In a tense matchup between South Carolina and Vanderbilt, a controversial strike call in the bottom of the seventh led to a college coach getting tossed. South Carolina trailed by one when a pitch that looked way outside was called a strike by the home plate umpire. The batter didn’t flinch, but the ump gave the pitcher the call. Encouraged, the pitcher threw a similar pitch and picked up the strikeout. A few batters later, the same pitch profile didn’t earn a call against a lefty, which seemed inconsistent and aggravated the South Carolina dugout.
The coach voiced his frustration with a single word: “outside.” That was enough to trigger a warning from the ump, and when the coach stepped out to talk, the ump ejected him in what might have been the softest ejection tone ever. The coach stayed calm, asking the ump to include the fact that all he had said was “outside” in the official report. He made sure to leave on a decent note, picking up his backpack before heading off, maybe to grab a snack or charge his phone on the bus.
Despite the ejection, the moment seemed to fire up the Gamecocks, who rallied to win the game. The whole scene, from the disputed calls to the coach’s passive-aggressive thumbs-up, added some drama to the late innings. It also highlighted the inconsistent nature of some umpiring decisions and how even a mild comment can get a coach tossed in college baseball.