Tim Corbin addresses JD Thompson's ejection in Saturday's loss vs. Florida
The Vanderbilt Commodores lost pitcher JD Thompson in the fourth inning of the series finale against the Florida Gators when umpires ejected him for an apparent foreign substance. Now, head coach Tim Corbin has addressed what happened.
It appeared that the Florida dugout was complaining for multiple batters before umpires inspected Thompson’s arm. He was seen using the rosin bag, which pitchers are allowed to use, against his arm. However, when mixed with sunscreen and sweat it can create a sticky substance.
“They said there was a substance on his forearm,” Tim Corbin said. “So, they ejected him.”
At the time that JD Thompson was ejected, Vanderbilt had a 2-1 lead in the game. However, an inning later, the Commodores gave up three runs, letting the Gators take a lead that they wouldn’t give up. Still, even with the loss, Vanderbilt won the series and moved to 10-8 in conference play. Vanderbilt is currently third in the SEC East standings. However, things are incredibly tight and could change in a hurry.
“No, I don’t think so,” Corbin said. “I think that was the first [time seeing this situation].”
Corbin was later asked if it had been the Florida coaching staff that called for the check on Thompson for a foreign substance.
“It wasn’t us,” Corbin said.
A player ejected for any reason faces a one-game suspension. However, usage of a foreign substance is more severe, carrying a four-game suspension per NCAA rules. That would keep JD Thompson out for Vanderbilt until April 30th and mean he misses the entire Mississippi State series.
For his part, Tim Corbin wasn’t ready to talk about a possible suspension just yet.
“I’m not sure about but if he was ejected, I’m not sure. I’m not even gonna answer that. It could fall into that category but they had to call the SEC office in order to get an interpretation to begin with. So, I’m just not gonna answer that until I get back and make some calls myself.”
This comes a couple of years after MLB emphasized cracking down on foreign substances that are used to get a better grip on the ball and increase spin rotations. At the time, it came out that almost every pitcher used something and it’s unsurprising that it would be used at the college level too.
Next up, Vanderbilt will play a midweek game against UT Martin before the Commodores start a three-game series against Mississippi State.