Tragedy strikes OCC

Jourdan Watanabe, a standout baseball player at Orange Coast College in 2008 who was redshirting this season, was found dead Friday morning in Irvine, an OCC Coach John Altobelli confirmed.

Watanabe was 20.

No details surrounding his death were available, but sources close to the Orange Coast baseball program said at least one friend who saw him this week was concerned about his state of mind.

Watanabe, whom Pirates Coach John Altobelli described as an upbeat, extremely athletic, fun-loving young man last season, when the catcher hit .353 with seven home runs and 40 runs batted in on his way to being named first-team All-Orange Empire Conference, had been dealing with a legal matter that some said placed him under noticeable personal pressure.

That pressure, involving unspecified charges headed toward potential litigation this coming spring, had led to the decision for Watanabe to put baseball on hold and redshirt this season. The genesis of those charges occurred while Watanabe was in high school, a source said.

Altobelli said Watanabe had practiced sporadically with the team this season and had expressed his desire to return to the roster next season.

Altobelli said the Pirates’ players learned of Watanabe’s death at practice Friday, where grief counselors were present to talk with players.

Altobelli said the players voted to play today’s home game against Orange Empire Conference rival Saddleback at noon.

A moment of silence will be observed for Watanabe at today’s game and the No. 22 he wore for the Pirates has been painted on the outfield fence, as well as on the grass behind home plate, Altobelli said.

Altobelli said he heard a rumor that Watanabe had died when he arrived on campus early Friday morning. He quickly left school and drove to the Watanabe family home in Irvine, where he saw several young people gathered in front of the house. Altobelli said he offered condolences to Watanabe’s mother.

Altobelli said he received calls throughout the day from some former OCC players who played with Watanabe last season.

“He was fun to be around last season,” Altobelli said. “He had a little skip to his step and he always had a smile on his face. When we talked about this redshirting, it was with the hope that he could get bigger and stronger and take a positive out of a negative. I thought he was on the right track the last time I saw him.”

An Irvine Police Department spokesperson reached Friday night said there would be no comment about Watanabe’s death until today.

BARRY FAULKNER may be reached at (714) 966-4615 or at barry.faulkner@latimes.com.