Baseball: Mike Voelkel resigns as coach at Palisades

Mike Voelkel, the baseball coach at Palisades for seven seasons, said Thursday that he has resigned for “personal reasons,” along with his assistants.

“It was tough to do, but we had to make a decision that was best for us and the kids,” he said. “I think they’re going to have a great team in 2015.”

Behind the scenes, there could be another reason for Voelkel’s departure.

FOR THE RECORD: An earlier version of this story stated a Palisades baseball player had been reinstated to the team after violating the team’s code of conduct. The student has not been reinstated.

According to students and teachers, a baseball player was removed from the team for a violation of the team’s code of conduct. The player’s father said his son has not been reinstated to the team.

Voelkel refused to discuss the matter. He will remain a teacher at Palisades, a charter school that is run by a board of directors.

It will be interesting to see the reaction of baseball parents if they decide to rise up in protest.

In an email Thursday afternoon, assistant principal Russ Howard said, “Mike Voelkel has resigned for personal reasons along with his staff. The school cannot discuss the details of the current situation. I can say there has not been an official board decision on this issue, simply discussion. There is a board meeting tomorrow at 1 p.m. at Pali to discuss the situation further.”

Twitter:@LATSondheimer