Sports

UGA Baseball Coach’s Refusal To Deny Cheating Allegations Is Telling

#College Baseball
by Last Updated
A view of the infield on a baseball diamond.

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The UGA baseball team finds itself at the center of controversy with cheating allegations surrounding the program. Those accusations arose following a recent series with top-ranked Texas A&M, and they involve relief pitcher Christian Mracna.

Video of the closer appearing to apply a foreign substance to his glove before an appearance against the Aggies has been circulating social media.

That footage shows sketchy activity during a Georgia win with Mracna hiding out in a corner of the bullpen where he pulls something from behind a fencepost.

He then removes his glove and looks to work that something into his mitt before heading out to the mound for a save situation.

After getting into the game, the righty is clearly seen touching that area with his pitching hand.

Going to the sticky stuff to get a little more grip? It’s plausible!

For what it’s worth, Mracna struck out six batters in a row to close out the game and preserve the Dawgs’ one-run victory.

Video then surfaced from previous appearances throughout the year showing similar activity on the rubber. Those clips were provided thanks to a few social media detectives, with the mounting “evidence” only further fueling the cheating allegations.

UGA baseball coach Wes Johnson was asked about the claims ahead of a series against Vanderbilt.

He refused to deny the accusations!

“Guys, I’m gonna make a blanket statement,” the coach said while talking with the media. “I don’t have time in my day to deal with online, subjective distractions. We teach our players to play by the rules. That’s just where I’m at, man.”

That explanation was far from convincing for most listeners, doing very little to disprove the claims being made against his program.

As for his opponent from last weekend, Texas A&M head coach Jim Schlossnagle saw it as a clear violation of the rules.

“Certainly appeared that way,” he responded when asked if he thought an illegal substance was being used. “Wish we would’ve caught it.”

As of now, the SEC has remained silent on the incident. It will be interesting to see whether Mracna and the rest of the UGA baseball team have a closer eye on them in their upcoming set.