Bishop Gorman baseball suspends coach Chris Sheff amid investigation

Bishop Gorman has suspended baseball coach Chris Sheff and is conducting an investigation into its baseball program, a school spokesperson told the Review-Journal on Wednesday.

“We had received some complaints that were concerning regarding our baseball program and are conducting an investigation,” the spokesperson said in an email. “Coach Sheff has been suspended while the investigation takes place.”

The school declined to comment further. Sheff could not be reached for comment.

Sheff is in the second season of his second stint as Gorman’s coach. Last season, he led the Gaels to a 35-2 record and the Class 5A state title.

Gorman is 11-6 entering Wednesday and No. 4 in the Review-Journal’s rankings. The Gaels are participating in the National High School Invitational in Cary, North Carolina, this week. It is unclear who Gorman’s interim coach is while Sheff is suspended.

Sheff first coached at Gorman from 2004 to 2010 and went 228-45-2 in seven seasons, including five straight 4A state titles from 2006 to 2010.

Following Gorman’s 2010 title, the College of Southern Nevada hired Sheff as its baseball coach and athletic director.

A few months into his tenure at CSN, the Review-Journal reported Sheff was under investigation regarding allegations of inappropriately charging players for workouts and accusations of being verbally abusive toward players and having drugs in the team clubhouse.

Players were charged $125 per month to participate in workouts that were mandatory, according to multiple sources, the Review-Journal reported at the time.

Sheff was fired by CSN following the independent investigation of the allegations of “irregularities in training and conditioning practices” before coaching a game at the school.

Also Wednesday, Basic announced that baseball coach Scott Baker is “no longer with the team,” according to a statement the school sent to parents. Basic defeated Gorman for the 5A state title in 2022.

There is no indication that Sheff’s suspension and Baker’s dismissal are related.

Baker served as an assistant under Sheff during his brief tenure at CSN as baseball coach and athletic director.

Sheff’s tenure ended before he coached a game. He was fired after the results of a National Junior College Athletic Association investigation showed players were inappropriately charged for the conditioning program.

The Review-Journal also reported that players were charged for food that was delivered to practice, though Baker said at the time that paying for food was was optional and that a list was posted of those who chose not to eat, the Review-Journal reported.

As a result of the investigation, CSN was penalized with a loss of 20 scholarships for the 2011 and 2012 seasons for three rules violations the program committed under Sheff.

In addition to inappropriately charging players for the conditioning program, the rule violations were a fundraising activity in which players were given a letter asking for donations to help pay for the conditioning program, and the after-practice meal program arranged by Baker.

Sheff’s son, Cooper, was an All-Southern Nevada infielder the past two seasons at Basic under Baker.

Contact Alex Wright at awright@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AlexWright1028 on X.