A black college baseball umpire who went viral earlier this month for calling a strike on a pitch that was obviously a ball is now saying he was subjected to racial abuse throughout the game by fans supporting the Historically Black College and University (HBCU) that was playing in the game.
The game was between Mississippi Valley State University, an HBCU, and the University of New Orleans. Reggie Drummer, the umpire, was suspended by the Southland Conference for this call on a ball from the University of New Orleans pitcher that was clearly not in the strike zone.
This is a division 1 baseball game… Can’t even call it a terrible call. Umpire made it personal. 😂😂😂😂 pic.twitter.com/zXOvzDmIbd
— 11Point7: The College Baseball Podcast 🎙 (@11point7) March 11, 2023
Umpire Reggie Drummer has been suspended indefinitely by the Southland Conference. https://t.co/hr5dTw29zD pic.twitter.com/h1M3xTz40d
— 11Point7: The College Baseball Podcast 🎙 (@11point7) March 11, 2023
In an interview with The Plate Meeting podcast this week, Drummer pulled back the veil on his bizarre call and claimed he had been subjected to racial taunts from the Mississippi Valley State side.
“It started in the first inning. [Mississippi] Valley batted first as the visiting team,” Drummer told the podcast hosts via Fox News.
The HBCU fans, according to Drummer, were not only directing racial language at him but also accusing him of trying to help the other side. One of the worst offenders, according to Drummer, was the brother of Mississippi Valley State coach Milton Barney. So much so that Drummer had the skipper’s brother removed from the stands.
In an interview with Fox News Digital, coach Barney said he did not hear the racial abuse directed at Drummer.
“I didn’t hear any of that. Of course, I’m trying to coach a baseball game,” Barney said. “I think as a coach we’re not listening to the stands or what people in the stands are saying. So, we didn’t hear any racial slurs and nor did we say any racial slurs in the dugout. As far as the fans, I can’t speak to that because I’m not listening to that. I’m trying to coach a win a baseball game.”
Drummer did allege, however, that when Barney came out to argue a changed call in the 7th inning, the coach made an issue of race.
“And that’s when he was implying that as a Black guy, I should be helping them win,” Drummer said.
The University of New Orleans, Mississippi Valley State’s opponent, is not an HBCU and has several white players.
“I’m not upset,” Drummer continued. “I’m more hurt because I’m getting all this from my people when I know I’m calling a good game, I’m calling a fair game.”
Barney hotly disputed the accusation that he had asked Drummer to give his team charitable calls because of race. Instead, Barney claims he just wanted his team “treated with the same respect he treated them [New Orleans].”
“As far as helping us win? We’re never going to ask for an umpire to help us win,” Barney told Fox News Digital. “To me that’s ridiculous.”
“Clearly I didn’t say anything to him of that nature because I stayed for the entirety of the game,” he continued. “If I would have been saying anything like that I’m pretty sure I would have been ejected. Like I said, there is no point where I was asking him to help us win the game.”
All of that led to the contentious scene at the end of the game when Drummer called MVSU’s Davon Mims out on a pitch that was clearly not a strike.
“I called a bad pitch, which I regret,” Drummer said. “I apologize for doing that, but I just wanted to get out of a hostile environment because I’d never been in a situation like that.”
Drummer returned to umpiring on March 10.