Most damaging, the Greater Miami Conference champions initially also were ruled ineligible for the playoffs this season. The OHSAA amended that penalty following an appeal by Mason Athletic Director Scott Stemple.
Mason (19-7) is a No. 1 seed in the Division I sectional and plays GMC rival Hamilton at 5 p.m. Thursday at Lakota West in a sectional final.
Stemple learned of the possible OHSAA rules violation from the Mason coaching staff. He then contacted the OHSAA.
“I am proud of our coaches who have modeled doing the right thing, even when it is difficult,” Stemple said in a statement. “We are about the character shown on and off the field and being good role models for our athletes.”
OHSAA guidelines allow baseball teams to play 27 games within 23 days. Mason adjusted its schedule during a spring trip to Tennessee. The Comets played 25 games within 24 days, one day more than allowed.
The OHSAA upheld three other rulings:
• Mason is limited to 24 games next season.
• Assistant coach Curt Bly is suspended from the postseason this year and also for the first half-dozen games in 2013.
• The athletic department must pay a $2,500 fine.
Stemple said the school did not appeal the violation, only the penalties. Comets head coach Ken Gray was not implicated by the OHSAA. The school also was deemed not guilty of trying to provide a competitive advantage.
The Comets (16-2) won their first GMC title since joining the conference for the 2008 season.
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2381 or mpendleton@DaytonDailyNews.com.
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