Riley Nelson sent a ball soaring into the Nashville night, high and far. The question was whether it would clear the fence, and if so, whether it was fair or foul. The left- and right-field lines are notoriously difficult angles for fair or foul home run calls because large trees block views of where balls land beyond center field.
Nelson believed the ball was fair throughout. He looked back at the home plate umpire but saw no signal. He glanced at the first base umpire, who threw up his hands to indicate a foul ball.
Convinced of his own judgment, Nelson immediately signaled for a replay review. Before Vanderbilt could ask for one, five officials near third base began conferring about what happened next.
Wright State coach Alex Sogard emerged from his dugout with urgency in his voice. He wanted the officials to see something they hadn’t seen yet. This came after Vanderbilt’s coach, Tim Corbin, watched replays during pregame warmups due to close calls in similar situations throughout history at Hawkins Field.
Hawkins Field’s History of Controversy
Hawkins Field has hosted numerous games featuring big-time programs, including:
- LSU last season, when Tigers’ ace Paul Mainieri faced off against Vandy starter Tyler Brown.
- Florida State, which came through town twice within that span.
The Commodores have had their share of controversy on this field as well. Just last year, they were involved in another disputed call when they played host to Wright State. In that game, Vanderbilt’s Will Bednar hit a two-run homer with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning, but it was overturned by replay review after Wright State manager Alex Sogard challenged the play.
Bednar expressed his frustration, stating, "I mean I’ve never hit one out there before so I don’t know how many times you can say ‘it went over.’"
Corbin agreed with Nelson’s assessment, saying, "I don’t think it has ever been a decision he’s ever made…he hits ’em pretty good."
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