Sunday’s Game 3 of the Super Regional between Clemson and Florida saw the umpires play a big part with not one, but two controversial ejections. Tigers first baseman Jack Crighton was first ejected following a shoving match between Gators pitcher Jac Caglianone and Clemson designated hitter Nolan Nawrocki.
Then as the game went to extras, Tigers coach Erik Bakich and assistant Jack Leggett were ejected in the 13th inning. That decision came right after a go-ahead home run for Clemson, which would go on to allow Florida to walk it off in the bottom of the inning and lose the series.
Try Fubo for FREE today and don’t miss any of the action!
ESPN commentator Ben McDonald revealed his displeasure with how the umpires handled things in the game, calling it “embarrassing” during the broadcast of Monday’s Game 3 between NC State and Georgia.
“Good thing the product on the field was really good,” he said. “I thought the umpires did not handle that situation very well at all. They did not handle it at all. It was really embarrassing at best the way they handled that.”
Bakich revealed during an in-game interview that umpires told him that Crighton was ejected for leaving his spot on base during the scuffle. However, he added that he was confused by that explanation because the first baseman was simply jogging back to the dugout.
It was even more unclear what happened when the coaches were ejected as the umpires were not wearing a mic. Tom Hart, who was the partner for McDonald on the broadcast, suggested that might have led to less outrage.
“I’d love to see the NCAA get to a point where the umpires announce moves to the stadium, which of course would then come across television to the viewers,” he said. “The SEC does that for regular season games and tournament games just like you would get an announcement at a football game.”
McDonald agreed.
“Wouldn’t it be wonderful to have an idea of what was going on?” he replied. “Seems like a no-brainer to me.”
Regardless of the controversial calls from the umpires, Florida is now on to its second consecutive College World Series while Clemson is done for the season. The Gators finished runner up in 2023 and now have a chance to get their revenge despite entering the NCAA Tournament as the No. 3 seed in their Regional.
The College World Series will begin on June 14 at Charles Schwab Field in Omaha.
The post Ben McDonald calls out umpires for controversial ejections in Clemson vs. Florida Super Regional appeared first on On3.
