College Baseball Player Ejected From Game On A Goofy Technicality

The umpire relied on a rule that he enforced improperly.

A college baseball player was thrown out of a game after drawing a walk and walking to first base. Facing the opposing dugout, he threw his bat to the ground, prompting the home plate umpire to eject him.

According to Sports Illustrated, this incident occurred at the season-opening game for the Hawai’i Rainbow Warriors versus the Ole Miss Rebels. The score was 4-3, and Jordan Donahue was at the plate, with runners on second and third base in the eighth inning. As he stood at the plate with a full count of three balls and two strikes, Donahue let the next pitch pass him for a fourth ball, allowing him to advance to first base. In a moment of joy, the player pumps his fist, looks toward the dugout, and seemingly yells in that direction before tossing his bat on the ground and proceeding to first base.

Upon viewing this, the home plate umpire walks behind him and throws him out of the game. Donahue looks back in shock and doesn’t understand why he is being ejected. As he stands in shock, the team manager speaks to the umpire, and after explaining his action, the manager walks away in disbelief.

Celebrating a walk…

ILLEGAL! pic.twitter.com/9GIsiDkFxe

— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) February 29, 2024

According to the latest NCAA 2023 and 2024 Baseball Rule Book, under the “Unsportsmanlike Conduct” section, the umpire may have thrown him out of the game based on this rule: “Bat flips near or toward an opponent or umpire.”

But, it also states, “The umpire shall warn the offending individual and the coach once. If the unsportsmanlike conduct continues after the warning, the offender shall be ejected. If the unsportsmanlike conduct continues after the first ejection, the head coach shall be ejected along with any other offending personnel.”

It’s unclear from the video if it was the second time Donohue had done something to warrant an unsportsmanlike conduct warning.

The Rainbow Warriors lost the game in extra innings (13) by 5–4.