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Coastal Carolina head coach Kevin Schnall slammed umpires at the Men’s College World Series on Sunday following the Chanticleers’ loss to the LSU Tigers.
Schnall was ejected in the first inning after an argument with home plate umpire Angel Campos. He said his ejection wasn’t justified and he was wrongly accused of bumping an umpire who appeared to trip and fall to the ground when he came over to break up the commotion.
“If you guys watch the video, there was a guy who came in extremely aggressively, tripped over Campos’ foot, embarrassed in front of 25,000, and goes, ‘Two-game suspension’ and says, ‘Bumping the umpire,’” Schnall said. “There was no bump. I shouldn’t be held accountable for a grown man’s athleticism. Now it’s excessive because I was trying to say I didn’t bump him.
“It is what it is. If that warranted an ejection, there would be a lot of ejections. As umpires, it’s your job to manage the game with some poise and calmness and a little bit of tolerance.”
The NCAA said Schnall was arguing balls and strikes, which was heard on the broadcast. The NCAA added that the head coach was given a warning.
Since LSU won Game 2 and the College World Series, Schnall’s suspension would start in the 2026 season. The NCAA said Schnall and first-base coach Matt Schilling engaged in “prolonged arguing,” which triggers a two-game suspension. Schilling is likely to be suspended for three games — one for the ejection and two for “prolonged arguing.”
LSU TIGERS SWEEP COASTAL CAROLINA TO WIN NCAA MEN’S COLLEGE WORLD SERIES
Schnall said he couldn’t hear Campos’ initial warning when he was arguing balls and strikes. He added that he wasn’t “sorry” for what transpired.
“As a head coach, it’s your right to get an explanation for why we got warned,” Schnall said. “I’m 48 years old, and I shouldn’t get shooed by another grown man. When I came out, I got told it was a warning issued for arguing balls and strikes, and I said it was because you missed three. At that point, ejected. If that warrants an ejection, I’m the first one to stand here like a man and apologize.”
Coastal Carolina athletic director Chance Miller said Sunday night the ejections “altered the trajectory of a must-win game for our team.”
“These decisions were made with an alarming level of haste, without an attempt at de-escalation, and deprived our student-athletes of the leadership they have relied on throughout a historic postseason run,” Miller said.
“This is not about a single call — it’s about process and professionalism. In the biggest moment of the college baseball season, our program and its student-athletes deserved better.”
Miller implored the NCAA to re-evaluate its training methods and how it assigns and reviews umpires in championship settings.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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