Pierce draws two-game suspension in win
Coach deemed ‘excessive’ in protest of umpires’ call
Due to NCAA rules, Texas baseball coach David Pierce must serve a twogame suspension this week.
The Big 12 confirmed Monday that Pierce will miss Tuesday’s home game against UT-Arlington and the opener of the three-game series at Oklahoma on Friday. Pierce was suspended for excessive arguing after his ejection from a 2-1 win over TCU on Sunday.
In the NCAA rulebook, it states that, “No team personnel may continue to argue or to continue to excessively express themselves with prolonged actions or offensive language after an ejection.” The established punishment for a violation of that rule is a “twogame suspension added to the present accumulative total for applicable suspension penalties.”
Pierce was tossed at the end of Sunday’s seventh inning at UFCU DischFalk Field. With two outs and runners on the corners, Max Beyleu singled into right field to give Texas a 3-1 lead. But after TCU coach Kirk Saarloos objected, the umpires gathered and ruled that the ball had deflected off UT baserunner
Peyton Powell.
Powell was then called out, the inning ended and the Longhorns’ third run was voided.
After that play was overturned, Pierce partook in a lengthy argument with several umpires. He eventually retreated to the dugout, but he then quickly returned to the field. Texas’ eighthyear head coach was then ejected by home plate umpire Blake Felz. Pierce continued to argue before third base umpire Shane Metheny intervened and signaled that Pierce’s protest had become excessive.
“I think he was fighting for our guys,
fighting for the team and fighting for that moment,” UT assistant coach Steve Rodriguez said afterward.
It should be noted that it appears the right call was made on the field. While calling the game, Longhorn Network announcer Keith Moreland immediately said the ball had hit Powell and the broadcast’s slow-motion replay seemed to verify his sharp eye. Two TCU infielders also quickly signaled the same. But neither DeMond Thomas nor
Tim Cordill, who were the umpires stationed near first and second base, made the call in the moment.
The play was not reviewed. Pierce did not speak to the media after the game. Rodriguez, who serves as the Longhorns’ third base coach, indicated that the play was not reviewable.
“(That’s) part of the review process I think they need to expand on,” Rodriguez said. “We have two reviews, let me review anything I want. That way, I can’t argue at that point. You looked at it and you see what you saw, then it’s clean and we go about your business.”
Without Pierce, Texas will likely be led by Rodriguez for the next two games with UTA and Oklahoma. In his second year as a UT assistant coach, he owns a 598-446 record over 19 years as a head coach at Pepperdine and Baylor.
Pierce’s suspension, though, further shrinks Texas’ coaching staff. Assistant coach Philip Miller has not been with the team since he took a personal leave of absence last month.
Texas is 24-17 overall this season, but its 11-7 mark in Big 12 play has pulled the Longhorns into a second-place tie with West Virginia and Oklahoma State in the conference standings. Oklahoma (24-14, 14-4) is leading the conference.