Celebrations are a massive part of sports, especially baseball, as it allows players to bring their identity into the game. Players celebrate big moments, like strikeouts, defensive plays, home runs, and whatnot. But recently, umpires have penalized baseball players for such celebrations. This has become a huge issue as the tamest celebrations earn players seemingly severe punishments.

During a recent game, the University of Arkansas at Monticello (UMA) beat Southern Nazarene University 8-5. UMA won a close game. But an umpire soured the result by penalizing UMA star Chase Cripps following a big hit. Let’s have a look at the incident.

College Baseball Player was ejected and suspended for bat flip celebration after a home run

The University of Arkansas at Monticello (UMA) beat Southern Nazarene University 8-5 in a coles game recently. UMA star Chase Cripps hit the go-ahead 3-run home run in the 6th inning, a game-winning hit. But the great result was soured as Cripps was ejected and suspended for one game due to his celebration. Cripps flipped his bat as he was running the bases before lightly celebrating at home plate. Umpires deemed the bat flip excessive, which led to his severe punishment. Baseball insider Michael Schlact shared the news of the punishment on Twitter.

In a Tweet, Schlact said, “He hit a go ahead HR. However .. He was ejected and suspended for the next game because the bat flip was ruled excessive. Thoughts?” The celebration did not seem aggressive or provocative. 

Read More: “Good Riddance”: 24 Hours After Massive Fan Outrage, College Umpire Receives Hefty Punishment For a Highly Controversial Call

The reactions to this punishment have been negative, to say the least. 

Some fans argued that the celebration was not excessive and criticized the decision.

Other fans were generally shocked by the severity of the punishment.

Luckily for UMA, the ejection did not affect the result, and they were able to close out the win. But umpires have made some shocking calls recently. One umpire shocked fans with a terrible call on a game-ending strikeout. But these egregious calls also happen at the MLB level.

Is Umpiring becoming worse?

In recent years, umpires have seemingly become more likely to make controversial calls. This happens in college, the Minor Leagues, and even MLB. From ejections to bad calls on the field, officials are punishing players with bad decisions. Furthermore, there does not seem to be any change taking place. Players are getting ejected for the slightest of things, celebrations being one of them. 

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What do you think of the UMA’s Chase Cripps being ejected for his bat flip? Kindly share your thoughts in the comments below!