Duke Player Ejected After Bringing Team's Home Run Prop Onto Field During Celebration

A Duke player was ejected for stepping out of the dugout while holding a hard hat.

The home plate umpire ejects a Duke player for bringing a hard hat onto the field during the Athens Regional. | Photo by John Adams / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

The Duke Blue Devils beat the Oklahoma State Cowboys to advance to the NCAA baseball Super Regionals on Sunday. Duke trailed 2-0 late in the game, but took the lead thanks to an AJ Gracia home run and a two-run single by Sam Harris in the bottom of the 8th.

Gracia had barely finished celebrating his home run when Sam Harris drove in the go-ahead run, which is why he got thrown out of the game for carrying Duke's home run celebration prop onto the field to greet his teammates after they took the lead.

The prop was a hard hat and Gracia barely left the dugout.

Watch very closely. It’s College Baseballs biggest fault

With @DukeBASE hard hat (their home run prop) entering the field of play. @27Ajgracia has been ejected from the game

Can we please fix this damn rule… pic.twitter.com/JCofUpFKde

— Jack DeLongchamps (@JDelongchamps) June 2, 2025

You can see him in the background of the video of the play. If you aren't looking for him, you might have missed him, unfortunately, the umpire did not.

THE BLUE DEVILS STEAL THE LEAD 😈#RoadToOmaha x 🎥 ESPN+ / @DukeBASE pic.twitter.com/ksTkSdZFJn

— NCAA Baseball (@NCAABaseball) June 2, 2025

Gracia was replaced in center field by pitcher Kyle Johnson, who caught a fly ball for the first out of the inning in the top of the 9th.

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