Does Chapman do enough to protect off-campus athletes?

Illustration by Zoe Arntsen, Illustrator

Junior business administration major Blake Jacobs and junior communication studies major Joey Capobianco were shagging balls behind the outfield fence during a routine practice on Feb. 2 at Hart Park when they were approached by two teenagers aiming a firearm. 

The encounter disrupted the "standard of excellence" typically associated with the university’s three-time national champion program and raised questions about the safety of facilities located off campus.

Offensive drills being conducted by head coach Scott Laverty were immediately halted following the incident. While Laverty was in the middle of the diamond and did not see the teenagers himself, he felt the program’s internal safety infrastructure was prepared for the crisis.

"We have a full emergency plan that's posted in each dugout," Laverty said. "Everybody came in off the field (and) Orange Police was there really fast."

Although, for the players staring down a weapon, the clock moved differently. While the head coach expressed confidence in the speed of the authorities' arrival, Capobianco’s account of the afternoon suggests a much longer wait for help.

"To be honest, the response time was pretty bad," Capobianco said. "If it were an actual threat and the guy ended up doing something to us, it would have definitely been a problem because they responded maybe 20 minutes after."

Once police cleared the scene, Laverty allowed the players to take as much time as they needed to clear their heads before the team finished practice. 

Laverty said he checked in with his players affected that night, and all of their baseball operations have continued. 

However, the incident has brought renewed attention to the state of the facilities at Hart Park, which has been home to Chapman baseball since 1962. 

Discontent regarding the site is not a new development for the university; in March 2025, an anonymous group called "Chapman Families" sent an email to the athletic department calling the disparity between the park and on-campus facilities "striking."

While those complaints focused on "inadequate team locker facilities" and restrooms, the players now describe a different set of concerns regarding the environment. 

Capobianco and Jacobs noted that they frequently encounter intoxicated individuals or people experiencing homelessness near the field.

For softball player Ava Fagin, a sophomore public relations, advertising and entertainment marketing major, the issues at El Camino Real Park — another off-campus facility that has been the softball team's home since 2010 — are impossible to ignore from her position in the outfield. 

Without the walls of a private facility, Fagin says the boundary between the game and the public is uncomfortably thin.

"I’m peeking behind my shoulder every couple plays," Fagin said. "If we were on campus, it wouldn't be a worry."

The sense of vulnerability, however, isn’t universal for all off-campus athletes. 

Chapman’s track and field team uses the facilities at Orange High School (OHS) for daily training, a location separated from the public by the school's perimeter.

Evan Giacobbe, a senior business finance major, has been practicing at the high school for four years. He says the environment feels significantly more controlled than a public city park.

“To be honest, I’ve never felt any uncertainty about my safety,” Giacobbe said. “OHS also has a lot of security. I think we are totally protected.”

In a statement to The Panther, Interim Athletic Director Doug Aiken said that student-athlete safety remains the university’s top priority, even though Chapman does not "own or control" the off-campus facilities. 

Fagin noted that since the Feb. 2 incident, there has been a sudden shift in protocol. Her coach, Janet Lloyd, implemented a strict “buddy system” requiring at least two teammates to accompany anyone leaving the dugout for the restroom. 

Fagin also acknowledged that Chapman Public Safety (P-Safe) presence has ramped up during games and night practices. 

“It’s definitely increased,” Fagin said. “(P-safe) showed up for an inning or two at our last game … and when we were walking back to our cars last week, they were there.” 

Laverty echoed this confidence, noting that P-Safe has already integrated the park into their regular patrol routes in response to the event.

"Public Safety has it on their list now," Laverty said. "They were down there just being a presence, and I think that’s all that’s needed at this time."

Despite heightened security and athlete concerns, Laverty remains firm in his belief that the park's culture is not the problem. 

He described the area as a popular place for families and barbecue parties, rather than a dangerous location. 

"I think there's a lot of great measures intact and Hart is a safe place," Laverty said. "(This type of incident) never happened before. Having lived it for 13 years now and not having any problems, I believe it was kind of a one-off thing."