A Texas high school softball catcher is under investigation by the Texas University Interscholastic League (UIL) after footage surfaced of some unconventional tactics that pushed sportsmanship boundaries.
In a video of an area championship series game between McCamey and Cisco high schools, McCamey’s catcher hits the batter in the head with a ball on the throw.
WATCH: A viral incident at McCamey’s playoff game against Cisco this weekend… the McCamey catcher is seen throwing the ball at the Cisco batter. This happened twice during the game (see below). We’ve reach out to UIL and McCamey ISD for comment.
Video courtesy: Dustin Ferguson pic.twitter.com/RCUDXFuyhc
— Kayler Smith – KMID (@KaylerSmithTV) May 10, 2023
In the video, the catcher appears to be throwing toward third base while there is no steal attempt, striking the batter as she steps out of the box and plunking her in the back of the head.
According to ABC 2 News in Midland, the UIL “is aware of an incident that occurred during the McCamey vs. Cisco Softball Playoff Series and is in contact with the school administrations to gather additional information.”
No injuries were reported, but multiple teams have complained about the same catcher allegedly doing this repeatedly, even though few have been willing to speak about it publicly.
Coleman High School experienced the same thing in its game against McCamey just days earlier, and those instances resulted in the batters being called out for interference.
According to Coleman Today, hitting the batter with the ball on a throw is only illegal if the batter stays in the batter’s box. Otherwise, it is a unique way of drawing batter’s interference calls — which result in outs and usually only occur when a batter directly impedes the catcher’s ability to make a play from behind the plate.
Batters are not supposed to be called for interference if the catcher initiates the contact.
And therein lies the issue for the UIL.
While it might be apparent to some, intent is notoriously difficult to prove, and that is precisely what the UIL has to do in this case.
It was not clear what kind of discipline the player and program could face, but the UIL Constitution stated that violations involving unfair or unethical tactics, a lack of sportsmanship, and conduct that “berates, intimidates, or threatens competitors,” were subject to penalties.
The Dallas Express reached out to the schools involved and the UIL and had yet to receive a response by the time this article was published.