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Erik Bakich, Jack Leggett controversially ejected from game following Alden Mathes home run

Wade-Peeryby:Wade Peery06/09/24
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Erik Bakich manager of the Clemson Tigers (John Byrum/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

The Clemson Tigers and Florida Gators were in an absolute marathon of a baseball game in their Super Regional matchup on Sunday. Clemson’s Alden Mathes launched a pivotal solo shot in the top of the 13th inning, putting the Tigers up 10-9. He was fired up about the solo blast, as you might, imagine, and spiked his bat fiercely to the ground as he walked down the first base line. That’s when things got interesting.

In the aftermath of the bat spike, Clemson assistant coach Jack Leggett was ejected from the game. Once he was tossed, Tigers head coach Erik Bakich came out to argue the ejection and he was tossed in the process.

Both coaches will now be suspended for two games for their ejections, according to the ESPNU broadcast. There were plenty of people on social media that were outraged with the ejections following the game, including former Miami Hurricanes star Danny Graves.

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Florida coach Kevin O’Sullivan on Jack Leggett being ejected

Clemson would go on to lose to Florida, 11-10 in 13 innings, after Michael Robertson slapped in the game-winning RBIs in the bottom of the 13th. The game lasted over five hours and it had a little bit of everything, no doubt about it.

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Following the game, Florida head coach Kevin O’Sullivan shared his thoughts on the ejection for Jack Leggett. Leggett was at one point, the former boss of O’Sullivan when Leggett was the head coach for Clemson and O’Sullivan worked for the Tigers as an assistant from 1999-2007.

“I mean, I didn’t know it happened. You know, obviously, the leadoff hitter hit the home run. I went back and looked up at the lineup card to see who we had coming up. And that type of thing. I didn’t know what happened. But obviously, it’s unfortunate. He’s a legend, Hall of Famer. You hate to see that happen,” O’Sullivan explained in his postgame press conference.

Leggett has an extensive college baseball coaching career. He began with the Vermont Catamounts from 1978-1982. Then he moved onto become the head coach of Western Carolina from 1983-1991. And for the rest of his college baseball coaching career, he’s spent with the Clemson Tigers. From 1992-1993 he was an assistant coach with the Tigers. Then from 1994-2015, he worked as their head coach, bringing home ACC Coach of the Year honors three times (1994, 1995, and 2006).