Oviedo All-Star youth baseball teams benched from postseason: ‘We want to play’

Oviedo Little League post-season comes to a close amid coach investigation

After a heated debate of "Why can't they play?" the post-season of three Oviedo Little League teams is over. The kids were benched from playing after the Babe Ruth Assistant Baseball Commission said the teams' coaches were suspended after an investigation uncovered league rules violations. 

OVIEDO, Fla. - "We want to play! We want to play!" a crowd of young teammates chanted together at an Oviedo ballpark.

It was supposed to be the absolute highlight of their baseball season—representing the City of Oviedo on the youth All-Star diamond. Instead, dozens of young baseball players were banned from postseason play. 

For the youngest All-Stars in the league, their championship dreams were crushed before they ever got a chance to step up to the plate. The ban wasn't because they lost on the field, but because of their coaches' mistakes. 

Allegations against coaches

According to documentation obtained by FOX 35, the Babe Ruth Assistant State Baseball Commissioner made the decision to ban the teams' postseason games after a multi-week investigation triggered by numerous complaints.

The state's inquiry uncovered widespread violations of league rules, including:

• Rigged player selection for the highly competitive teams
• Bypassing mandatory tryouts entirely
• Violations regarding manager selections

As a result, several local coaches were suspended.

In addition, there'll be a two-year probation for the entire local league alongside an immediate postseason ban affecting the T-Ball, Rookie Coach Pitch, and 10U All-Star teams.

Heartbroken players; parents push back

What they're saying:

Coaches and parents argue that the state’s harsh ruling completely misses the mark by punishing innocent children.

"It will break your heart to see how sad these boys were," said Lindsey Innamorato, a parent of an Oviedo All-Star player.

Stacy Harmon, another parent, described her son's devastation after learning the news. 

"He cried. He cried for a really long time, asked a lot of questions, wanted to know if they had done something wrong. Whatever is going on, the only ones serving hurt or suffering are the boys."

Suspended coach Cameron Robinson said he was more than willing to accept personal accountability if it meant protecting the kids.

"I'm willing to step aside and let my other coaches participate in the tournament, as long as my players are able to compete," Robinson said.

A final, unappealable decision

Despite the fierce pushback from families, the kids won't be able to play. 

The state commissioner made it explicitly clear in the official documents that there is no appeal process for this decision, meaning the 2026 postseason is officially over for the Oviedo All-Stars.