A community college baseball coach in New Jersey resigned after earpieces were found in two of his players’ helmets. The situation unfolded over a three-game series. After the first game, a freshman pitcher said the opposing batters seemed unusually locked in and thought he might be tipping pitches. The coaches shrugged it off. But during game two, a first baseman claimed he heard noises coming from players’ helmets. That raised more alarm.
By game three, suspicions peaked. Coaches waited until the two suspected players came up to bat. One coach was seen in the dugout with an iPad on his lap, which isn’t allowed. The assumption was he might have been watching the center field livestream to pick up signs, though the stream had a 45-second delay and often poor angles. Still, both batters reached base. Opponents noted they took aggressive jumps and had suspiciously good timing. That led to a bizarre moment when a coach asked umpires to check players’ helmets. Sure enough, both baserunners had electronic earpieces.
The coach claimed the devices were used only in practice. Opposing coaches weren’t buying it. They said players wouldn’t randomly hear voices unless the devices were active. The umpires gathered, made some calls, but didn’t eject anyone. They just removed the devices and turned off the live stream. The explanation that these earpieces were only for drills didn’t sit well. Eventually, the school launched its own review. The head coach resigned. Only two players were found using devices, but the fallout affected the entire program.