LSU Coach Ejected In A Case Of Mistaken Identity?

BATON ROUGE, La. - So, who was "the guy in the gray shirt" from LSU that umpires ejected from the game at Auburn on Saturday and why?

"I don't really know, honestly," LSU baseball coach Jay Johnson said Monday after the former No. 1 Tigers lost at Auburn Saturday, 8-6, and Sunday, 12-2. "I read the report, but I still don't know why he got ejected. I don't know."

What caused initial confusion was the fact that LSU wore gray against Auburn on Saturday. The umpire Johnson spoke to did not say which player or coach in gray he wanted ejected.

"Well, we were wearing gray uniforms," Johnson said. "So, that doesn't narrow it down. I don't even know if they knew who they were ejecting. And then it became a thing."

Talk about a gray area?

LSU Trouble With The Gray Area Happened In The 4th Inning

This all happened in the bottom of the fourth inning with LSU up 2-0 and Auburn's Ike Irish on first with a leadoff walk. LSU starting pitcher Ty Floyd threw a pickoff attempt to first, but was called for a balk.

This upset Johnson and his coaches and players in the LSU dugout because Auburn starter Tommy Vail had just avoided a balk call in the top of the fourth. And replays showed he obviously balked.

"We were upset. They missed a balk call the inning before," Johnson said. "Ty is really quick with a great pick-off move. I didn't see what they say. 'How did you not see that one and pick up this one?' I let the home plate umpire (John Brammer) know about it, and our dugout wasn't too happy about it."

And Brammer ejected the "gray shirt." So, Johnson noticed the only person with LSU wearing a gray shirt, as opposed to a gray jersey, was player development director Jamie Tutko. And Johnson told Tutko he had to leave the field.

"Then a couple hitters later, they said, 'Josh Jordan,'" Johnson said.

Jordan is an LSU assistant coach and its recruiting coordinator. Auburn coach Butch Thompson had told umpires it was Jordan to be kicked out, not Tutko.

So Jordan left the field, and Johnson didn't get why.

Jay Johnson Does Not Understand The Ejection

"I don't think I've heard Josh Jordan use a curse word since I've known him," he said. "I still don't know the answer."

Meanwhile, Floyd appeared to be flustered on the mound by all the ejection discussion. Or he could've just lost it anyway. Either way, he allowed a single, four walks and three runs as Auburn took a 3-2 lead and eventually won 8-6.

Johnson did not blame the ejection confusion for Floyd's issues, nor did he blame the loss on the situation. Jordan sat out LSU's next game by SEC rule as the Tigers lost 12-2 on Sunday and dropped their first SEC series of the season.

The Southeastern Conference office did give an explanation of Jordan's ejection to OutKick on Monday night.

"Josh Jordan was ejected under Rule 5-17 - Unsportsmanlike Conduct," SEC assistant director of communications Ben Beaty said.

That rule says players or coaches will be ejected for "negative comments directed at an opponent, umpire or spectator." The rule does not stipulate the negative comments have to be cuss words.

"I think the umpiring in the league is great," Johnson said. "I do."

Johnson has two SEC series remaining in the regular season along with the SEC Tournament in Hoover, Alabama.

"On the record with every camera here," he said, "the umpiring in the SEC is fantastic."