Team,

Several of you have asked me recently about Little League postseason opportunities & assignments—that is, the current state of affairs and how one can be selected to be a Regional or World Series umpire. In this note I’ve assembled for you what I know from Little League’s official communications along with intel from my own experiences and conversations these past several years.  

First let me say: it is my hope that MANY of you will take up the challenge of pursuing a postseason umpire opportunity! The Regional and World Series experiences I have been fortunate to have these past years have been some of the most fun, most rewarding, most memorable experiences of any kind in my adult life. I am so, so grateful for each one, and each one has made me a far better umpire. During these very special weeks you learn a TON, you get to be a part of some GREAT ballgames, and you come away with a bunch of new FRIENDS. That, gang, is the very best of Little League!

Second: what I’m taking the time to share with you here is from me, your UIC Who Loves You And Wants The Best For You, and is for you. I’m not going to tell you anything I wouldn’t say in person to either the brand-newest umpire or the CEO of Little League. Nevertheless, let’s keep our eye on the ball and choose to not smear any of this all over social media or some such nonsense. Instead let’s choose to consider how all of this can help us be a better D1 Umpires team and how what we discuss here might help YOU reach your postseason goals.

So, here we go. As the kids say, TL; DR:

1. Little League umpiring is changing. Little League umpiring is evolving.
2. To be considered for a postseason assignment, you need to be seen at a camp or clinic. If it’s been more than a few years, it’s been too long. There are numerous avenues to be seen, but each of them requires you to take responsibility and initiative if it’s something you truly want.
3. And if you do truly want it, I will do everything I can to help you get there.

Little League Umpiring is Evolving

These past several years have seen a dramatic shift in Little League’s approach to, and expectations of, its volunteer umpires. And yes, this shift has inarguably brought pros and cons. There’s a big emphasis these days on the professionalism of our postseason crews and their overall skill and performance. If in the “old days” a Little League umpire largely just had to put in the time and wait for his or her number to be called for a turn at a postseason gig (don’t get me wrong, these umpires still needed to be top-quality and recommended by District, State and Region staff as someone who could capably get the job done), now the Powers That Be have built a system in which they identify, evaluate, and select the best umpires they can find—according to their methods of judgment. 

I’ve been told personally and without qualification by most of these Powers That Be that a primary motivator for this change in approach is TV. Little League’s rising prominence on national TV resulting in many more eyes on games (and umpires) has brought with it more scrutiny on the strike zone especially, and overall performance too. And by “scrutiny” I mean the ugly online commentariat pouncing on every outside edge strike call and brainlessly getting off their couches to grab their phones and post about how terrible this umpire is. Which has made sponsors and advertisers very unhappy because they don’t want to be associated with something seen as negative, anywhere, ever. Isn’t that lovely? The world we live in, friends, the world we live in. 

Thus, pretty rapidly, were built the ID Camp apparatus, the Crew Chief model, and the standardization of instruction that Little League now employs. But let’s not get grouchy about this—I’d suggest quite the opposite. If you’ve watched either the LL Baseball World Series or the LL Softball World Series these past several years, I think you’ll agree that our umpire crews are improving in very noticeable ways. Style and form of calls, on-field demeanor, mechanics and crew communication, etc. Particularly this year, it was very evident to me that the preferred LL plate stance (squared to the pitcher, nose on inside corner, double hands-on-knees lock) is at almost 100% adoption by those umpires. I can tell you this makes our Little League Director of Umpire Development very happy, and I do personally agree that it’s producing a better strike zone and a better product on the field.

So, all of this IS the new way, we’re not going back, and to be a part of it we have to get on board with the system and the expectations. How do we do that?

You Need To Be Seen—And There Are Numerous Avenues To Be Seen

Little League’s current evaluation model requires umpires to be seen by the folks in authority at clinics, week-long academies, and/or ID Camps in order to be considered for postseason selection. Because so much is new both in methods of instruction/evaluation as well as selection process and selection committees etc., if it’s been more than a few years since you’ve attended a camp or clinic—or worked your last Regional tournament—it’s been too long. Your performance in clinics attended before then won’t be remembered. Even your performance in Regional tournaments before then won’t be considered. All of that was “past regime” stuff and it’s the new expectations, the new administration, and the new system that we need to work within now.

Let’s look at a list of options where you can be seen, from nearby to far away:

• Seattle Weekend Outreach Clinic, usually early March
• Portland Weekend Outreach Clinic, usually mid-March
• Weekend Umpire Clinics at West Region Headquarters, San Bernardino CA 
• Weeklong Umpire Academies at West Region Headquarters, San Bernardino CA, usually November and February
• Weeklong Umpire Academies at other US Region Headquarters
• ID Camps, several locations across the US in the Fall

Weekend clinics and weeklong academies are the starting point for most umpires who wish to be considered for postseason selection. You’ll learn from and be seen by evaluators who can consider you a candidate for postseason work. If you have not participated in any Regional, it’s one of the teen divisions (Intermediate BB, Junior BB/SB, Senior BB/SB) where your first opportunity will likely come. Because…

Practically speaking, ID Camps are largely for umpires pursuing a World Series or one of the Little League (Majors Division) Regional tournaments. But to get to a Little League Regional, you must have first worked a teen division tournament. You see the progression. And again: Little League Regionals are now, along with each World Series, “TV Tournaments” and so Little League approaches ID Camps as simply another way to identify, I quote, “high-performing umpires to consider for selection to our Region and World Series events.”

The EventBrite online registration pages for each of these events are a good source of more description & detail on each of these events:

San Bernardino Weekend Umpire Clinics

San Bernardino Weeklong Umpire Academies

San Bernardino ID Camps

And here’s a good overview of Little League’s company line regarding postseason umpire opportunities:

How to Get Selected to Umpire at a Region or World Series Tournament

These days, each and every Little League umpire clinic & camp is a tough ticket, so we need to plan ahead and be prepared to register fast! For example:

• San Bernardino ID Camp, Nov 1: sold out
• San Bernardino ID Camp, Nov 2: sold out
• San Bernardino Weeklong Umpire Academy, Nov 7–12: sold out
• San Bernardino Weeklong Umpire Academy, Feb 2026: will sell out in a matter of days
• Seattle Outreach Clinic, Mar 2026: will sell out in a matter of days
• Portland Outreach Clinic, Mar 2026: will sell out in a matter of days

You get the idea.

Now you’re thinking, wow, this all sounds a little expensive. Event registration, flight to California, hotel room, rental car… not to mention time off work… and you are absolutely right. It’s indisputably inequitable that umpires who live in close proximity to regional headquarters where clinics and camps take place have a much easier time than those of us who do not. I don’t fault or begrudge Little League for this. Everyone is doing the best they can and the expense and logistics of, say, coordinating and staffing even a one-day ID Camp in the northwest is a really big task. Maybe someday it will happen, but I can tell you that despite many of us lobbying for such a thing at every opportunity, it just ain’t gonna happen anytime soon. So, if we want to pursue postseason selection in this system, what do we do about this expensive endeavor?

1. Ask your local league if they have budget to help you. Many of our local leagues are wise enough to dedicate budget to send one or maybe a couple umpires to training. When I was just starting to get serious about Little League umpiring, I was lucky that Mukilteo Little League very generously budgeted funds to send me to the Weeklong Academy in SanB, which completely and permanently altered the trajectory of my personal umpire career and, well, now here I am. I’d like to think that their investment in me was repaid many times over by my work thereafter and still today. That’s the case that needs to be made to your local league, and if you need assistance with such an ask, let me know.
2. At a District level, I do budget to assist umpires with training opportunities. At this time it’s specific and very limited, but I’m working on some ideas to expand what we are able to do from a District level in the future.
3. GET TO THE SEATTLE OUTREACH CLINIC. At least for the foreseeable future, that’s your low-cost, high-impact option if you wish to learn from and be seen by the folks making the decisions who can help you earn a postseason opportunity.

I Will Help You

Finally, this: if it is your goal to pursue a Regional or World Series opportunity, you are going to need to get on board with the mechanics, signaling, movement, game management, and overall approach that Little League wants its postseason umpires to have. Maybe even make changes to your game in some ways (like I have) in order to conform to the style of umpiring they’re putting out on the field now. I’m not saying it would be a Hard No if you aren’t 100% aligned with the current orthodoxy. Just know if this is the case that you may be a harder sell for the folks charged with choosing umpires for selection.

I want to help you with this—and I have found myself in a unique position to do so. These past several years, I’ve had the very good fortune of working several postseason tournaments, and along with that has come the incredible opportunity to hang out and learn from the very highest levels of Little League instructors and directors. Put simply: after umpiring two Regionals and two World Series, I know what they want, down to some pretty small (a.k.a. differentiating) details. So when you come to the point where you’re preparing to attend your first (or latest) clinic, nothing will make me happier than to work with you to have you prepared and ready with what will help you succeed. We can study and practice like we’re students taking a final and when you roll up to that clinic, YOU will be the one nailing the plate mechanics they’re looking for, moving through your base reps exactly how they would like, looking as sharp as any umpire they’re seeing, displaying the energy and attitude that will make them take notice and think, “hey, this guy deserves a shot.” 

And furthermore, let me tell you this: when you do get your shot, you will succeed. You should believe me when I tell you: our guys, District One Umpires, we are RIGHT THERE with every postseason crew I have been a part of. I could start listing guy after guy after guy on our crew who is “ready” and would 100% fit on a postseason crew—and not only that but would LEAD and EXCEL. 

Just a couple things to wrap all this up:

1. If you are interested in pursuing a Little League postseason election, NOW is the time to start thinking and planning for it. Applications (through the Little League Umpire Registry) usually open in October or thereabouts, but planning for registering & attending a camp or clinic may need to be considered even before then, as we’ve discussed here.

2. And, if you are interested, please take me up on my offer to consult with and work with you. I feel I know all of you, I know your game, and believe I can help you determine the right path for YOU.

Jason
8/28/25