Davon “P.J.” Mims is leading all Division I baseball players with 21 stolen bases, but he gained some national recognition for a different reason on Saturday.

The Mississippi Valley State outfielder and former Warren Central star was at the center of a controversial finish in Friday night’s game against the University of New Orleans that resulted in an umpire being suspended by the Southland Conference.

Mims was batting with two outs and no runners on in the top of the ninth when home plate umpire Reggie Drummer called strike two on a breaking pitch that appeared to dip below the strike zone. Mims reacted negatively to the call, pointing toward the plate and jumping out of the batter’s box in disbelief.

The next pitch was obviously low and outside, but Drummer called it strike three to end the game and give New Orleans a 7-3 victory.

As Drummer walked off the field, Mims followed him and argued the call until he was restrained by New Orleans catcher Jorge Tejeda.

 

Video of the last two pitches went viral on social media and the situation gained national attention on Saturday, prompting the Southland Conference to take action. In a statement, the league announced that Drummer has been suspended indefinitely.

“After a thorough review of the New Orleans and Mississippi Valley State baseball contest on March 10, 2023, the Southland Conference determined the home plate umpire’s conduct and actions were deemed detrimental to the Conference and in violation of Section 3 Character and Conduct of the CCA Mechanics Manual for Baseball,” the SLC said in a statement.

“As a result, the umpire has been removed from the series and has been suspended indefinitely from Southland Conference baseball games.”

Game two of the three-game series on Saturday was noteworthy for other reasons. New Orleans hit seven home runs and beat Mississippi Valley State 35-3.

The Privateers set a program record with their 35 runs and tied another with 28 hits. Their run total was also the most by any Division I team in a game this season.

Mims went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts on Saturday, and is 1-for-9 with one RBI in the series.

Valley and UNO finish the weekend series in New Orleans Sunday at 1 p.m. The game will be streamed on ESPN+.