Oregon Got Unbelievably Hosed in Night One of Regionals Weekend

Friday was the beginning of a beautiful weekend with baseball aplenty with the NCAA Regionals beginning. Officially marking the start of the home stretch on the march to Omaha. There were many great games Friday, but one up here in the Pacific Northwest seemed to have it all and in particular one play to spark outrage.

Oregon is hosting a regional this weekend in Eugene after having a dominant regular season in their first season in the Big Ten. Oregon found themselves playing Utah Valley in their first game, a WAC team that snuck into the tournament with a 33-27 overall record and 13-11 Conference record. Utah Valley got to this point by being red hot and going undefeated in their conference tournament. As hot as Utah Valley may have been, Oregon were obvious heavy favorites in this match up as a power conference hosting a mid-major who had to fight hard just to make the tournament. 

Then, Friday night spikes hit the dirt and chaos ensued. Utah Valley blitzed the Ducks jumping out to a 4-0 lead in the top of the third inning. Oregon would fight back and set this game up as one that would come down to the wire. Then one of the most egregious umpire errors would turn this game upside down. 

In the bottom of the 8th inning Oregon’s Chase Meggers was up to the plate with runners on first and third, no one out, with Oregon trailing 6-4. Momentum was on Oregon’s side. Meggers lifted a fly ball to the opposite field just deep enough to have the third base runner, Anson Aroz, tag up and try to score. It was going to be a close play. The ball short hopped the Utah Valley Catcher Mason Strong and skipped by as Aroz slid into home, knocking over Strong who was blocking the plate. This pushed the game to 6-5, with Oregon still having a runner on and only one out in the inning. Aroz and the Oregon crowd could not have been more fired up.

Then a review was initiated with Utah Valley arguing the contact by Aroz was malicious. The play was reviewed and the crew found there was no obstruction by Strong and the contact from Aroz was therefore malicious. Aroz was called out and ejected, turning the game upside down, making it 6-4 with two outs in the 8th inning. 

It was an egregious umpire mistake. Strong was a picture perfect, textbook definition, of a catcher blocking the plate. Strong was standing in the lane to the plate, without the baseball that he never at any point had control of. Aroz slid into the plate drawing contact with Strong obviously because Strong was blocking it without the ball, which by rule is not allowed. But Malicious contact was called, Aroz called out and ejected. Utah Valley would go on to upset host Oregon.

Everyone loves upsets in College Sports, especially me. But everyone also hates an ump show, and sadly this game Friday night had an ump show overshadow one of the great upsets of this tournament so far.