Little League® Baseball and Softball has announced the selection of 113 volunteer umpires for the nine Little League World Series tournaments in 2016. The events begin with the Big League Baseball World Series in Easley, S.C., on July 26 and concludes with the Little League Baseball® World Series championship game in Williamsport, Pa. on Aug. 28.
Volunteer umpires are one of the most important aspects in the success of Little League programs around the world and in each Little League International Tournament. The selection process to become a World Series umpire is lengthy and rigorous. Appointment as a member of the umpiring crew for a World Series is the highest honor that Little League can bestow on a volunteer umpire. For the second consecutive year, Little League International will support all volunteer umpires at all nine World Series events with a $400 travel stipend to help offset the costs for the men and women to attend their respective World Series events.
“Each volunteer umpire at our nine World Series tournaments will bring a high level of professionalism, knowledge of the game, commitment to fair play, and appreciation for players and coaches,” said Nicholas Caringi, Little League Senior Director of Operations and Education. “Their experience will be something they won’t ever forget.”
The process for selection to work a World Series begins with a recommendation from the District Administrator within their district to umpire in an above-state or Regional Tournament. Little League’s nine regional offices then consider all nominated umpires before selecting those who most closely meet the selection criteria.
The umpires volunteering at each Regional Tournament are evaluated and can receive one of two recommendations: Recommend working another Regional Tournament or Recommend a World Series assignment. Once an umpire has earned a World Series recommendation, the umpire must indicate that they wish to be considered further. Individuals who are meet those qualifications are then screened annually by Little League International and Regional staffs for selection to umpire in a Little League World Series tournament.
An umpire is eligible to be selected for a World Series assignment once every four years, but being chosen to work a Little League Baseball® World Series is a one-time opportunity.
The list of volunteer umpires at each of the nine championship events is as follows:
2016 Little League Baseball® World Series (Aug. 18-28; South Williamsport, Pa.)
(by name, place of residence)
Ricky Castle (Moscow, Iowa), Bruce Cline (Dayton, Ohio), Mike Cook (Bridgeport, W.V.), Sante Delvecchio (Vancover, British Columbia, Canada), Gary Difabio (Carmichael, Calif.), William Freeman (Southington, Conn.), Jeff Frese (Stockton, Calif.), Sean Guilday (Kunkletown, Pa.), Brian Henry (Lakemont, Ga.), Brent Hicks (Simsboro, La.), Jason Kelley (Deerfield, Wis.), William Lopez Pellot (Isabela, Puerto Rico), Joe Smith (Rising Sun, Md.), Juan Solis (Rockport City, Texas), Johnny Stewart (Abingdon, Va.), Robert Zepeda (Rosenberg, Texas)
2016 Big League Baseball World Series (July 26-Aug. 2; Easley, S.C.)
(by name, place of residence)
Robert Aldisert (Portland, Ore.), George Ballane (New City, N.Y.), Russell Billings (Port St. Lucie, Fla.), Roger Buhlis (Oakley, Calif.), John Chapman (Sarasota, Fla.), Patrick Griffin (Galesburg, Mich.), Patrick King (San Jose, Calif.), William Kinsey Jr. (Smyrna, Del.), Thomas McDonald (San Antonio, Texas), Agustin Morales-Perez (Saban Grande, Puerto Rico), Alfred Rios Jr. (Cleburne, Texas), Stephan Walker (Newark, Ohio)
2016 Little League Intermediate (50/70) Baseball World Series (July 31-Aug. 6; Livermore, Calif.)
(by name, place of residence)
Jerome Anderson (Turlock, Calif.), Tony Buzzell (Old Orchard Beach, Maine), Chet Cooper (Canfield, Ohio), William Crandall (Grosse Pointe Farms, Mich.), Derek Gillespie (Sparks, Nev.), Mitch Gross (West Simsbury, Conn.), Stephen Hachey (Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada), Russell May (Orlando, Fla.), Jaime Javier Medina-Boscan (Maracaibo, Venezuela), Jim Parker (Lakehills, Texas), Samuel Phillips (Oro Valley, Ariz.), Phillip Sapien (Corrales, N.M.)
2016 Senior League Softball World Series (July 31-Aug. 6; Lower Sussex, Del.)
(by name, place of residence)
Larry Adams (Elizabethton, Tenn.), Louie Angelotti (Woodville, Fla.), Jose Chaparro (Trujillo Alto, Puerto Rico), Dennis Cusick (Sacramento, Calif.), John Fink (Concord, Calif.), Bethany Fogerty (West Greenwich, R.I.), Greg Hodges (Needville, Texas), Jerry Krebs (Fayetteville, Texas), Claudio Kusnier (Chatsworth, Calif.), Joseph Mitchell (Clifton Heights, Pa.), Scott Russell (South Point, Ohio), Edward Young (Sterling, Va.)
2016 Junior League Softball World Series (July 31-Aug. 6; Kirkland, Wash.)
(by name, place of residence)
Linn Baranowitz (Torrington, Conn.), James Clark (San Diego, Calif.), Christopher Engle (Hagerstown, Md.), Jeffrey George (Tucson, Ariz.), Gilbert Isidoro (Willemstad, Curacao), Jack Kollar (South Bend, Ind.), Roger Linville (Yulee, Fla.), Dorothy Nevill (North Zulch, Texas), Adolph Perea Jr. (Albuquerque, N.M.), William Twardowski (Peru, Ill.), Dale Wheeler (St. Cloud, Fla.), Jaclyn Wingate (Dundee, Fla.)
2016 Senior League Baseball World Series (July 31-Aug. 6; Bangor, Maine)
(by name, place of residence)
Ken Armstrong (New Westminster, British Columbia, Canada), Matthew Bingaman (Harrisburg, Pa.), Nick Boylan (Fort Wayne, Ind.), Weldon Herring (Brenham, Texas), Phillip Levesque (Nashua, N.H.), Jules Martina (Hague, Holland), Christopher Mathis (Orchard, Wash.), James Meurer (Naperville, Ill.), Amy Steinrich (Palm Bay, Fla.), Brian Sweet (Bellevue, Wash.), Francis Teofilo-Soerka (Willemstad, Curacao), David Wellington (Sterling, Va.), Dan Wilkinson (Albuquerque, N.M.)
2016 Big League Softball World Series (July 31-Aug. 7; Lower Sussex, Del.)
(by name, place of residence)
Eligio R. Acosta-Rodriguez (Willemstad, Curacao), Daniel Cisowski (Torrington, Conn.), Michael Fields (Castlewood, Va.), Michael Foltz (Luray, Va.), Bill Fuller (Hewitt, Texas), Dave Kramer (Bend, Ore.), Joseph Loftgren (Vancouver, Wash.), Luis Piedra (San Antonio, Texas), Oscar Rios (Hobart, Ind.), Dale Sandfrey (Lancaster, Calif.), Edwin Sherer (Yulee, Fla.), Richard Watrous (Wharton, N.J.)
2016 Little League Softball World Series (Aug. 11-17; Portland, Ore.)
(by name, place of residence)
Lionel Antonio Richardson (San Nicholes, Aruba), Dan Carrion (South Milwaukee, Wis.), Kerry Cripe (Goshen, Ind.), Gary Freedman (Marblehead, Mass.), Charles Jojola (Isleta, N.M.), Troy Kipe (Lake Wales, Fla.), Michael Lechnar (Mukilteo, Wash.), Steven Lewis (Tampa, Fla.), Bruce Marburger (San Antonio, Texas), Robert Ramirez (San Jose, Calif.), Stephen Schwartz (Portland, Maine), David Walmsley (Victoria, British Columbia, Canada)
2016 Junior League Baseball World Series (Aug. 14-21; Taylor, Mich.)
(by name, place of residence)
W. Ray Caples (Middlebury, Ind.), Dave Carman (Albuquerque, N.M.), Christopher Furth (Springfield, Va.), Rodney Jamison (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.), Josh Koenig (International Falls, Minn.), Brice Lapointe (Raymond, Alberta, Canada), Jose Luis Marin Diaz (Punto Fijo, Venezuela), George McCarthy (Union City, Calif.), Michael Money (Mt. Airy, Md.), Darrin Muller (Windsor, Berkshire, England), Dwight Nichols (Colorado Springs, Colo.), Mike Orlando (Danvers, Mass.), Paul Stack (Lake Forest, Calif.)