Judge Grants Pitcher Eligibility

SANTA ANA —  Orange County Superior Court Judge Marvin Weeks issued a temporary restraining order Thursday granting varsity eligibility to Esperanza High School baseball player Ryan Filbeck, a transfer from El Toro High.

Weeks ordered a hearing on April 23, when attorneys representing the Filbeck family and the Southern Section will present arguments in the case. Both sides must present documents to Weeks by next Friday.

Filbeck, a senior right-handed pitcher, had been declared ineligible by the section’s executive committee last month. Filbeck transferred from El Toro to Esperanza in February after his parents separated in January.

Stan Thomas, Southern Section commissioner, denied Filbeck’s appeal for eligibility because he said the move was made purely for athletics.