Area roundup: Toby Hess out as Poly baseball coach; LBSU's Maeva set to begin NCAA championship tournament

Longtime Poly High baseball coach Toby Hess was asked to step down Tuesday afteoon by Poly co-principal Diane Prince and interim co-principal Joe Pistoia. Hess has been with the Jackrabbits program for a decade and has been the head coach for nine seasons.

“I was told there’s a philosophical difference and they’ve decided to go in a different direction,” said Hess.

Poly boys athletic director Rob Shock said he was not in the meeting with Hess and the co-principals and referred administration comment on the move to them; neither principal was available for comment after school hours.

In the last 10 years, Hess has overseen a revitalization of a Jackrabbit program that had floundered for much of the previous two decades.

In 2012, Poly won its first non-shared Moore League title since 1968, and the Jackrabbits have routinely produced NCAA Division I baseball players, including Thomas Walker, Stanford’s Chris Castellanos and USC’s Josh Rios.

The program has also been known for its work in the community, from volunteering to donating a full set of equipment and varsity uniforms to the Jordan team when the Panthers couldn’t afford them.

Because he’s a teacher on campus, there has also been the stability that comes with a non-walk on coach. Hess’ dugout has been filled with coaching experience, since his two other main varsity assistants, Mark Clabough and Erick Bryant, have both also served as head coaches.

- Mike Guardabascio

NCAA women’s teis

Long Beach State junior Maeva Razakasoa will open the NCAA Division I Women’s Singles Championship Touament today in Tulsa, Okla. with a match against Mississippi State’s Jasmine Lee.

Razakasoa (27-9) is the fourth LBSU competitor to receive an invitation to the 64-player singles championship, and it will be the fifth appearance by a 49er in program history.

The two-time Big West Player of the Year eaed the conference’s automatic bid to the touament and is No. 102 in the country; Lee (29-11) is No. 13.

The wier of the match will face the wier of a Taylor Davidson (Stanford)/Kaitlyn McCarthy (Duke) match on Thursday.

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