Wake Forest baseball coach Tom Walter find himself in hot water after the ESPN broadcast caught him seemingly calling Tennessee star Andrew Fischer a homophobic slur during Tennessee baseball’s 11-5 win over the Demon Deacons on Monday night.
With the Vols’ leading 6-2 in the fourth inning of game seven of the Knoxville Regional, Fischer slowly came to the plate, pumping up the crowd in the process. The broadcast then focused on Walters who appeared to use a profane homophobic slur directed towards Fischer. View the video here.
“I am very sorry for the outburst in frustration last night and I recognize the hurt and disappointment it has caused,” Walter said in a statement Tuesday. “I have seen the videos and while I do not remember the specific moment clearly, that language doesn’t reflect my values or the standards of the program. Regardless, I own the consequences and apologies to the University of Tennessee, to Wake Forest University, and the SEC & ACC.”
Fischer made his at-bat count, homering to right field on the at-bat’s fourth pitch extending Tennessee’s lead to 8-2 in the win-or-go-home game.
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Walter is in his 16th season as Wake Forest’s head coach and has built the Demon Deacons into one of the ACC’s top programs including a birth in the 2023 College World Series, its first trip to the world series in 68 years.
“I am both surprised and deeply disappointed in our head baseball coach Tom Walter for his outburst during last night’s baseball game,” Wake Forest athletics director John Currie said in a statement. “I feel badly for those most hurt by such words. I spoke with Coach Walter immediately after the game and again this morning to address the incident, which is completely out of character for him and does not meet the standards of Wake Forest Athletics, Wake Forest University or the Atlantic Coast Conference.”
Ironically, Currie is the former Tennessee athletic director who hired Vol baseball coach Tony Vitello in the summer of 2017. Tennessee fired Currie six months later in the midst of a debacle of a football coaching search.
Tennessee went on to defeat Wake Forest 11-5 on Monday night advancing to super regionals for the fifth straight time and ending the Demon Deacons’ season.
