Tempers flared in the Atlantic Sun Conference baseball tournament on Thursday.
After Stetson beat Austin Peay, 5-3, the head coaches Roland Fanning and Steve Trimper got heated.
Fanning, the Austin Peay head coach, confronted Trimper and and pointed at him.
As Trimper was trying to get him to calm down, Fanning smacked Trimper’s hand away, continuing to jaw at the opposing coach until the two were separated.
The announcers calling the game on ESPN+ were of the belief that the Stetson coach was upset that there were no handshakes from Austin Peay in the immediate aftermath of the game.
Meanwhile, the Daytona Beach News-Journal speculated that the dispute might have stemmed from social media beef last week.
On May 17, the official X account for Austin Peay celebrated the news that they were the Atlantic Sun’s regular season conference champions.
However, the next day, it wound up being a three-way tie for the top spot, with Austin Peay, Stetson and Florida Gulf Coast University.
Trimper trolled his conference rivals, quote posting on X, “Whoops!!!! #premature. #jumpthegun” above the Austin Peay celebration post.
Based on the way the Atlantic Sun tournament is structured, it is likely that Austin Peay has been eliminated, according to the News-Journal.
“The events following today’s ASUN baseball tournament game do not represent the best of Austin Peay athletics,” Austin Peay athletic director Gerald Harrison said in a statement, as covered by the Clarksville Leaf-Chronicle.
“Regardless of the comments or actions of others, as Governors we must and should ascend to a higher level of class and sportsmanship. We remain proud of Coach Fanning and our baseball team, who have enjoyed an exceptional season and brought the first regular-season baseball championship to Clarksville since 2013. These coaches and student-athletes are proud to be Clarksville’s hometown team.
“As such, we are committed to using our passion, energy, and grit in a positive manner regardless of opponent or outcome.”