$20,000 worth of baseball equipment stolen in burglary at high school in Victorville

Brian Day, Victorville Daily Press
Updated ·2 min read

Burglars broke into an equipment shed at an Excelsior Charter Schools campus in Victorville over the weekend, making off with an estimated $20,000 worth of gear belonging to the school’s baseball team, according to the coach.

The shed was discovered broken into Saturday, then again on Sunday after being re-secured, Varsity Head Coach Tony Thomas said.

Stolen items included two pitching machines, backstops, hitting nets, tees, a solar generator, speakers, 16 cases of CIF-approved baseballs, two new sets of catcher's gear, bats, gloves and other items, he said.

The thieves also took 12 cases of water and a first-aid kit. A full inventory of the loss was still being carried out Tuesday.

"They went through everything," Thomas said. "They just took everything from (the team)."

The Excelsior Charter Schools campus at 18422 Bear Valley Road in Victorville, as pictured in an Google Street View image.
The Excelsior Charter Schools campus at 18422 Bear Valley Road in Victorville, as pictured in an Google Street View image.

The theft has had a "tremendous" impact on the team, he said. "We've been here 10 years. We've been able to accumulate this stuff little by little."

Thomas said he found two sets of fresh tire tracks near the shed, which were apparently used to haul away the stolen goods. "You could tell there were two big trucks with different tire marks," he said.

"Heavy duty" locks securing both the shed and a gate leading to it had been broken open by the burglars, he added.

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It appeared that a snack bar and storage shed belonging to Spring Valley Lake Little League on the grounds of neighboring Victor Valley College had been broken into on Saturday and Sunday, respectively.

Representatives of the Spring Valley Lake Little League could not be reached for comment on Tuesday afternoon.

The theft may have involved several people, as many of the items taken were very heavy, Thomas said.

He asked anyone with information to contact law enforcement.

The campus was closed for spring break at the time of the burglary, school administrators said in an written statement.

"No staff or students were present or endangered," the statement said. "We are actively working with law enforcement."

Those interested in contributing to the team to help replace the stolen gear can contact the school's baseball program via email at athletics@excelsior.com.

This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: Baseball gear stolen from Victorville high school campus