Entire California Softball Team Transfers Together After Coach Fired for Reporting Alleged Misconduct

Just over a week after Crestmont University shut down its entire athletics department, the softball team has found a new home.

In a social media announcement, the former Crestmont softball team announced its transfer to Bethesda University, a private college in Anaheim, Calif,, that competes in the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA).

Since an internal email from Crestmont was obtained by Softball On SI on Oct. 27, several student-athletes and coaches have spoken about their experience, which included inappropriate communication and sexual contact allegations against a former CU athletics employee.

Softball On SI made several attempts to reach leadership at Crestmont and the now-defunct athletic department but did not receive a response.

"Crestmont University and LFV Athletics fire their volleyball and softball head coach – the only two female head coaches – midseason, after both reported that their players had experienced inappropriate communication and sexual contact involving the athletic trainer," says the statement posted on Instagram.

Head coach Ru Andrande reported the behavior to the school and LFV in mid-September, but was terminated on Oct. 24 without an explanation. The school sent a group text message to the team announcing her firing before notifying her.

"Within weeks of reporting serious concerns about the safety of female-athletes, both female head coaches who spoke up were gone," the statement continues. "The message sent to these student-athletes should never be that speaking up about hteir safety comes with consquences. They deserve to know their voices matter, their concerns will be taken seriously, and those who stand up to protect them will not be pubished."

Liana Gonzalez, who recently reported sexual harassment within the Athletics Mercado Academy youth softball organization, was part of the Crestmont team and was one of the players who received inappropriate messages.

"I didn't think the message he sent was inappropriate, I think the fact that he sent a message as late as he did was kind of inappropriate," Gonzalez told Softball On SI in a phone interview.

Gonzalez, along with several teammates, received a follow from the trainer on Instagram and messages in the middle of the night. The inappropriate online behavior transitioned to in-person when the team began practicing ahead of its fall season. The trainer even showed up to in-person classes, according to Gonzalez.

Timeline of Events

The following timeline is from the softball team's statement posted on Instagram.

Sept. 16-18: Both the volleyball and softball coaches reported concerns about the athletic trainer sending late-night messages to their players and liking their personal photos and selfies. Despite these reports, LFV and the athletic director took no apparent disciplinary action. The athletic director dismissed the behavior as a "cultural misunderstanding."

Sept. 22: A student-athlete reported inappropriate sexual contact by the same trainer. The softball coach immediately notified LFV leadership and the athletic director and were told he would be terminated. Instead, he remained on campus treating athletes, even in a classroom the reporting student was required to attend.

Upon learning the trainer was not removed, the softball coach contacted the athletic director again, who told her he would not remove him and that he would continue to work his regular shift. She then had to request an emergency meeting with Crestmont leadership before the trainer was finally removed.

Sept. 23-Oct. 14: The softball and volleyball programs began experiencing what was believed retaliation. Communication became more disrespectful, meetings and improtant information excluded softball and volleyball, and their concerns were ignored. They were called a "pain in the ass," accused of causing problems, and even told it was "messed up what they did to the trainer."

Oct. 15: The female volleyball coach was terminated.

Oct. 24: Andrande was terminated.

Oct. 27: Crestmont announces via email that all atheltics were terminated, effective immediately.

Players Speak Up About Injustice

Eighteen student-athletes posted their own statements on the team's Instagram account with three of them providing sperate statements to Softball On SI.

Savannah Turner told Softball On SI she was heartbroken to hear about how her teammates were treated and hopes that by speaking up, she can protect others from being hurt in the future.

"What breaks my heart the most is knowing I was one of the lucky ones in this situation," Turner said. "Some of my teammates experienced far worse, and no young woman should ever have to go through that. I have a younger sister growing up with the same love for softball that I have, and the thought of her experiencing something like this absolutely breaks my heart.

"I refuse to accept a future where sexual harassment is swept under the rug by the very institutions meant to protect us. We worked our entire lives to earn these opportunities, and we deserve to feel safe, respected, and heard. I’m beyond grateful our story is finally reaching people, because this is so much bigger than just our team. If we allow young women to be silenced today, how many more will suffer tomorrow? If speaking up means we can protect even one young girl from experiencing what we went through, then every difficult moment of telling our story is worth it. Because one day, my little sister and thousands of other young girls will be in our shoes, chasing the same dreams we once had. And when that day comes, I want them to worry about winning games, not whether the people they trusted will protect them. We should be the last generation of young women who have to fight to be heard, not another generation whose silence allows this to continue."

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