Tackle baseball? Video of Weatherford College pitcher leads to suspensions for both teams
A new sport may have been born in Weatherford Wednesday afternoon.
That would be the case if it was up to a social media vote.
Video of Weatherford College pitcher Owen Woodward tackling North Central Texas College’s Josh Phillips after Phillips’ go-ahead, two-run home run in the sixth inning has gone viral and made news around the world.
The violent incident nearly had “tackle baseball” trending on social media as it quickly made the rounds with many suggesting Texas had invented the new sport.
In the video, shot from behind home plate, Woodward is seen racing at full speed and leveling Phillips to the ground after he rounded third base. Both teams are briefly in a scrum before order is restored and Phillips finished his trot to touch home and Woodward was escorted off the field by his catcher and coaches.
There’s no question that Phillips took his time rounding first base. And the video appears to indicate the possibility that Phillips said something as he was rounding second. The middle infield umpire starts pointing at Phillips as he rounds second, about the same time that Woodward appears to be triggered and raced towards Phillips.
The video has been watched more than 4.4 million times in less than 24 hours and has been featured on newscast around the world.
The Northern Texas Junior College Athletic Conference issued a four-game suspension for Woodward, although Weatherford College coach Jeff Lightfoot has said Woodward is no longer on the team. Weatherford College Student Services office has levied additional discipline to Woodward but the details were unavailable.
The conference has issued a two-game suspension to Phillips for taunting. The conference has also suspended all but two NCTC players and coaches have been suspended for two games for leaving the dugout or bullpen during a fight.
“We are shocked and disappointed at what happened in our game today,” Lightfoot said in a released statement, according to TMZ. “We do not condone this type of behavior. We have worked hard to build a program with the highest of standards. We are completely embarrassed by this incident, and we apologize to North Central Texas College and the fans of WC baseball. This type of behavior cannot be tolerated.”
Woodward graduated from Breckenridge High School in 2020 after playing in baseball, basketball and football.
The fight occurred in Game 1 of a four-game series, of which the first two were part of a double-header on Wednesday. The conference has ruled Game 1 a double forfeit and Game Nos. 2 and 3 will be NCTC forfeits due to the suspensions preventing enough players to field a team. Game 4 is scheduled for Saturday at NCTC in Gainesville.
This story was originally published April 21, 2022 at 12:44 PM.
