hs kids kicked off hs program for playing on showcase team

Is this a repeat?  My guess is that there is a lot more to the story. 

I agree with Golfman on this.  Sounds like more missing from this post than you've provided.

But since you asked for opinions, here's mine (working only with what you've provided).  I would recommend that the players collectively ask for a meeting with the HS coach and AD and ask for clarification as to why they've been removed from the team.  I can only assume you're talking about the fall team and not the varsity/JV team since we're quite a few months from that.

My guess is that the fall team has something in place that limits player participation outside of that team, but like I mentioned, not much to work with based on your OP.

Yeah there is a whole lot of information needed here.  My question is when you said you ran practices because the coach didn't show up are you saying you ran HS practices on the HS field or did all the guys leave the HS and you went to a public park?  Reason I ask is as an AD myself if you were running HS practices on a HS field without being cleared through the board of education then that is a huge liability issue if someone were to get hurt.  I would go through the roof if this ever happened but it would cause me to look at what's going on.

Does the HS coach pull double duty with football and baseball?  If so then his first priority needs to be football and if he's doing that correctly it would be very difficult to do baseball at this time.  As an AD I would have an issue with him setting practice times and then not showing up where there are now kids unsupervised on campus and potentially having an adult come on campus who hasn't been cleared to run things.

Without really knowing more it's hard to give any input other than if you're conducting practices on the HS field without being cleared then you need to stop or move it to someplace off campus.  Then make sure it's under the authority of your travel team versus the HS.  That is a whole can of worms you don't want to open.

Something is rotten in the state of Denmark...

I agree with Coach 2709.  

I volunteered to oversee a longtoss program with some guys from the high school team.  It was literally showing up, going over a warmup routine with them, bands, then watch them long toss.  Thats it.  I had to do all the paper work, get a background check and get cleared with the school/district.  Just for 30 minutes a couple of times a week.  

The liability concerns are huge.  

And a MASSIVE UIL infraction in the Great State of Texas. No "volunteer coaches" can instruct in any capacity at a school practice. Nor can players compete in "select" or "travel" ball during the spring season. So either way it's a pretty big problem.