TUCSON - Douglas High School assistant softball coach David Ybarra suffered a heart attack moments before Monday’s Gila Regional softball game with Amphi.
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Douglas’ softball coach Abe Grijalva said his team showed up to Amphi ready to play and Ybarra, who also works at the Arizona State Prison Complex, drove up to Tucson to meet the team.
"When he got here he was happy and ready to go," Grijalva said.
After going through pre-game warm-ups in which Ybarra threw batting practice the team moved to the dugout for the start of the game. Grijalva went to home plate and was talking with the Amphi coach and the umpires when he saw some commotion in his dugout.
The coach ran to the dugout and saw Ybarra lying on the ground. Trainers at the game performed CPR on Ybarra until the paramedics arrived as the Douglas players watched in disbelief.
"They were in shock," the coach said.
The paramedics had to use a heart defibrillator twice in order to restart Ybarra's heart.
Fans at the game said the Douglas players were visibly shaken and watched from a few feet away as paramedics revived and stabilized the coach.
Nearly all the girls were in tears and one Douglas player hyperventilated but is okay, said Grijalva
Ybarra was taken by ambulance to Tucson Heart Hospital where he underwent heart surgery last night and is currently listed in stable condition.
Grijalva said his team is quite shaken up by the ordeal and he’s not sure how long it will be before they recover from the shock.
Ybarra’s daughter, Stephanie, one of the senior captains on the team, was in the dugout with her dad when he collapsed and watched as emergency crews worked to revive her dad.
“The good news is he’s alive,” the coach said. "We're going to go day-by-day before deciding whether we want to continue."
The game with Amphi was cancelled and Amphi was awarded the win - securing themselves a berth in the upcoming 4A Division II state playoffs.
Amphi and Sahuarita will play today for the No. 1 seed at state.
Despite not playing the game the Lady Bulldogs, currently ranked 11th in the latest power point rankings, should be seeded high enough to still make it into the state playoffs.
“We’re just not sure what condition these girls will be in,” the coach said.
State pairings will be announced Wednesday or Thursday at which time Grijalva said he and his players will decide if they are going to play in the state tournament or not.
“This is just a game,” he said. “Our concern right now is for Coach Ybarra and his family.”
According to the Arizona Daily Star Ybarra is the second coach to be rushed from Amphi's softball field in the last seven weeks. Amphi coach Damon Lovato suffered a stroke during the Panthers March 4 game with Flowing Wells.
Lovato was in the opposing dugout when Ybarra collapsed.
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G. Wiggins wrote on May 1, 2008 11:40 AM:
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Friend of familyDouglas resident wrote on Apr 30, 2008 9:25 AM:
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