Why did Erik Bakich and Jack Leggett of Clemson get sent off against Florida? What the NCAA stated
When Erik Bakich, the head coach of Clemson, tries to approach Greg Harmon, who dismissed him during Sunday’s NCAA Super Regionals action in Clemson, South Carolina, Travis Bell/Sideline, umpires stand in for him. Carolina
The head umpire for Sunday’s Clemson-Florida super regional baseball game, which went viral during extra innings, has provided a thorough explanation for the ejections of Tigers head coach Erik Bakich and special assistant Jack Leggett.
In a nearly 350-word statement released overnight Sunday, the game’s crew chief, Billy Van Raaphorst, said that after his crew gathered to discuss a “possible unsportsmanlike conduct violation” for a bat spike on Clemson’s go-ahead home run in the top of the 13th inning, both Bakich and Leggett were ejected and ultimately suspended two games each for failing to obey the sport’s “prolonged warning” rule.
In the top of the 13th inning at Doug Kingsmore Stadium, Alden Mathes of Clemson scored a solo home run to put his team ahead 10-9. Bakich and Leggett were then dismissed, and Mathes was given a warning for his celebratory bat spike. After that, Florida won the game 11–10, swept Clemson 2-0 in the super regional, and advanced to the College World Series with a two-run RBI double in the bottom of the 13th.
Here are further information from Van Raaphorst’s statement, which expanded on the NCAA baseball rules editor’s first pool reporter comment from late Sunday:
After Mathes’ home run, “the crew got together due to the nature of the bat being spiked and to discuss a possible unsportsmanlike conduct violation,” Van Raaphorst said. The crew had already issued unsportsmanlike conduct warnings to both dugouts in the second inning after a scuffle along the first base line that led to a Clemson player, Jack Crighton, being ejected.
From there, Bakich “came running out of the dugout when the crew got together. We told him to go back to the dugout while we huddled. We had to tell him three times to return to the dugout.”Meanwhile, Van Raaphorst wrote, Leggett “was in the dugout pointing and screaming at us about the crew huddling. Leggett was warned to stop, he continued waving his hands while yelling at the crew.” At that point, “Leggett was ejected for failing to obey the warning.”
