Emotions erupted at the Atlantic Sun Conference baseball tournament on Thursday.
After Stetson beat Austin Peay, 5-3, head coaches Roland Fanning and Steve Trimper were furious.
Fanning, the Austin Peay head coach, confronted Trimper and pointed at him.
When Trimper tried to calm the coach down, Fanning slapped Trimper’s hand away and continued yelling abuse at the opposing coach until the two separated.
The announcers covering the game on ESPN+ were convinced the Stetson coach was upset that he hadn’t shook Austin Peay’s hand immediately after the game.
Meanwhile, the Daytona Beach News Journal The cause of this conflict From last week’s social media controversy.
On May 17, Austin Peay’s official X account celebrated the news that the team was named the Atlantic Sun regular season conference champions.
However, the next day, Austin Peay, Stetson and Florida Gulf Coast University were tied for first place.
Trimper poked fun at his conference rivals, writing to X, “Oops!!! #toofast. #jumpup,” above Austin Peay’s congratulatory post.
The News Journal reported that Austin Peay was likely eliminated based on the structure of the Atlantic Sun tournament.
“The events following today’s ASUN baseball tournament game do not represent the best of Austin Peay sports,” Austin Peay athletic director Gerald Harrison said in a statement. The Clarksville Leaf-Chronicle reported:.
“Regardless of the comments or actions of others, as governors we must and should elevate integrity and sportsmanship to a higher level. We are proud of Coach Fanning and the baseball team. They had a great season and brought Clarksville its first regular season baseball championship since 2013. These coaches and student-athletes are proud to be Clarksville’s hometown team.”
“So we are committed to using our passion, energy and grit in a positive way, regardless of the opponent or outcome.”
