Wreck'Em Red
Fansided

Texas Tech Baseball: Controversial Call Underscores Need For Expanded Replay

By Matthew Conner

Jun 24, 2016; Omaha, NE, USA; Baseball before the contest between the Texas Tech Red Raiders and Coastal Carolina Chanticleers in the 2016 College World Series at TD Ameritrade Park. Mandatory Credit: Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 24, 2016; Omaha, NE, USA; Baseball before the contest between the Texas Tech Red Raiders and Coastal Carolina Chanticleers in the 2016 College World Series at TD Ameritrade Park. Mandatory Credit: Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit

The controversial call that went against Texas Tech third baseman Josh Jung during the final game of the regional final underscores the need for video replay in college baseball.

While Texas Tech baseball’s collapse in the NCAA Tournament is a memory every Red Raider wants to forget, one moment from the final game against Sam Houston is not soon to be forgotten.  The controversial call at third base in which Texas Tech’s Josh Jung was called out after coming off the bag will always be symbolic of the 2017 Lubbock regional.  It also highlights a huge flaw in the game of college baseball; the shortcomings of video review rules.

The play, as seen in the above tweet from former Red Raider pitcher and current major leaguer Dallas Braden generated quite a bit of buzz on social media.  Several big leaguers like Braden and Toronto Blue Jays’ all-star Josh Donaldson weighed in on the play.

What makes the play so controversial is the question of whether or not the Sam Houston third baseman forced Jung’s hand off the bag, which is illegal.  How one interprets the play depends on if the viewer is wearing scarlet and black or orange and black.

To be fair, the play is not clear cut.  It is easy to see why the umpire ruled that Jung had come off the bag on his own.  It is also easy to see why Texas Tech fans and coaches were outraged by the call.

But what is undisputable about the play is that it needed to be revisited via video review.  The problem is that college baseball does not have that option built into the sport.

The NCAA only allows replay on calls of fair or foul balls, ground-rule doubles vs. home runs, catch or no catch, scoring plays at the plate, player ejections and spectator interference.

In the case of a play like the one involving Jung, the umpires must have the ability to look at game-changing calls and use the technology available to ensure the correct call is made.  The only review of the play that went against Texas Tech was a brief meeting of the umpires in the middle of the diamond.  There is no way that any of the other umpires would have had the right to overrule the call of the third base official who was just feet from the play.

Would video replay have resulted in a reversed call on Jung?  Baseball fans have seen far less questionable calls reversed so it is not out of the question.

But the fact that a play that could have changed the course of the game and a season was not able to be reviewed is a travesty.

More from Wreck'Em Red

In fairness, it would be irresponsible to blame Texas Tech’s loss of the umpires.  The team went 5-30 with runners in scoring position during the four games it played last weekend and it made crucial and uncharacteristic errors in the field (like the one by Brian Klein that allowed the winning run to score in the deciding game).

Still, the call on Jung was huge.  Texas Tech could have had a runner at third base with only one out in the 7th inning and its two best hitters, Tanner Gardner and Hunter Hargrove due up if the call had been reversed.

Of course, many fans would have been just as furious had the play been reviewed and upheld.  However, to not review it at all leaves the Tech faithful with a nagging feeling of being slighted.

Head coaches should have the option to challenge calls in a similar manner as Major League Baseball managers can.  If that would have been an option, Tim Tadlock would certainly have asked for the play to be reviewed.

But he was left with no option due to a rule that is far too narrow in scope and must be expanded.  Officials are not perfect and there must be a more comprehensive system in place to ensure their calls are on point.

Next: Tech Baseball Loaded For A Run In 2018

Hopefully, the NCAA will continue to expand the role of replay in baseball.  But, we must also hope that the next time the Texas Tech baseball team finds itself in a similar situation, it does not leave its fate in the hands of the umpires.

Home/Texas Tech Baseball