Grumpire to home run admirer... Stop gawking and run!

Dallas Baptist University was down by three in the bottom of the seventh. With two outs and the bases loaded in the NCAA regional, redshirt freshman Andrew Benefield came to the plate. Then, well… just watch.

Benefield’s grand slam helped Dallas Baptist win the game, 8-5. With the victory, the school advances to its second NCAA super regional in program history.

And while the homer was fantastic, the celebration was even better. But it was cut short by a grumpy ump.

From another angle, watch Benefield mash one, admire his bomb, and get yelled at. I’m not great at reading lips, but I think the ump screams, “Run!”

Fun.

Let’s allow ballplayers to enjoy the game, please.

It’s OK to hit a home run and celebrate. If you wanna stare at the ball as it leaves the field, you should be able to do so, too. And if you just hit a go-ahead slam to put your school in the lead, take your time rounding those bases.

Hell, I’m all for more fun inside the lines win or lose. When Oklahoma State senior Raquel Dominguez danced behind her coach in the Women’s College World Series, I was all for it!

As for Benefield, he wasn’t too fazed by the moment, nor the umpire’s reaction.

“It’s surreal, this is why I wanted to come to college so I could experience moments like this,” Benefield said of his grand slam after the game. “I was just looking [for a] heater out over the plate. I thought he was going to work away but it missed over the plate and I just turned on. I just stuck to our approach and it worked out.”

Dallas Baptist’s next game will be against the University of Virginia on Saturday. Hopefully, the grumpy ump won’t be in attendance.