There really is no precedent for what happened Wednesday during a Texas Junior College baseball game when Owen Woodward, a Weatherford College pitcher, charged off the mound after giving up a go-ahead home run and hit the longball Thug with a spear brought down rounded third base. I can’t remember another time a home run trot was interrupted by a pitcher trying to fight the batter who just hit him deep.
Action against Woodward was quick from the Northern Texas Junior College Athletic Conference with a four-game suspension. Weatherford College head coach Jeff Lightfoot was even more crucial. Woodward dismissed from the program. Turns out Woodward’s pitch, which gave up the home run that led to the brawl, was his last for the Coyotes.
The hitter, North Central Texas College’s Josh Phillips, was suspended for taunting two games after his expulsion for allegedly saying “fuck you” to Woodward, which sparked the attack. Phillips was also cautioned by the umpires early in the game for talking to another Weatherford pitcher.
The conference also imposed two-game bans on any player or assistant coach who left their position on the field or in the dugout to create the mass confrontation. That means all but two players at North Central are forced to sit out two games. Four other Weatherford players were also suspended.
Woodward’s idiotic attack and assault on Phillips may cost him more than a spot on the junior college list. He’s a helper who leads the Coyotes with four saves in the season. His form at JUCO had earned him a chance to play at the Division I level as he is a Houston signee. A report from the Houston Chronicle said Cougars coach Todd Whitting “monitoring the situation.” Second chances are earned by those who pay due retribution. Tackling someone in the infield takes more than promising to learn from your social media mistakes.
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The Weatherford-North Central game was the opening contest of a four-game series. The conference ruled that the first game abandoned after the fight would be settled as lost for both teams. North Central has to give up the next two games due to two available players. The last game of the series will be played on Saturday.
Weatherford said in a statement Wednesday that Woodward would face possible disciplinary action from the college, including a possible expulsion. In the notice of Woodward’s dismissal, Weatherford did not address this action. Weatherford does not have an online student directory, but Woodward is no longer listed on the Coyote’s online list. Weatherford College Police are also investigating. Woodward’s social media accounts are set to private.
The conference’s original four-game suspension against Woodward would have been a solid move for a normal hill charge after he hit a hitter on purpose. Being the attacker after sheer trash talk makes this situation worse where he will be lucky enough to pass for Houston. That kind of energy is exactly what college coaches want to keep in their locker rooms. I can’t see Whitting, notwithstanding a relationship built by recruiting Woodward, choosing to openly welcome him into the herd of cougars.
While Phillips isn’t entirely blameless in this situation either, it’s a million times easier to forgive swear words. Weatherford did absolutely the right thing by removing Woodward from the team less than 48 hours after the incident. Any black eye the fight had at the Coyotes is reduced by the quick penalty. The band doesn’t lie. What Woodward did is attack regardless of whether he’s wearing a baseball cap and jersey. And it’s disgusting.
