The travel baseball world experienced a significant controversy during the Memorial Day weekend. An incident at a Kansas City USSSA tournament involving 11U teams from Oklahoma and Nebraska has drawn wide attention.
Nebraska coach Brandon Magni accused Oklahoma coach Mychal Ryals of instructing his pitcher to hit a batter named Easton with a pitch. When Easton stepped out and notified the umpire, Magni claims Ryals ordered the pitcher to throw a fastball into the Nebraska team’s dugout, resulting in one of Magni’s players getting hit. This pitch reportedly reached a speed of 70 mph.
Magni shared his account on Facebook, stating, “Today all of my boys learned a life lesson. While Easton was up to bat against Oklahoma Eleven, 11us coach- Mychal Ryals, told their pitcher to throw at Easton’s head. After Easton stepped out and told the umpire, the coach said never mind throw it at their dugout instead.”
While it is confirmed that a ball was thrown at the dugout, whether it was a deliberate act upon orders remains disputed. Magni noted that the pitcher was ejected from the game but allowed to stay in the dugout, while the Oklahoma coach remained in the complex.
Magni emphasized, “At the end of the game we shook their hands and were the better men/boys. The boys learned you can’t control what others do to you but you can control what your response can be. Ours was to use this as fire & close out the game.”
Adding to the tension, a mother of a Nebraska boy mentioned on Instagram that the team was simply “cheering for their teammate,” highlighting how the intense atmosphere escalated unexpectedly.
Magni’s request for the Oklahoma team to forfeit was met with the option for his team to forfeit or call the police, as claimed by Magni. This incident has become a talking point in the youth sports community.
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