Youth Umpire Program

For 7th-12th Grade Baseball Players

Overview

The Youth Umpire Program provides 7th-12th baseball players opportunities to do paid work as umpires for 3rd & 4th grade baseball games.

Eligibility

7th-12th grade student baseball players who live in Summit and also are one of the following:

current participants in the SSBL Baseball Rec program 7-9 grade
current high school student with several seasons of SSBL Baseball Rec program 7-9 grade experience
current or past participation in Summit High School Baseball program
current or past participation in another high school baseball program
previous umpires

Requirements: Training and Shadowing

Eligible student baseball players must complete the following requirements. Once completed, they may work a current season as an umpire or future seasons as returning umpires in our program until high school graduation.

Attend one mandatory training session, which we provide.
Read the SSBL Baseball Rec 3rd & 4th Grade League Rule Book to get familiar with the rules.
Shadow one SSBL baseball recreational game (3rd or 4th grade) for several innings.

Supplies

Supplies get distributed at the training event.

Umpire t-shirt
Base Brush
Strike/ball/out counter

Spring Season

Games: Run from April to early June (end of school year).

Schedule

We will be in touch about specific schedules.
We ask youth umpires and their parents to be mindful of their schedules for school and other activities, so as to be sure to have clear availability on dates committed to working as umpires.

Program Goals

Have student players gain valuable skills as umpires, while getting paid.

Training Event

We provide one, approximately 75-minute, training event in the spring, usually on a Sunday in mid-March.

For new candidates, all supplies get distributed at this event.

For returning umpires, this event may be skipped, unless they'd like a refresher course. They may also pick up fresh supplies. We ask that they check if they still have supplies from previous seasons.

We cannot promise that correct t-shirt sizes will be available for all at this event. Providing us with a t-shirt helps, only if it's been provided at least a week before the event. Otherwise, we can plan an additional supply pick-up time.

Scheduling

We will send out a form every two weeks with game schedule.

There should be two umpires per game: one at home plate and another at 1st base.

Please remember to:

arrive at a game 15-20 minutes prior to start of game
wear umpire shirt
bring base brush & counter

We ask youth umpires and their parents to be mindful of their schedules for school and other activities, so as to be sure to have clear availability on dates committed to working as umpires.

JUST BECAUSE AN UMPIRE IS SIGNED UP FOR A GAME, DOES NOT MEAN THEY ARE ASSIGNED TO THAT GAME. We keep track of how many games umpires are assigned, so as to be fair. We do our best to give everyone an equal number of games. Confirmation of an umpire assignment must be received to ensure that an umpire is assigned to a game. A confirmation email will generally be sent at least 2-3 days prior to a game.

Status

Youth Umpire Program

2025 Spring Applications: CLOSED

FAQ

Where's the 3rd & 4th Grade Rules Book?

Click here for Baseball 3rd-4th Grade League Rules Book

It may also be found on this website by clicking on the top main navigation Baseball -> League Rules -> Grades 3-4

How do I coordinate my personal calendar with my umpire commitment?

We are working on how to best do this. In the past, scheduling conflicts have occurred with school activities, games played as players, and games worked as umpires.

Here's a tip for current SSBL registered players...

Did you know that your personal calendar may sync with your TeamSnap team schedule? In the TeamSnap app, at the bottom, click Schedule, then click the share icon at the top (next to your profile). Click on Subscribe. From there, follow the instructions or copy the URL to add to your preferred calendar app.

Does a returning umpire need to attend training again?

No. If the returning umpire attended one of our previous training events, that requirement has been met.

However, if a refresher is desired, the returning umpire is welcome to attend another training session.

I am a returning umpire and need supplies. How may I get them?

You may stop in at the training event, where we will have t-shirts, base brushes, and counters. However, we cannot guarantee a t-shirt in the correct size will be available, unless you've informed us at least a week prior to the event. In this case, stay tuned to hear about another supplies pick-up date, where we'll have more t-shirts and brushes and counters.