Sunday’s Men’s College World Series game got off to a wild start when two Coastal Carolina coaches, including head coach Kevin Schnall, were ejected in the top of the first inning of LSU’s series-clinching 5-3 win.
Schnall was also given an automatic two-game suspension for not leaving the game immediately and for bumping an umpire. All of this happened just 28 pitches into the game and after Schnall had been given a warning for arguing balls and strikes.
He took exception to all of that and vigorously defended himself after the game while throwing heat in the direction of the umpires.
Here is his full description of what happened regarding the balls and strikes calls, as well as the warning:
“There’s 25,000 people there, and I vaguely hear a warning issued. As the head coach, I was an assistant for 24 years, and as an assistant, you’re almost treated like a second grade second-level citizen and you can’t say a word. Now, as a head coach I think it is your right to get an explanation of why we got warned.
“I’m 48 years old. I shouldn’t get shooed by another grown man. When I walk out to find out what the warning is, a grown man shooed me. At that point I can now hear him say, ‘It was a warning issued for arguing balls and strikes.’ At that point I said, ‘Because you missed three.’ At that point, ejected.”
He then addressed the umpire-bumping and put the blame on them for, in his words, their own lack of athleticism.
“If that warrants an ejection, I’m the first one to stand here like a man and apologize. Two words that define our program are ‘own it.’ And what does that mean? It means you have to own everything that you do without blame, without defending yourself, without excuses.
“If you guys watch the video, there was a guy that came in extremely aggressively, tripped over Campos’ foot, embarrassed in front of 25,000, immediately goes two games suspension and said, bumping the umpire. Immediately does that. There was no bump. He was embarrassed. I shouldn’t be held accountable for a grown man’s athleticism.”
Here is the entire sequence as it unfolded:
