University of Louisville baseball coach Dan McDonnell won't be in the dugout when the Cards open NCAA regional play here Friday.The university says he has been suspended for three games as a result of his interaction with an umpire while arguing a call last Saturday during the Big East Conference tournament in Clearwater, Florida.The Courier-Journal reports that McDonnell was ejected from the game against St. John's for using foul language while arguing a called third strike and making contact with at least two umpires.McDonnell apologized for his actions in a statement released Wednesday by U of L.The Cards open play in the NCAA Louisville Regional Friday against St. Louis.(Photo from www.uoflsports.com)Here's the statement on the suspension from U of L: LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- University of Louisville baseball coach Dan McDonnell has been suspended for three games as a result of his interaction with an umpire during the Cardinals' appearance in the BIG EAST Baseball Championship.
McDonnell was ejected from U of L's elimination game against St. John's in the middle of the sixth inning last Saturday in Clearwater, Fla. The Cardinals will face Saint Louis on Friday at 6 p.m. in its first game of the NCAA Baseball Regional in Louisville.
"It's my job as head coach to set the standard for excellence in everything we do in our program," said McDonnell. "I let the emotion of the situation get the best of me, and for that, I apologize to everyone in the Louisville baseball family. Competition brings out the very best and the very worst in people. I wish I would've handled the situation differently, but I will learn from this. I will do everything in my power to prepare this team so that we can continue playing great baseball."
"Dan has accepted responsibility for the matter and is truly apologetic," said Tom Jurich, U of L Vice-President and Director of Athletics. "He has done a terrific job guiding our baseball program and in this one extremely rare situation, I know he regrets the incident. His focus now is on preparing our team for the weekend."
The suspension is a result of NCAA baseball rule 16 b, in which "Any threat of physical intimidation or harm to include pushing, shoving, bumping, kicking, intentionally spitting, spewing, throwing at or attempting to make physical contact" carries a penalty of "ejection plus suspension from the team's next three contests." The suspension cannot be appealed unless the report is withdrawn.
McDonnell is 183-75 in his fourth season with the Cardinals and has led U of L to four straight NCAA appearances. The Cardinals won their second straight BIG EAST Conference regular season title earlier this season and won back-to-back BIG EAST Tournament titles in 2008 and 2009. In 2007, McDonnell led Louisville to its first ever College World Series appearance and a school record 47 wins. The Cardinals matched that win total during their 2009 NCAA Super Regional season and have already surpassed that mark with 48 victories this season.
