Scheffels Loses Appeal; Simi Valley Falls to Agoura

The Simi Valley High baseball team was hit by a one-two punch Wednesday.

In the morning, the eligibility appeal of standout pitcher Bill Scheffels was denied by the Southern Section, resulting in the loss of one season of varsity eligibility for the sophomore and the forfeiture of two victories in which Scheffels appeared.

In the afternoon, the Pioneers, ranked No. 1 in the region by The Times, reached new depths by falling, 6-5, to Agoura in a Marmonte League game at Simi Valley.

Agoura (5-6, 2-3 in league play) had only two hits but scored five runs in the second inning.

Jason Warren, a junior in his third varsity season, pitched a complete game for Agoura, surviving home runs by Britten Pond and Kevin Nykoluk. Simi Valley is 3-2 in league play, 7-5 overall, including the two forfeits.

According to a section official, Scheffels’ appeal was denied when it was determined that Gene Scheffels, the pitcher’s father, supplied false testimony at the hearing.

Bill Scheffels attended Alemany as a freshman and sought to transfer to Simi Valley. In order to establish athletic eligibility at Simi Valley, however, a change of residence was required.

The Scheffels live in a condominium that is located across the street from the Simi Valley campus. Gene Scheffels testified in the hearing that the family moved in with his mother in Los Angeles for one month last summer and that he rented the family condominium to a dentist from Tulare, Calif., Robert Elston, who responded to a newspaper advertisement.

According to the section official, Scheffels said he had never before spoken with the dentist before Aug. 2, the day the condominium reportedly was rented and the day the ad first appeared.

During a break in the hearing, a section official phoned Elston in Tulare. The dentist stated that he had spoken with Scheffels before Aug. 2, casting doubt on the remainder of Scheffels’ testimony.