NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Jordan Beck was called out after homering with a bat that was apparently not approved for use in Tennessee baseball’s game vs. Vanderbilt on Friday.
The Vols outfielder homered to right field, putting UT ahead 1-0. Umpires convened in the infield and reviewed the bat prior to calling Beck out.
Beck’s bat had a sticker indicating it was approved, but the ESPN2 broadcast reported that the sticker was from UT’s game against Western Carolina on Wednesday. It was not cleared for use Friday.
“In pre-series bat testing, a sticker with the logo of the opposing team is placed on legal bats,” SEC associate commissioner for communications Herb Vincent said in a statement to the Knoxville News Sentinel. “There was a sticker on the bat in question, but it was not an appropriate sticker on the bat. It was a sticker from a midweek game. Therefore, the bat was deemed illegal.
Vols coach Tony Vitello rocketed from the dugout in frustration and argued with umpires to no avail. Vitello tried to grab the bat from an umpire initially. The crew removed the bat and it was taken from the field.
Vitello said in an on-air interview that the sticker must have fallen off Beck’s bat during batting practice.
“There was no sticker on the bat,” Vitello said during an on-air interview. “You got to have to have a sticker… We got a few bats that somehow conveniently the stickers have conveniently come off. I don’t know.”
“I don’t even know that Jordan Beck should be at the University of Tennessee,” Vitello continued, his words heavy with sarcasm. “He forged his transcript. He is actually a 35-year-old man named Mike Honcho. He just shows up to practice every day and he is a good kid so we put him in the lineup.”
Vanderbilt catcher Dominic Keegan picked up Beck’s bat as the Vols outfielder rounded the bases, which started the process. Vanderbilt coach Tim Corbin indicated that is not a normal procedure during an on-air interview in the fourth inning.
“It has been part of what has been going around during the course of the week in terms of the SEC and us talking about it,” Corbin said. “It has been out there. It just made sense to do that.”
Bats are reviewed prior to the start of each game and a tamper-proof sticker of approval is placed on the bat. Bats must meet three criteria to be used: The bat must be on the NCAA approved bat list, pass a test confirming the barrel size and a compression test.
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Mike Wilson covers University of Tennessee athletics. Email him at [email protected] and follow him on Twitter @ByMikeWilson. If you enjoy Mike’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that will allow you access to all of it.
