iStockphoto
Van Nuys baseball coach Andres Sepulveda has been dismissed.
A California high school baseball coach has been fired for building an illegal batting cage. Andres Sepulveda is no longer leading the Van Nuys program.
He has reportedly been barred from coaching in Los Angeles Unified School District ever again. A student is believed to have been injured during the construction process. Sepulveda denies the allegation.
Eric Sondheimer of the LA Times provided an update on the situation this week. Sepulveda has been relieved of his duties ahead of his sixth season.
Van Nuys fired high school baseball coach.
Andres Sepulveda, the baseball coach at Van Nuys High since the 2022 season, said he was dismissed this past week after the school administration determined a batting cage had been built during the summer by alumni and others without being approved.
He said he is being barred from ever coaching in the Los Angeles Unified School District again because a student was injured in building the batting cage, an allegation he denies and is appealing.
Sepulveda said alumni donated money during the summer that was used in building the cage. “It happened so fast and there was no [administrator] on campus,” he said.
–LA Times
The batting cage was reportedly built without approval. A student is believed to have been injured during the construction. An investigation has been launched.
The field has been off-limits over the last few weeks due to that probe. Sepulveda says the softball team could also be in danger of punishment for its own field upgrade project.
A new fence was built without approval. It’s since been demolished.
Van Nuys baseball has been strong under Andres Sepulveda.
The coach took over in 2022. He’s gone 59-44 across five seasons. That includes an East Valley League championship in 2025, the first time the program had won a league title in over three decades.
Van Nuys went 17-7 that season with an 11-1 mark in EVL play. The program went 12-9 last year.
Google Maps
A view of Van Nuys High School on a California map.
The school is located in the central San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles. It’s a short trip north from the city.
It now appears Sepulveda is barred from coaching at Van Nuys or any rival program in the area. He has appealed the decision and denies accusations. It will be interesting to see if it has any impact on his future as a high school baseball coach in the state of California.