Sports

GW coach Steve Mandl remains suspended as judge denies motion

Legendary George Washington baseball coach Steve Mandl is down to his last strike.

His faint hopes to return to his post after being suspended by the PSAL for alleged illegal recruiting took a major hit Thursday as a New York State Supreme Court Judge turned down his lawyer’s second motion for a temporary restraining order before his June 6 preliminary injunction hearing.

“Coach Mandl is disappointed in the decision, but he’s going to continue on the in the case fighting for what he thinks is right,” said Milo Silbertstein, Mandl’s attorney. “He’s hopeful at the end of the day the suspension will be overturned.”

Mandl was suspended for one year Feb. 15 after the PSAL determined he illegally recruited a Lehman player, Fernelys Sanchez, after the Lehman coach, Adam Droz, filed a complaint. Mandl, who won over 900 games, 26 division titles and two city crowns in 27 years as the proud program’s architect, proclaimed his innocence and also claimed his due process rights were denied as his suspension was handed out without a formal hearing.

The PSAL did give him a chance to state his side of the case on March 23 after the United Federation of Teachers filed a grievance on Mandl’s behalf, but six weeks later – while he was technically suspended – ruled to uphold the suspension.

Twice in the last two weeks, Silbertstein went as far as to say the PSAL investigator, former DeWitt Clinton coach Stephen Nathanson, sought to find Mandl guilty and the whole investigation was a “sham.”

Judge Shlomo Hagler upheld the suspension, he wrote in his decision, because there was no evidence the court “overlooked or misapprehended the relevant facts or misapplied any controlling principles of law,” and “it would set a bad precedent for this Court to intervene and not permit the governing agency to discipline its members in the face of the serious allegations.”

Optimistic through much of the process, Mandl said the latest ruling has finally made him start accept defeat in the process. “I’ve thrown in the towel for the year,” he said.

In his absence, interim coach Nick Carbone has guided George Washington to the Manhattan A East crown and possibly the top seed in the upcoming PSAL Class A playoffs.

Though he could return for the city title game on June 10, Mandl is preparing for the suspension to stick. While the site of the game has yet to be determined – or if George Washington will even make it that far – Mandl isn’t sure he would even be allowed to attend as a fan. Plus, he has tickets to a Phish concert that night.

“I may go there and get texts along the way,” Mandl said. “It might be the happiest and saddest day of my life at the same time.”

zbraziller@nypost.com