A college umpire has been suspended for calling a “horrible” late-game strike

There are questionable calls from sports officials, and then there’s the freak incident, like what happened at a college baseball game Friday night. The Internet was in an uproar, and the referee was suspended indefinitely.

The game between Mississippi Valley State University and the University of New Orleans ended in the top of the ninth inning. United singles lead Valley, 7-3, with two outs. MSVU left fielder Davon Mims was at the plate to keep any potential Delta Devils prospects alive.

Mims tallied one hit and one hit. United pitcher Trey Usey called a pitch that was low, a boundary ball or a strike, where plate umpire Reggie Drum called a strike. Frustrated by the call, Mims jumped up in anger.

With a count of 1 and 2, Usey threw a low, outside kick and wanted Mims to chase him down, which he didn’t.

The hitter called him for a third strike and Mims lost it. UNO wide receiver Jorge Tejada appeared to be about to give the ball back to Usei before he realized the play was over. Tejada then went to pacify his opponent as the drummer quickly left the field. The video here has over 3.8 million views to date.

Even the announcer who heard it from the video did not believe it.

“Down – ouch!” Wow, he hits the second ball and it’s game over! Oh, that’s horrible,” said the announcer.

The Southland Conference, which the umpires are affiliated with, released a statement Saturday night announcing Daumer’s suspension.

“After a thorough review of the March 10, 2023 New Orleans-Mississippi Valley State baseball contest, the Southland Conference has confirmed that the conduct and conduct of the home plate umpire was prejudicial to the Conference and violated Section 3 conduct and discipline. CCA Mechanics Handbook for Baseball.

“As a result, the umpire has been removed from the series and suspended indefinitely from Southland Conference baseball games.”

Usey finished the game with three innings for New Orleans.