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Segerstrom High School Principal David Casper and Varsity Baseball Coach Erasmo Ramirez have been reassigned by the SAUSD after the CIF Southern Section found that the school’s baseball program violated CIF rules.
The CIF punishment is severe – Segerstrom’s baseball team has to forfeit all of this season’s wins and may not participate in this year’s playoffs due to rule violations.
Segerstrom High School’s Varsity Baseball team was 12-7 overall at the time and was in first place in the Golden West League.
The CIF-SS stated that Segerstrom has been placed on probation, in addition to the other sanctions, for violating the section’s bylaws regarding “Undue Influence,” “Authorized Participation” and “Administrative Oversight.”
As part of the District’s response to these findings they opted to temporarily remove Principal David Casper from his position at Segerstrom High School and temporarily reassigned him to another role within the District. Additionally, Head Coach Erasmo Ramirez was removed from his coaching duties, pending further review.
SAUSD Director of Secondary Student Achievement Celeste Migliaccio will step in as interim principal. The current assistant principals will remain at Segerstrom and continue in their roles as well.
Segerstrom was scheduled to host Kennedy in the second game of a league series on Thursday. But a reporter from OC Sports Zone who was scheduled to cover the game was told by a security person and another school official that the game had been cancelled, according to OC Sportszone.
Segerstrom was also scheduled to host Kennedy on Friday in the final game of the series, but it is not known if that game or any other Segerstrom games will be played this season.
Erasmo Ramirez, Varsity Head Coach
Coach Ramirez was in his 16th year as the Varsity Head Coach at Segerstrom High School. Born and raised in Santa Ana, he attended John Adams Elementary, Carr Intermediate, and Saddleback High School. He graduated from Saddleback in 1994 and began a successful collegiate career that took him from Cal State Northridge and on to national powerhouse Cal State Fullerton.
Drafted in the 11th round of the 1998 draft by the San Francisco Giants, Coach Ramirez began his career as a professional baseball player. In 2001, while in Double-A with the Giants, he was traded to the Texas Rangers. Two years later, on April 30, 2003, Coach Ramirez made his Major League debut for the Rangers in a win against the Toronto Blue Jays. As a rookie, he was 3-1 with a 3.86 ERA that included a stretch of 15.2 consecutive scoreless innings (the longest span by a Ranger in 2003). His first Major League victory was against his hometown Anaheim Angels on July 23, 2003. Coach Ramirez would go on to post an 8-4 record with a 3.95 ERA in his Major League career. As a Minor Leaguer, he put up a career 3.46 ERA with a record of 36-23. In his professional career, Coach Ramirez had the opportunity to pitch for many great coaches, including Dave Righetti, Dusty Baker, Buck Showalter, and Orel Hershiser.
SAUSD Superintendent Jerry Almendarez situation at Segerstrom with this statement:
I want to take a moment to address concerns that have emerged in the wake of recent decisions regarding site leadership and the Boys Varsity Baseball program.
As many of you are aware, the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) issued sanctions against Segerstrom High School’s baseball program following an investigation into program violations. These sanctions were directly related to actions involving individuals from the school site. In response, the Santa Ana Unified School District took appropriate administrative action to uphold the standards of integrity, accountability, and student safety that we expect across all of our schools.
We recognize that the recent turn of events has been difficult for many in our school community, and we have been made aware that some Segerstrom staff have indicated they will not participate in activities outside of regular school hours, including events traditionally supported by school personnel.
While we respect the right of our employees to express their views, I do want to reassure our students and families that all scheduled end-of-year events, including prom, commencement ceremonies, and other extracurricular activities, will proceed as planned. The Santa Ana Unified School District is committed to ensuring these important milestones are celebrated fully and without disruption. District staff will be present and available to support these events as needed.
Our top priority remains supporting students academically, emotionally, and socially through the remainder of the school year. That includes maintaining a sense of normalcy for our school community and making sure students continue to have access to the full range of opportunities and experiences they’ve worked so hard to earn.
We appreciate the Segerstrom community’s continued trust and support. We remain steadfast in our commitment to integrity, transparency, and providing a stable, supportive environment for every student.
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