Teachable Moment - The Official Warning

In this Teachable as college baseball season prepares to kick off, Tmac visits a summer collegiate game that invokes the NCAA’s “Official Warning” rule after a balls/strikes dispute. Article: https://www.closecallsports.com/2020/...

The rules-related portion of the Teachable concerns NCAA 2-57 (Official Warning definition) and 5-17 (Verbal Abuse [Bench Jockeying]), which specifies what an official warning is, how to issue it, and what to do if further abuse occurs after its issuance. In this situation, Prospect League HP Umpire Andy McPherson officially warns the West Virginia bench in the 3rd inning and then ejects WVA’s manager Mike Syrett in the 6th for continued verbal abuse.

Notable is the score: In the 3rd inning, West Virginia leads 6-2, but by the 6th inning, West Virginia trails 14-6, having surrendered 12 unanswered runs to opponent Chillicothe.

This Teachable also features the lessons of always keeping your eye on the ball when it is in play, and working with a catcher to head off potential unsportsmanlike issues. In this case, the Miners’ catcher’s bad body language contributes to the unsporting situation and makes the umpire’s job that much more difficult.