Ask UEFL - NCAA Ejection in Tennessee's Super Regional

After umpires ejected Volunteers center fielder Drew Gilbert and assistant (pitching) coach Frank Anderson during Game 1 of the Notre Dame-Tennessee NCAA Super Regional on Friday, we received several requests to analyze the disciplinary sequence, which at the end of the day is fairly straightforward.

Rarely at the Major League Baseball level are we privy to post-game umpire statements, but for this game, Crew Chief Van Rapphorst released the following to Knoxville News Sentinal's Mike Wilson:

"Tennessee #1 Drew Gilbert argued several pitches during the top of the second inning, steaming in from centerfield. To begin the next inning I talked to the player between innings, warning him to direct his comments only to his team, not our crew or the other team. He said O.K. and that he just gets excited.

"During the fifth inning following strike one, Tennessee batter Gilbert yelled an expletive, followed by another expletive as he walked out of the box and was subsequently ejected."

The aforementioned statement established a key fact: that ejectee Gilbert had previously been warned about unsporting comments in the first third of the game, meaning that his 5th inning ejection was not the first offense. Technically, by leaving the batter's box to confront HP Umpire Kellen Levy, the crew could have called Gilbert for violating NCAA's Batter's-Box Rule 7-1-d, the penalty for which is an automatic strike.

As for pitching coach Anderson, the NCAA rules book recognizes two classes of coaches: head coaches (of which there is only one per team) and assistants. Thus, assistant coach Anderson by rule was not authorized to come onto the playing surface to dispute...well...anything, and was ejected by 2B Umpire and Crew Chief Van Rapphorst.

Second, it confirms that Gilbert used profanity directed at HP Umpire Levy, which NCAA treats much more strictly than professional baseball, as it does with suspensions as well, imposing a mandatory one-game suspension for Gilbert and a mandatory three-game suspension for Anderson, since Anderson previously served a one-game suspension during the 2022 season for another ejection (the NCAA rules book calls for progressive discipline for subsequent ejections).

Video as follows:

Roster: MiLB Triple-A Championship Umpires

MiLB Triple-A's Championship umpiring crew headed by Chad Whitson of the International League worked Tuesday's Storm Chasers-Bulls one-run duel, won by the Storm Chasers in regulation, 2-1. The umpiring crew for the 2-hour, 58-minute championship game, played in front of 9,602 at Coca-Cola Park, was comprised of four regular season crew chiefs:

HP Umpire: Chad Whitson, International League (Regular Season Crew Chief, 0 Ejections).
1B Umpire: Gerard Ascani, Pacific Coast League (Regular Season Crew Chief, 6 Ejections).
2B Umpire: David Soucy, International League (Regular Season Crew Chief, 1 Ejection).
3B Umpire: Kellen Levy, Pacific Coast League (Regular Season Crew Chief, 7 Ejections).

Wrap: Omaha Storm Chasers vs. Durham Bulls, 9/17/13

MiLB Recap (Feat. Rain Delay Ejection): Mid-August 2013

August's MiLB AAA umpire ejections update is upon us, courtesy of the @SportEjections twitter feed, the argument or reason for ejection in parentheses, thanks again to our AAA reporter Russ:

¤ HP Umpire Spencer Flynn ejected Omaha Storm Chasers Manager Mike Jirshele (balk), PCL.
¤ HP Umpire Chris Segal ejected Iowa Cubs Manager Marty Pevey (check swing [ball]), PCL.
¤ ¤ PU Segal also ejected Iowa Cubs Hitting Coach Brian Harper (check swing [ball]), PCL.
¤ HP Umpire Greg Stanzak ejected Sacramento River Cats P Armando Rodriguez (intent HBP), PCL.
¤ ¤ PU Stanzak also expelled SAC River Cats Manager Steve Scarsone (warnings previously issued), PCL.
¤ ¤ Stanzak also ejected Las Vegas 51s 2B Jordany Valdespin, Manager Wally Backman (fighting), PCL.
¤ HP Umpire Brian Hertzog ejected Tucson Padres Manager Pat Murphy (strike three call), PCL.
¤ HP Umpire Scott Mahoney ejected Tucson Padres RF Ben Francisco (strike two call), PCL.
¤ HP Umpire Andy Dudones ejected Columbus Clippers RF Matt Carson (strike three call), IL.
¤ HP Umpire Spencer Flynn ejected Iowa Cubs SS Donnie Murphy (strike three call), PCL.
¤ HP Umpire Joey Amaral ejected Pawtucket Red Sox 3B Will Middlebrooks (strike two call), IL.
¤ HP Umpire Kelvin Bultron ejected Norfolk Tides 3B Danny Valencia (NEC-previous fair ball call), IL.
¤ ¤ PU Bultron also ejected Norfolk Tides Manager Ron Johnson (Unsportsmanlike-NEC), IL.
¤ HP Umpire Adam Schwarz ejected Omaha Storm Chasers LF Quentin Berry (strike three call), PCL.
¤ HP Umpire Adam Schwarz ejected Omaha Storm Chasers P Will Smith (ball call), PCL.
¤ 2B Umpire Kelvin Bultron ejected Scranton Wilkes-Barre Manager Davey Miley (reversed call), IL.
¤ HP Umpire Tom Honec ejected Indianapolis Indians Manager Dean Treanor (out call), IL.
¤ HP Umpire Ian Fazio ejected Lehigh Valley IronPigs Manager Dave Brundage (check swing call), IL.
¤ HP Umpire Jon Byrne ejected Toledo Mudhens RF Danny Dorn (second, third strike calls), IL.
¤ HP Umpire Nick Bailey ejected Albuquerque Isotopes 1B Scott Van Slyke (strike two call), PCL.
¤ 3B Umpire Mark Ripperger ejected Fresno Grizzlies RF Juan Perez (out call), PCL.
¤ HP Umpire Alex Ortiz ejected Iowa Cubs P Jake Arrieta (ball call), PCL.
¤ 3B Umpire Ryan Blakney ejected Round Rock Express RF Jared Hoying (out call), PCL.
¤ ¤ U3 Blakney also ejected Round Rock Express Manager Bobby Jones (out call), PCL.
¤ HP Umpire Shaun Lampe ejected Round Rock Express P Josh Lindblom (intentional HBP), PCL.
¤ HP Umpire Jeff Morrow ejected Nashville Sounds Pitching Coach Fred Dabney (check swing call), PCL.
¤ ¤ PU Morrow also ejected Nashville Sounds Manager Mike Guerrero (check swing call), PCL.
¤ HP Umpire Clint Fagan ejected Durhan Bulls B Tim Beckham (strike calls), PCL.
¤ HP Umpire Andy Dudones ejected Buffalo Bisons 1B Clint Robinson (strike three call), IL.
¤ ¤ PU Dudones also ejected Buffalo Bisons Manager Marty Brown (strike three call), IL.
¤ 3B Umpire Kellen Levy ejected Tacoma Rainiers Manager John Stearns (not calling a rain delay), PCL.^
¤ HP Umpire Marcus Pattillo ejected Iowa Cubs Manager Marty Pevey (HBP no-call), PCL.

*PCL = Pacific Coast League / IL = International League*

^Featured ejection: Kellen Levy (6). [the box score erroneously credits the ejection to U1 Stu Scheurwater]
With rain falling in the top of the sixth inning of the Rainiers-Express game, the Rainiers scored a run to take a 3-1 lead. In the bottom of the frame, Tacoma Rainiers pitcher Taijuan Walker walked back-to-back batters before surrendering a run-scoring single to Express batter Joey Butler, trimming the deficit to 3-2. After striking out Express batter Mike Bianucci, Alex Buccholz hit a single past Rainiers second baseman Ty Kelley and into right field, tying the score at 3-3. After an argument from Stearns about the field's conditions, claiming that Kelley slipped in the mud trying to field Buccholz's single, crew chief Levy ordered the Round Rock Express ground grew to treat the field with Diamond Dry. After a 10-minute delay, Rainiers relief pitcher Jonathan Arias balked Express runner R3 Joey Butler home after which batter Aaron Cunningham hit a line drive into left field, but was tagged out trying to advance to third. As Levy called for the grounds crew, Stearns vented his frustration over playing through the rain without proper delay, resulting in his ejection. At the time of the ejection, the Express were leading, 5-3. The Express ultimately won the contest, 5-3.

The previous day, Tacoma trailed the Express 6-3 when a one-hour, 13-minute rain delay struck. After the delay, the Rainiers scored five unanswered runs to win the ballgame, 8-6.

Wrap: Tacoma Rainiers vs. Round Rock Express (MiLB Triple-A Pacific Coast League), 8/15/13