Thieves steal softball, baseball equipment from Azusa High School

AZUSA, Calif. (KABC) -- Thieves raided the softball and baseball storage unit at Azusa High School, cleaning out everything from equipment to uniforms.

The theft occurred over the long Memorial Day weekend. The stolen items include balls, pitching machines, gloves, uniforms and more.

School officials believe the culprits broke in sometime Sunday or Monday.

Many of the players also kept their personal equipment in the school storage area. Now, all the mementos from their high school experiences are gone.

The student athletes say they are devastated. The softball team says they've worked so hard all year, and the theft really puts a damper on their spirits as the school year comes to a close.

"We had a great season. We went to second round CIF, so we were really proud of ourselves," said Clarissa Green, a member of the Azusa High School varsity softball team. "It's just kind of a bad way to end the year after such a good season."

Fellow varsity softball player Cassidy DeHaro said she and her teammates took very good care of the equipment, because the items weren't easy to come by.

"We don't have the luxury of having unlimited funds to get replacements for all that," DeHaro said.

A GoFundMe account has been set up to help the school raise money to replace some of the equipment. To donate, visit www.gofundme.com/azusa-high-baseballsoftball-fund.

The school's athletic department and players said the stolen equipment was expensive. Police did not have an estimated dollar amount of the stolen items.

School officials said there are surveillance cameras that point toward the field. Authorities hope this footage can help them find the suspects.