Make the Call: Your Decision to Umpire
Little League Umpires are the third team on the field. Their responsibilities include managing the games and administering the rules and regulations. Umpiring can be extraordinarily rewarding for a number of reasons. Foremost among them is that as a Little League umpire, you serve the children and families in your community. Also, as a volunteer umpire, you gain an even deeper knowledge of, and appreciation for, Little League. Once you start officiating games you gain an entirely new perspective on the role umpires play in the Little League experience.

Volunteers Needed - 2024 Spring Season
We schedule volunteer umpires for upper division games (minor and above). We expect the greatest umpire need to be in Minors Softball, Minors Baseball, Majors Baseball, and teen-level baseball. Please contact our Umpire-in-Chief to get involved.

Training Requirements

• Complete Volunteer Application w/ Background Check (apply here or when you register your player)
• Complete the Abuse Awareness Training
• Season Kick Off Meeting for Umpires and Managers (Game Management Training) (4/7 virtually at 7pm) (sign up here)
•  Attend one of the following umpire courses:
  •  Basic Plate Umpire Training (sign up for one session: 3/31 or 4/6 at 8:15am - 9:45am)

Responsibilities

• Walk the field prior to the game to check for any safety issues and identify any areas of the field that need to be covered in the ground rules section of the plate meeting.
• Perform a pregame inspection of bats, helmets, and catcher’s mask and remove equipment that is damaged or illegal per the Little League rules.
• Hold a plate meeting with both managers 5 minutes prior to the scheduled start of the game.
• Track pitcher and catcher changes, offensive and defensive visits, and use of courtesy runners.
• Call balls and strikes from either behind the mound or behind the catcher. If there is only one umpire, make out and safe calls at all bases.
• Enforce all MCLL Safety Rules, specific League and District Rules, and the rules Little League Baseball and Softball.
• Order any player, coach, manager, or league officer to do or refrain from doing anything which affects the administering of these rules and enforce the prescribed penalties.
• Disqualify any player, coach, manager, or substitute for objecting to decisions or for unsportsmanlike conduct or language and to eject such disqualified person from the playing field.

Little League Rule 9.01 (b): Each umpire is a representative of the league and Little League International and is authorized and required to enforce all Little League rules.