SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT, Penn.—Approximately 100 Little League umpires have been selected for the summer’s seven Little League World Series Tournaments. New for this season, all seven World Series tournaments will now feature a set of veteran Crew Chiefs. These veterans have previously assisted with mentorship, education, and growth of the umpires at the Little League Baseball and Softball World Series throughout their World Series experience.
The selection process to become a World Series starts with competing in a region tournament event to become a volunteer umpire. Once completed, an application is submitted by each umpire through the Umpire Registry to work a World Series. Once received, the district administrator may also provide comments to the Selection Committee for review. Umpires may also choose to participate in a Tournament Umpire Identification Camp, held in person at one of Little League’s five U.S. regional locations to help assess their skills and receive additional feedback. The Little League International Selection Committee then considers all nominated umpires in coordination with each of its nine Region offices before selecting high-performing umpires to officiate each postseason tournament. All nominated umpires are then screened a final time by the Little League International Selection Committee and Region staff before their official selection to umpire in a Little League World Series tournament.
“Every season, our umpires dedicate their time, energy, and efforts to making sure the children in their communities all around the world have a fun, safe, and memorable Little League experience. However, only a selected few earn the honor to represent their communities and fellow umpires on the world’s biggest stage at one of our seven World Series events each summer,” says Stu Hartenstein, Little League director of Umpire development and operations. “On behalf of all of us at Little League and everyone involved with the selection process, we are proud to announce this year’s selections and congratulate them on this well-deserved achievement. Additionally, we are excited to expand our Crew Chief program out to all seven of our World Series events this year as we look to strengthen the tournament experience with this additional support for our umpires.”
For a list of the U.S. Region Tournament umpire assignments, visit the region pages on LittleLeague.org.
