin McDermott, attorney for the Filbecks, said the family will appeal to the California Interscholastic Federation office.

Filbeck, a senior, pitched for the El Toro varsity the past two seasons. His parents filed for divorce in January and his father moved to Anaheim.

Leon Filbeck said he selected Anaheim to be closer to his family. His mother, who is ill, lives in Norco and his brother lives in Brea.

The Filbecks said Ryan had chosen to live with his father and that baseball had nothing to do with the move.

However, El Toro officials said Filbeck had been “shopping” his son around last summer. Charger Coach Dan DeLeon said that Mater Dei Coach Bob Ickes had been contacted by Leon Filbeck.

Ickes was not at the hearing, but was interviewed on the telephone by a committee member. He confirmed that Filbeck had approached him and had asked “hypothetically” about the conditions needed to transfer.