A complaint over a former Sharyland ISD baseball coach cursing and “shot putting” a baseball bat toward a dugout preceded that coach’s suspension last semester, documents received through a public information request show.
Sharyland Pioneer Head Baseball Coach Casey Smith was placed on administrative leave by early April of this year. The district and Smith both largely declined to comment on whatever led to that situation.
The Monitor submitted an open records request on April 8 asking for disciplinary records related to Smith and district communication regarding him.
The district sought an attorney general’s opinion, arguing that the information was confidential and could not be released. The attorney general’s office, however, ruled in June that the district must release the information and the district did so on July 27.
The district’s response consisted of a three-page complaint about Smith’s conduct at a game at McAllen High School on March 25 and a two-page statement from Smith.
The complaint was addressed to Athletic Director Ron Adame written by an individual named Isaac Garza who says he is not affiliated with Sharyland in any way but that he did see Pioneer’s game in McAllen on March 25.
Garza claimed that at one point during warm up Smith yelled “I am tired of this s—!” at his players, who were underperforming.
Smith was visibly angry for the entirety of the game, Garza wrote. According to Garza, during the third inning Smith became particularly angry — despite Pioneer being ahead — and started pointing and screaming at a player.
“During this time, the PHBC was carrying the bat he picked up on his shoulder, and as he reached the northern gate to the dugout I observe the PHBC shot-put the bat,” Garza wrote. “He shot-put the bat off his right shoulder and either launches it into the dugout or into the grassy area right to the left side of the dugout.”
In the statement, dated March 29, Smith describes some of his policies toward profanity and his use of profanity at a game, though it’s not explicitly clear that Smith is referring to the game Garza complained about.
Smith wrote that players were underperforming at that game and he jokingly told an umpire that a call was “bulls—,” a remark they both seemed to understand to be banter rather than insult.
“I do not recall anything said by anybody other than making corrections and trying to get our guys going,” Smith wrote.
The team, Smith wrote, even instituted specific measures against vulgar language.
“Our culture is based on merit and hard work. We have taken steps to rid ourselves of profanity with a particular emphasis on the “F” word at all levels,” he wrote, noting that there were repercussions for athletes who use that word.
The district remains tight-lipped about Smith, who a spokesperson said last week is no longer employed by the district.
The district would not say whether it had self-reported any complaints about Smith to the University Interscholastic League.
Smith was a particularly successful coach at Pioneer, leading his players to a state playoff bid in 2021.
Former players and parents of former players previously told The Monitor that Smith could be an exacting coach. Some said that attitude was what led to the team’s success, though others felt it contributed to low morale.
