What is the result of a coach's unintentional interference while a player attempts to catch a foul pop-up?

In the scenario where a coach unintentionally interferes with a player attempting to catch a foul pop-up, the appropriate ruling is that the player is out due to the coach's interference. This decision aligns with the established precedents regarding interference in baseball and softball, where any action that disrupts a player's ability to make a play can result in that player being ruled out.

In this instance, the coach’s proximity and actions – even if unintentional – can be classified as interference because they affect the running play. Specifically, the purpose of the interference rule is to ensure fair play and to hold everyone involved to a standard that minimizes disruption of the game's natural flow.

Other outcomes, such as the ball remaining in play or the player being granted a second chance, do not adequately reflect the nature of the interference rule in the context of a coach's actions. If the ball were dead but the player were not out, it would undermine the significance of the interference by implying that the player's ability to catch the ball was unaffected. The suggestion of ejecting the coach, while possible in some high-stakes situations, is typically not the result for unintentional interference unless it is a repeated violation or is egregious in nature.