UGA head baseball coach responds regarding Christian Mracna
By: Anthony Dasher - UGASports.com
Georgia head coach Wes Johnson had this response when asked before practice Thursday regarding allegations that Bulldog pitcher Christian Mracna used a foreign substance on the baseball Saturday against Texas A&M.
“I’m going to make a blanket statement. I don’t have time in my day to deal with online, subjective distractions,” Johnson said. “We teach our players to play by the rules, and that’s where we’re at.”
Johnson said Mracna will pitch this weekend against Vanderbilt, despite videos on social media that allegedly showed Mracna’s activity in the bullpen and on the mound during the final two innings of Saturday’s Game 2 of a doubleheader against the Aggies, won by the Bulldogs, 5-4.
Mracna struck out six batters, but was never checked by the umpires, or asked to be checked by Texas A&M head coach Jim Schlossnagle.
Later, Schlossnagle told the Associated Press via text regarding Mracna that it “certainly appears that way,” when asked if he’d seen the online videos. “It’s part of the game. Wish we would have caught it.”
Per NCAA rules, any pitcher caught with a foreign substance is suspended for four games.
In an email to UGASports, an SEC official said the league does not comment on communications with schools related to officiating.
On April 20, Vanderbilt pitcher JD Thompson was ejected against Florida for use of a foreign substance. He missed the Commodores’ subsequent mid-week game as well as last weekend’s series against Mississippi State.
By: Anthony Dasher - UGASports.com
Georgia head coach Wes Johnson had this response when asked before practice Thursday regarding allegations that Bulldog pitcher Christian Mracna used a foreign substance on the baseball Saturday against Texas A&M.
“I’m going to make a blanket statement. I don’t have time in my day to deal with online, subjective distractions,” Johnson said. “We teach our players to play by the rules, and that’s where we’re at.”
Johnson said Mracna will pitch this weekend against Vanderbilt, despite videos on social media that allegedly showed Mracna’s activity in the bullpen and on the mound during the final two innings of Saturday’s Game 2 of a doubleheader against the Aggies, won by the Bulldogs, 5-4.
Mracna struck out six batters, but was never checked by the umpires, or asked to be checked by Texas A&M head coach Jim Schlossnagle.
Later, Schlossnagle told the Associated Press via text regarding Mracna that it “certainly appears that way,” when asked if he’d seen the online videos. “It’s part of the game. Wish we would have caught it.”
Per NCAA rules, any pitcher caught with a foreign substance is suspended for four games.
In an email to UGASports, an SEC official said the league does not comment on communications with schools related to officiating.
On April 20, Vanderbilt pitcher JD Thompson was ejected against Florida for use of a foreign substance. He missed the Commodores’ subsequent mid-week game as well as last weekend’s series against Mississippi State.
