Scheffels Seeks Court Order to Keep Playing

Simi Valley High pitcher Bill Scheffels, declared ineligible by the Southern Section last week, will seek a temporary restraining order Monday that would allow him to play during his appeal to the section, a source close to the program said Thursday.

The source, who requested anonymity, said that Russell Nadel, Scheffels’ attorney, had tried unsuccessfully to pursue a restraining order that would have allowed Scheffels to pitch today in Simi Valley’s Marmonte League game at Channel Islands. Simi Valley (6-2, 2-1 in league play) trails Channel Islands (8-0, 2-0) in the league standings.

Southern Section officials claim that Scheffels, a sophomore right-hander who is 2-1 with a 1.75 earned-run average, tried to circumvent the section’s change-of-residence rules after he transferred from Alemany last fall.

Alemany is a parochial school, Simi Valley a public school. Under Southern Section rules, a student who transfers from a four-year parochial school at the end of the freshman year to a three-year public high school must change residences or lose a year of varsity eligibility.

According to information provided to section officials by Alemany, the Scheffelses moved from Simi Valley to Los Angeles, then back to their former Simi Valley residence shortly thereafter.

“We called it to (the Southern Section’s) attention that (Scheffels) has the same address in Simi Valley as he did when he played for us last year,” Alemany baseball Coach Jim Ozella said Thursday.

Southern Section Commissioner Stan Thomas was unavailable for comment Thursday.

Reached at a number that he said is routed to his Simi Valley home, Gene Scheffels, Bill’s father, declined comment based on his attorney’s advice.

Gene Scheffels and Nadel, who did not return calls to his office Thursday, will make a formal appeal to Southern Section officials Wednesday.

If Scheffels remains ineligible, Simi Valley will forfeit nonleague wins over Crespi and Banning in which Scheffels pitched.