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Baseball: Robichaux tossed Saturday but can coach SundayTim Buckley, The Advertiser, February 27, 2016
HOUSTON — Tony Robichaux knew the call had been blown initially. Perhaps that’s why the UL baseball coach was most mad home plate umpire Myron Miller tossed him in the fourth inning of the Ragin’ Cajuns’ 5-3 10-inning loss to Texas Tech in the Shriners Hospitals for Children College Classic here. “To me the fault with an umpire is when you make one mistake, you know, you don’t throw somebody out of the game when it’s your bad,” Robichaux said. “A good umpire wears it.” Miller had punched out Cajuns outfielder Ishmael Edwards, thinking it was the third strike of the at-bat. It wasn’t. It was the second. When Miller called the third strike, however, Texas Tech catcher Tyler Floyd tossed the ball back toward the mound and multiple Red Raiders, including starting pitcher Ty Harpenau, headed off the field at Minute Maid Park. That’s when Cajuns second baseball took off for home from third base, trying to make it 2-1 UL. “I saw the catcher roll the ball to the mound. Everybody was walking off,” Conrad said. “Nobody was close enough to run and tag me out, so I figured I’d take it. “The umpire said he called time, which I didn’t hear it. But it is what it is.” Robichaux argued vehemently, then was ejected. "He just said he called time after the called third (strike),” Robichaux said. “When he saw we were gonna score, that’s when he said he called time. But, anyway, that has nothing to do with (the loss). Nothing at all.” With Robichaux out, associate head coach Anthony Babineaux assumed coaching duties. A UL later spokesman said Robichaux can work the Cajuns’ game Sunday night vs. Rice here. An old Sun Belt Conference rule would have required him to sit out Sunday because of the ejection, but that rule no longer is in force, the spokesman said. The NCAA could also suspend Robichaux at a later date, but considering the circumstances, that seems highly unlikely. JUST RELAX True freshman shortstop Hunter Kasuls committed a critical error in UL’s 7-1 loss Friday to TCU here, and he hesitated on Texas Tech’s game-tying play in the ninth inning Saturday, first looking at third and then throwing too late to first when he arguably should have thrown home. Kasuls also was charged with an error on another play Saturday, although that was later reversed. Kasuls, meanwhile, was replaced by juco-transfer shortstop Brad Antchak for Saturday’s 10th inning — and Antchak committed a two-out error that kept things alive for the Red Raiders, opening the door for their game-winning two-RBI double. Around that time, a national baseball writer covering the game in Houston tweeted this: “Well, losing Blake Trahan is looking big in this game, as Brad Antchak and Hunter Kasuls have had crucial errors at shortstop for #Cajuns.” The reference from someone to Trahan — a three-year starter, and a third-round selection of the Cincinnati Reds in 2015 — seemed inevitable. But Robichaux doesn’t want Kasuls or Antchak even thinking about Trahan. Instead? “They’ve got to try to relax, and do what they do in practice, and not come up to the ball to try not to miss it, but come up to it to catch it,” he said. “And try to relax. That’s the whole key to this.” That said, Robichaux has no qualms about giving the keys at short to a true freshman backed up by a juco-transfer newcomer. “You can’t teach somebody to fly an airplane in a simulator for his whole life and never put him into the plane,” the Cajun coach said. “You’ve got to put him out there in those situations. “Sometimes it can get ugly. But they’ve got to grow from it, learn from it, and go back to relaxing and make sure they come in to catch the ball instead of worrying about, ‘What can happen if I don’t?’” LOCATION, LOCATION Cajuns reliever Eric Carter pitched 3.0 solid relief innings in his season debut last Sunday against Sam Houston State, then worked 2.1 innings in relief against TCU on Friday. He had four strikeouts Friday, and three last Sunday. “I don’t really try (to) necessarily strike guys out,” Carter said. “I just try to locate pitches, and make sure I’m being aggressive in a situation. So, if a strikeout happens, it’s just a bonus.” Carter — a senior from Snow Canyon High in St. George, Utah — is in his second season with the Cajuns after playing two years at Utah’s Salt Lake Community College. He made six appearances with three starts last season, including a 7.0-inning outing with a career-high 11 strikeouts in an April win over Southern.
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