The inaugural season for Coastal Carolina’s baseball coach, Kevin Schnall, has encountered turbulence, as he accused Florida’s coach, Kevin O’Sullivan, of inappropriate conduct. Schnall described O’Sullivan as a bully and disrespectful, following a profane outburst directed at officials before an elimination game at the NCAA Conway Regional.
The incident unfolded when O’Sullivan expressed discontent over the new start time for his team’s matchup against East Carolina, which was postponed by an hour. This decision was made due to East Carolina’s game on the previous night extending until midnight.
After Florida’s 11-4 loss to the Pirates, O’Sullivan refrained from commenting on the altercation. When asked if he would like to issue a public apology, his response was, “I handled it properly, you know, at the end of the game, yes.”
Nevertheless, O’Sullivan amended his stance. After a dialogue with Scott Stricklin, the athletic director, he issued a formal apology. “Prior to yesterday’s NCAA Tournament game against East Carolina, I let my emotions get the best of me and channeled that energy in a way I should not have,” he confessed. O’Sullivan extended his apologies to the entire NCAA Regional teams: Coastal Carolina, East Carolina, and Fairfield, as well as the NCAA and their officials, Rick French and Mark Scalf, in addition to all fans of the Gator Nation. “I did not represent the University of Florida to the appropriate standard yesterday and take full responsibility for that,” he acknowledged.
Schnall, whose team later defeated East Carolina 1-0 on Sunday night to eliminate them from the tournament, felt compelled to address and denounce O’Sullivan’s behavior. “What transpired this morning on our field was unacceptable. Another coach disrespected our associate AD and field crew, who are integral to our program,” Schnall stated. He insisted that the matter warranted attention and correction.
The incident gained traction on social media, sparking reactions from various corners. Schnall expressed dismay at what he perceived as bullying by a nationally recognized coach, saying, “This is a national champion coach who thinks he can come in here and try to bully people around. Disappointed. Disappointed somebody that a lot of coaches look up to, for him to act that way.”
Cliff Godwin, coach of East Carolina, downplayed the episode’s impact on his team. “It wasn’t just directed at us. It was directed at everybody. Whatever, man. We won. We get to play again, so that’s all that matters,” he remarked.
Looking ahead, Coastal Carolina, ranked as the No. 13 national seed, is set to face No. 4 Auburn in a high-stakes, best-of-three super regional series later this week.