In the College World Series game on Sunday between No. 1 Tennessee baseball and No. 4 national seed North Carolina, an umpire change occurred due to an injury. During the bottom of the fourth inning, home plate umpire Kellen Levy was hit by a foul ball off the bat of Tennessee left fielder Dylan Dreiling, striking his face mask. It was announced that Levy had to leave the game due to a possible concussion.
According to Knox News Sentinel’s Mike Wilson reporting from Omaha, Nebraska, where the College World Series is being held, Scott Cline took over behind the plate after Levy’s departure, with Grady Smith coming in as the alternate umpire at second base. The game was paused for 17 minutes as Cline had to put on equipment before resuming officiating.
Levy had previously ejected former Tennessee outfielder Drew Gilbert during a game against Notre Dame in the 2022 Knoxville Super Regional. Gilbert was suspended for a game following his ejection for arguing about pitch calls and using foul language towards the umpires. Currently, Tennessee is ahead of North Carolina with a score of 4-1 in the bottom of the sixth inning.
If Tennessee secures a victory over North Carolina, they will advance to the CWS semifinals out of Bracket 1 with a 2-0 record. However, if they lose, they will move to the loser’s bracket and face No. 8 Florida State in an elimination game on Tuesday at 2 p.m. ET
