Sports

Florida Baseball Pitcher Sends Ole Miss Head Coach Into A Fit Of Rage With Trash Talk

by Last Updated
College baseball florida ole miss mike bianco aidan king outburst angry rules
SEC Network

Ole Miss head coach Mike Bianco did not appreciate the behavior of Florida pitcher Aidan King during the second of three college baseball games in Gainesville. However, one of his players started it.

No love was lost!

There are two sides to this situation. Some people, myself included, believe college baseball is more fun when there is a heavy dose of personality. Others would like to see it remain classy.

Mike Bianco was not happy with Florida pitcher Aidan King.

This outburst took place during the top of the seventh inning. Bianco left the dugout to unleash his fury.

For context, these are two college baseball programs on opposite ends of the SEC standings.

Florida is currently ranked No. 21 in the country at 24-8 and fifth in the conference at 7-4. Ole Miss is currently unranked at 21-11 and fourth-from-last in the conference at 4-7. While that may not seem like a big gap, in the most competitive conferences, it is. The Gators are virtually guaranteed to make the postseason, barring catastrophic collapse, while the Rebels need to start stacking wins to even have a chance of playing in a Regional.

Thus, it was a big deal for Ole Miss to defeat Florida in Florida on Friday. That led to heightened tensions on Saturday.

The Gators held a 2-0 lead in the seventh inning that they did not give back. Starting pitcher Aidan King recorded his season-high seventh strikeout to finish the top half of the frame.

As soon as strike three was called at the plate, he turned and gestured toward the visitor’s dugout— which is a behavior that is not typically allowed to go unchecked. But it did. The umpiring crew turned a blind eye to the antics.

That set Mike Bianco into a fit of rage.

Ole Miss’ head coach stormed onto the field to express his displeasure. He gave each individual umpire a piece of his mind, one by one.

Needless to say, the Rebels’ skipper did not appreciate King’s antics.

Ole Miss started the college baseball decorum debate!

What Bianco might not’ve realized is that King only reacted to his seventh strikeout in the manner that he did because of how Ole Miss acted toward him. The sophomore pitcher got Rebels outfielder Tristan Bissetta looking on a check swing strikeout in the sixth inning.

Bissetta looked at the mound and expressed his frustration with a very specific choice of words. The first word rhymes with “truck.” The second word is “you.” Read his lips:

I’m not sure Mike Bianco realized what his player said during the inning prior. He was upset with King for his gesture toward the visitor’s dugout but he was not aware of Bissetta’s language.

This is where we find the debate.

  1. If Bianco knew what Bissetta said, would he react the same way?
  2. Was he right to be upset with King?
    • Did King go too far with his strikeout celebration?
      • Where is the line? Was it crossed?

I am of the opinion that college baseball should be played loud. I have no issue with King or Bissetta. Let them talk! Let them play!

However, none of this would’ve been an issue in the first place if Ole Miss simply put a bat on the ball. Perhaps Bianco should focus more on winning than how an opposing pitcher acts in victory.