With yet another exciting World Series season just months away, Little League® International is pleased to announce the selection of more than 90 volunteer umpires who have earned the honor to take the field this summer.
“Serving as an umpire at the Little League World Series is the dream of every local league volunteer umpire, and we are proud to be able to offer this opportunity to more than 90 men and women once again this summer,” said Tom Rawlings, Little League Director of Umpire Development. “We are confident in the abilities of all of the umpires that have been selected and look forward to them enhancing the experience of all our World Series participants this July and August.”
The selection process to become a World Series umpire is lengthy and rigorous. In order to be eligible to volunteer in a Little League World Series event, an umpire must first have competed in a region tournament event. After that experience is completed, the process for selection to work a World Series begins with an application submitted by each volunteer umpire through the Umpire Registry. Once received, the District Administrator may also provide comments to the region office for review. Little League’s nine region offices then consider all nominated umpires before selecting those who most closely meet the selection criteria. Individuals who meet those qualifications are then screened annually by Little League International and region staffs for selection to umpire in a Little League World Series tournament.
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. Little League International will support all volunteer umpires at the seven World Series events with a travel stipend to help offset the costs for the men and women to attend their respective World Series events.
Below is the listing of volunteer umpires who will take the field for each of the seven Little League Baseball and Softball World Series events this summer, along with the city/state/country and region (in parentheses) that they represent:
Little League Baseball® World Series (Williamsport, Pa.)
- Mark Alenius – Calgary, Alberta (Canada)
- Billy Bruce – Dillsburg, Pa. (East)
- Donnie Caudill – Hamilton, Ga. (Southeast)
- Traci Duez – Sugar Land, Texas (Southwest)
- Philip King – Lancaster, Ohio (Central)
- Jose A. Melecio-Lopez – Maguayo, Puerto Rico (Latin America)
- Dave Miller – Poway, Calif. (West)
- Andy Pagan – Clermont, Fla. (Southeast)
- Arnoldas Ramanauskas – Vilnius, Lithuania (Europe and Africa)
- Darren Schuberg – Fairfax, Va. (Southeast)
- Ben Sprague Jr. – Henderson, Nev. (West)
- Lawrence Stein – Dalworthington Gardens, Texas (Southwest)
- Richard Wagoner – Peyton, Colo. (Southwest)
- Christopher Wasieleuski – Bristol, Conn. (East)
- Gregory Wright – Indianapolis, Ind. (Central)
Intermediate (50/70) Baseball World Series (Livermore, Calif.)
- Wayne Bonnington – Ashland, Ore. (West)
- John Budnik – Holland, Mich. (Central)
- Brian Dymon – Fredericksburg, Va. (Southeast)
- Samuel Fontecchio – Ironwood, Mich. (Central)
- Phillip Golden – Houston, Texas (Southwest)
- John Kawulok – Edmonton, Alberta (Canada)
- Darrin Lambert – Willow Street, Pa. (East)
- Fidel Luna – San Diego, Calif. (West)
- Frank Machado – Rockledge, Fla. (Southeast)
- Darrin Muller – Windsor, Great Britain (Europe and Africa)
- Roberto Rivera-Rosado – San Juan, Puerto Rico (Latin America)
- Mark Scott – Houston, Texas (Southwest)
- Boyd Stevens – Portsmouth, N.H. (East)
Junior League Baseball World Series (Taylor, Mich.)
- Ric Zwanenberg – Rosmalen, Netherlands (Europe and Africa)
- Christopher Berti – Ottawa, Ontario (Canada)
- Todd Brain – The Woodlands, Texas (Southwest)
- Bruce Cline – Dayton, Ohio (Central)
- Glenn Davis – McCleary, Wash. (West)
- Andrew Elliott – Greenwood, Ind. (Central)
- Sandley Martina – Willemstad, Curaçao (Latin America)
- Michael McCullough – St Petersburg, Fla. (Southeast)
- Barry Nelson – Salem, Ore. (West)
- Carlos Rodriguez Jr. – Marietta, Ga. (Southeast)
- Jeffrey Ross – Rye, N.H. (East)
- Michael Sharrow – Montoursville, Pa. (East)
- Charles Wlliamson – Austin, Texas (Southwest)
*Note: William Leath (Tampa, Fla.) was selected to umpire at the 2023 JLBWS but was unable to serve.
Senior League Baseball World Series (Easley, S.C.)
- Joseph Tignor – Sacramento, Calif. (West)
- Bill Balog – Santee, Calif. (West)
- Ricardo M. Delgado-Torres – Hormigueros, Puerto Rico (Latin America)
- Douglas Fravel – Waldorf, Md. (East)
- Stephane Giraud – Eysines, France (Europe and Africa)
- Jonathan Hagen – Land O’ Lakes, Fla. (Southeast)
- Alexander Hufford – Kalamazoo, Mich. (Central)
- Geoffrey King – Berkeley Springs, W.V. (Southeast)
- Phillip Ramirez – Albuquerque, N.M. (Southwest)
- Todd Saxey – La Grange, Ky. (Southeast)
- Darren Weisse – Tewksbury, Mass. (East)
- David Wilson – San Antonio, Texas (Southwest)
- Barry Yates – North Shore, B.C. (Canada)
Little League Softball® World Series (Greenville, N.C.)
- Benedict Aguillera – Dade City, Fla. (Southeast)
- Daniel Collins – College Station, Texas (Southwest)
- Robert Freeman – White Bluff, Tenn. (Southeast)
- Adam Hale – Glendale, Ky. (Central)
- James “Buster” Hickam – Kathleen, Ga. (Southeast)
- Pavel Kaspercik – Paskov, Czech Republic (Europe and Africa)
- Keith Ludwig – Easton, Md. (East)
- Agustin Morales-Perez – Sabana Grande, Puerto Rico (Latin America)
- Troy Richardson – Brewer, Maine (East)
- Randall Schulz – Santa Fe, N.M. (Southwest)
- Andrew Shriver – South Whitley, Ind. (Central)
- Russ Smith – Phoenix, Ariz. (West)
- Clyde Torigoe – Honolulu, Hawaii (West)
Junior League Softball World Series (Kirkland, Wash.)
- Lael Bowen – Clarksville, Tenn. (Southeast)
- Ronald Coleman – Wellsville, N.Y. (East)
- Nicolas Davids – Los Lunas, N.M. (Southwest)
- Garett Gilson – Victoria, B.C. (Canada)
- Thomas Gutierrez – Fannin, Texas (Southwest)
- John Joerger – Portland, Ore. (West)
- Elmer Margarita – Willemstad, Curaçao (Latin America)
- Scott Moseley – Palmdale, Calif. (West)
- Chris Parks – Inverness, Fla. (Southeast)
- Jeffrey Schoettle – Lansing, Ill. (Central)
- Ronald Signore – Mishawaka, Ind. (Central)
- Johannes van Renswoude – Velserbroek, Netherlands (Europe and Africa)
- Vincent Yale – Colora, Md. (East)
Senior League Softball World Series (Lower Sussex, Del.)
- Scott McLernon – Torrance, Calif. (West)
- Howard Cake – Albuquerque, N.M. (Southwest)
- Jose L. Colon-Santiago – Mayaguez, Puerto Rico (Latin America)
- Will Fedewa – Winter Park, Fla. (Southeast)
- Paul Keefer – Boardman, Ore. (West)
- Todd Kenney – Rockville, R.I. (East)
- John Masloroff – Franklin, Wisc. (Central)
- AJ Mens – Almere, Netherlands (Europe and Africa)
- Courtney Nunn – Jonesboro, La. (Southwest)
- Vincente Piscitello – Seminole, Fla. (Southeast)
- James Spade – Bartlett, Ill. (Central)
- J. D. Walmsley – Victoria, B.C. (Canada)
- Dennis Williams – Valatie, N.Y. (East)
In addition to the 16 umpires listed above for the Little League Baseball World Series this August, four veteran Crew Chiefs have been selected by Little League International staff to make a return trip to Williamsport where they will serve as mentors for the first-time volunteers both on and off the field:
- Mike Debelak – Torrance, Calif. (West) – 2018, ‘21 LLBWS
- Terry Falgout – Beaumont, Texas (Southwest) – 2015 LLBWS, 2022 Crew Chief
- Brian Henry – Toccoa, Ga. (Southeast) – 2016, ’21 LLBWS
- Ed Moran Jr. – Camden Wyoming, Del. (East) – 2018 LLBWS, 2022 Crew Chief
The U.S. Region Tournament umpire assignments will be announced on the respective Region pages on LittleLeague.org closer to the start of the event.
All of the umpires at the Little League Baseball and Softball Region and World Series events will once again be provided with Gerry Davis Sports uniforms as part of a three-year agreement with Gerry Davis Sports as the Official Umpire Uniform Provider of the Little League World Series.
Volunteer umpires are one of the most important aspects in the success of local Little League programs around the world and play a pivotal role in the experience of all our players throughout the Little League International Tournament. As a way to continually develop these volunteer umpires throughout the year, Little League International offers a variety of digital training and educational resources available on LittleLeague.org/Umpires, a bi-monthly Fair Ball Newsletter, access to the free Little League Umpire Registry, and formal training through Umpire Clinics and Schools around the nation.
Additionally, the umpires for the 2023 Little League Baseball and Softball World Series will participate in a multi-day orientation. The 2023 Little League Baseball World Series orientation is set for May 9-14 in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, and the Little League Softball World Series orientation will take place on June 1-4 in Greenville, North Carolina.
For more information on the Little League Baseball and Softball World Series, visit LittleLeague.org/
About Little League®
Founded in 1939, Little League® is the world’s largest organized youth sports program, with approximately two million players (ages 4-16) playing baseball and softball in communities across every U.S. state and more than 80 other countries. Operated by more than one million volunteers, Little League believes in the power of youth baseball and softball to teach life lessons that build stronger individuals and communities. From professional athletes and award-winning celebrities, to public officials and other influential members of society, Little League graduates have taken the lessons they learned, both on and off the field, to create the next chapter of the Little League story. Each year, millions of people follow the hard work, dedication, and sportsmanship that Little Leaguers® display at our seven baseball and softball World Series events, the premier tournaments in youth sports. For more information, visit LittleLeague.org, and follow Little League (@LittleLeague) on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. When we all come together, we are truly One Team. One Little League.
Subscribe to our FREE Newsletter