BEHIND THE MASK…
A word or two about our umpire system and how to become a WYBSL umpire.
One of the toughest tasks in any sports program is providing a reliable, consistent, and effective group of officials and a system of official scheduling. The WYBSL has spent a lot of effort in this area and believe that the league is doing a very good job of staffing more than 1,300 games each year.
WYBSL has a system which uses two types of umpires:
- At our Green Hat and Red Hat levels, WYBSL has trained and maintains its own paid umpire group made up of a large number of adults and upper-class high school students. These officials are required to attend clinics which consist of both classroom and field training, covering rules, field fundamentals and the type of attitude they should have when they take the field. Our Umpire Director and Coordinators continually monitor their progress through the course of the year.
- In our Blue Hat and Black Hat Leagues, our officials are paid, certified officials supplied by the OHSAA.
At the Tee-Ball and Coach-Pitch levels, coaches serve as umpires regarding league rules and policies. Two adult volunteers are required – one from each team – to count pitches and call outs. A pre-season training clinic is available for these volunteers.
UMPIRE TRAINING
The WYBSL conducts umpire training classes before each season. Participants must be 15 years old will be paid $20 for attending. We expect WYBSL-trained umpires to attend one of the two training sessions, pass a written exam and have completed an approved concussion training class. Please be prepared to take notes and participate in an outdoor umpire “mechanics” class.
UMPIRE RESOURCES
Click on a link below to see additional information & requirements:
- Ohio’s New “Return to Play” Law
- WYBSL Rules Reference Card
- Training Outline/20 Most Misunderstood Rules
- Baseball Umpire Survey
- Softball Umpire Survey
For information about becoming a WYBSL Umpire, please contact our Umpire Director.