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On Friday night, an umpire’s egregious call cost the New Orleans Privateers a win against the Nicholls State Colonels. The umpire, who was suspended indefinitely by the Southland Conference, ended the game with an obvious ball that he called a third strike. It was a horrific call that had observers questioning the integrity of college baseball and demanding disciplinary action. Let’s explore what happened, why it happened, and what it means for umpires in the future.
Tempers flared after the strikeout call that ended the Miss. Valley St.-New Orleans game.
Do you agree with the call? ???? pic.twitter.com/x6risaNisk
— ESPN (@espn) March 11, 2023
“The Southland Conference is committed to promoting and enforcing the principles and standards of good sporting conduct with all conference activities involving our member institutions, including competition against non-conference opponents,” the conference said in a statement Saturday. “The conference expects this conduct to be upheld by all game participants.
“As a result, the umpire has been removed from the series and has been suspended indefinitely from Southland Conference baseball games.”
The Privateers moved to 9-5 with the win while the Delta Devils fell to 6-7.
What Happened?
The final pitch of the game on Friday night was an obvious ball in the dirt off to the side of home plate. However, the home plate umpire called it as a strike three and ended the game. This resulted in an uproar from players, coaches and fans alike. Not only did this call cost New Orleans a win, but also one of their players was denied a chance to hit with two outs in the ninth inning—a moment that could have changed his team’s fate entirely.
Why Did It Happen?
Unfortunately for all involved, we may never know why this egregious call occurred. It is possible that there were extenuating circumstances or miscommunication between umpires that we are not aware of; however, no such evidence has been presented yet. What is certain is that this single decision changed not only one game but also potentially an entire season for New Orleans Privateers and their opponents throughout conference play.
What Does This Mean For Umpires In The Future?
This incident serves as an important reminder to all umpires: calls like these cannot be taken lightly and must be handled with utmost respect and care. College baseball (and any sport) should always strive for fairness and accuracy when making decisions on behalf of teams so that every player gets their chance to make plays without having them taken away due to human error or bias. There must be accountability among officials so that games are officiated correctly from start to finish; otherwise, teams risk having their seasons derailed by bad calls like these ones made on Friday night—something no team should ever experience again!
TL;DR
No matter what level of sports one is playing at, everyone deserves a fair chance at success without having it taken away due to poor officiating decisions or bias amongst referees or umpires. The Southland Conference took swift action after they suspended this particular umpire “indefinitely” due to his egregious mistake in calling what would have been ball four as strike three—which ultimately cost New Orleans Privateers a win on Friday night against Nicholls State Colonels. Moving forward, let us hope that all referees stay vigilant about maintaining fairness during games so no other team has its season derailed by human error ever again!
