Mission Sharyland ISD to file lawsuit seeking injunction against Eagles and UIL
By: Ricardo E. Calderon
An Exclusive Eagle Pass Business Journal News Story/Copyright 2013
The Mission Sharyland Independent School District Board of Trustees approved to file a lawsuit in State District Court in Travis County, Texas (Austin) against the University Interscholastic League (UIL) and the Eagle Pass High School Eagles seeking an injunction to stop the Eagle Pass Eagles from playing San Antonio Johnson High School Jaguars in the Region IV Semi-Finals Baseball Championship this weekend and forcing the Eagles to replay the Mission Sharyland High School Rattlers at a special and/or emergecny School Board meeting on Thursday, May 23, 2013.
The Mission Sharyland School Board decided yesterday to approve filing the lawsuit after UIL did “not find any evidence to warrant immediate action from the League or the UIL State Executive Committee” against the Eagle Pass Eagles coaching staff on the method used to select the umpires for the Eagles Region IV Quarter-Finals Baseball Championship last Friday, May 17, 2013, at the San Antonio Harlandale Indepencent School District Frank M. Tejada Sports Complex Baseball Stadium, which the Eagle Pass Eagles won 10-9 in extra innings in the bottom of the eighth inning with two outs and bases loaded on a called balk by the third base umpire against Mission Sharyland Rattlers pitcher Pancho Martinez.
Mission Sharyland Independent School District Board President Fernando Ramirez stated that the School Board wanted to do the right thing for their students who did not receive the relief they sought from the Incident Report filed with UIL on Monday, March 20th, in Austin, Texas. Ramirez stated that although the possibility of a State District Court granting an injunction against the Eagle Pass Eagles and UIL are small, the Mission Sharyland School Board wanted to exhaust all legal remedies available for the benefit of their students because what happened in San Antonio on May 17th with the selection of the umpires being hand-picked by the Eagle Pass Eagles coaching staff was not fair and right. Ramirez stated that in the event the injunction lawsuit is not granted, the Mission Sharyland ISD School Board will file other complaints available to them.
Two weeks ago, the Eagle Pass Independent School District Board of Trustees filed a similar injunction lawsuit against UIL and the San Benito High School Lady Greyhounds softball team following the reduction of their best of three series to a one game series with the San Benito Lady ‘Hounds winning 2-0 and a Travis County District Court dismissed Eagle Pass’ injunction petition.
A Court hearing is scheduled for today (Friday), May 24th, at 2:30 p.m. at a Travis County District Court in Austin, Texas, to be assigned the case. Meanwhile, the Eagle Pass Eagles Regional Semi-Finals Championship best of three series against the San Antonio Johnson Jaguars will continue as scheduled with Game One being today at 7 p.m. at the Eagle Pass Independent School District Student Activity Center Baseball Field and Game Two on Saturday, May 25th, at 3 p.m. at the San Antonio Northside Independent School District Blossom Athletic Center Baseball Field and, if necessary, Game Three will be 30 minutes following Game Two, unless a Travis County District Court were to grant Mission Sharyland an injunction this afternoon before the commencement of the Eagles versus Jaguars series. Although the possibilities are remote that a Travis County District Court may grant Mission Sharyland an injunction, there is always that remote possibility until the Court hears the lawsuit and makes its decision.
