From key player to cut. Noah Dasgupta's family would like answers from Cascade

Noah Dasgupta led the Cascade High School baseball team in wins, strikeouts and innings pitched as a junior, and threw 600 more pitches than his next-closest teammate. A year later, Dasgupta is not playing high school baseball. Cascade, a rural school of about 546 students located about 30 miles southwest of Indianapolis.

Dasgupta was cut from the team at Cascade on the first day of practice as a senior. It is a decision Dasgupta’s family did not see coming. Since getting cut from the team, Dasgupta said he has dealt with cyberbullying and been called a racist slur, leading to a feeling of unease around school as an outsider who is no longer part of a team that served as the one of the main reasons he decided to attend the school.

The administration and coaches at Cascade declined to comment beyond an email from superintendent Brian Tomamichel that addressed the alleged racial misconduct in an email to IndyStar. "Mill Creek Community Schools takes all reports of alleged racial misconduct or bullying between students very seriously," Tomamichel said via email. "We are committed to providing a safe, respectful, and inclusive learning environment for every student.

Any claim brought forward is promptly reviewed and investigated in accordance with Board policy and Indiana law. " Dasgupta, who transferred into the Cascade school system from Avon as a freshman, was a key part of its team for his first three high school seasons. Dasgupta, of Asian-Indian heritage, said he was used to being around kids that look like him.