Category Archives: All Tiers

2023 NBUA Schedule

NBUA 2023 TOURNAMENTS and SEASONS

Late April               High School District Playoffs Begin
May 7                     Opening Day 15u-16u
May 11-14             Seattle Elite Wood Bat Invitational
May 20                    High School Regional Playoffs begin
May 21                   Opening Day 18u
May 25-29             Art Wright Memorial Day Tournament
May 27                    High School Playoff Finals
June 1- July 31      PIL League 
June 7                    Seattle Premier Invitational Tournament
June 21-26            Josh Dickerson Memorial Tournament
June 29-July 3      Lee Johnson Firecracker Tournament
July 5-17                Brandy Pugh
May-Oct                PSSBL
July 5-12               14u 14u Elite League Playoffs
July 12-16             Baden NW Club Championships
July 18-25             15u Elite League Playoffs
July 19-26             16u Elite League Playoffs
July 26-31             18u Elite League Playoffs
Sept 15- Oct 31  Seattle Elite Fall Ball

Yes, we are going to try to cover all of this with NBUA umpires. The tournament weekends will be particularly challenging so plan your vacations accordingly.

RTO returns

NBUA

Every year about this time, I am directed by your Board of Directors, to reintroduce the RTO Program driven by the Washington Officials Association (WOA). I’m asking the following of every NBUA member, regardless of tier. All tiers are asked to participate in RTO.

The RTO Program

The RTO Program is a collaborative effort of the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association and the Washington Officials Association to improve the level of officiating for WIAA contests. RTO stands for Retention, Training and Observation. There is one other component of this program not listed in the RTO acronym. That component is standards. Before you can hold someone accountable you must clearly state what they are being held accountable for. To that end, the WOA is developing standards of conduct and performance for our members in each sport covered by the WOA. These standards are the yardstick by which every official will be measured.

  • Go into the Central Hub (again)
  • Click on the Eligibility Center
  • Click on RTO 2023
  • Complete the 2 clinics listed
  • I did this. It took about 7 minutes.
  • Pretty simple…
  • Every tier is asked to get this done by your BOD
  • B, A and TT umpires are required by the WOA to become RTO’d, in order to become eligible to assigned:
    • Post Season District contests
    • Regionals
    • State Finals
    • District contests begin in early May
  • Rookie & Transfer Members, please contact your Mentors for additional assistance. Your Mentors have all done this before.
  • Please have your RTO requirements completed by May 1.
  • As your Assignor, I can track this ongoing.

Thanks

Mark Clough

NBUA Assignor

2023 Training Videos Available

All of our classroom sessions are being recorded these days and the videos are all available on the Training Schedule page accessed via the Members/Training menu. The members password is required to access this page.

In the table that lists the training events, the column on the right hand side labeled “Links” will be populated with the video link as the sessions are held. At this time, no training credit is given for viewing these classes after the fact, but they can be used to catch-up or review.

Apprentice and C-Tier umpires are welcomed to watch classes held for the higher tiers just to inform themselves of the subjects being discussed. Upper tier umpires might be interested to view classes for the lower tiers to answer the question, “what the heck are they teaching these guys?”

Your Humble Webmaster

2023 Training Schedule

The 2023 training schedule has been posted (or, at least, part of it has). The training schedule is a work in progress and we have published as much as we know at this point. To keep up to date, visit this site often.

The schedule is published in two formats. The first is found in the Members section under Training and it requires the viewer to enter the members password to view. As the sessions are often on-line these days, we record the sessions and post the links on this page so that anyone interested, can catch up. These links are for informational purposes only and no credit will be given for watching these sessions after the fact.

The second format is via the NBUA Calendar found under the Information menu. The next five elements of the calendar will also appear on the sidebar of each page of the website. When opening the calendar, it will display as a simple list. If you like a more calendar-like display, simply select the “Month” icon on the page. You can use the search function on the page to select events of interest. You could display only training events by searching for the word “Training”. You could display only the training schedule for the C-Tier by typing “C-Tier” into the calendar search box.

If you select individual events on the calendar, more information will be displayed about that particular session including maps and attachments (if any).

And let the season begin!

2022 Banquet Report

Your fellow umpires and their guests enjoyed an evening at the Maplewood
Country Club on Saturday, September 17th . The staff and chefs at Maplewood did a
great job and the evening progressed smoothly.


The evening began with host Peyton Coffin, Member Services Chairman,
welcoming our members, their guests and the guests of NBUA:

Keynote Speaker, Justin Moser, GM of the Fishsticks, Pacific International League,
team and his guests, Araceli Rios and Patrick and JoAnn McCollum of the
Fishsticks/PIL organization;

Chris Moedritzer, Head Coach of Garfield H S and NBUA Coach of the Year;

Dean Corcoran, President of the Washington Officials Association, and Lisa
Corcoran;

Tom Krause, President of PSSBL, and Nicole Krause;

Our friends and partners from Seattle Elite Baseball, Derek and Carly Bingham
and Wil Snyder, and his daughter Harper.

Peyton thanked Chris VonJouanne — and his orchestra — for his talents and a
whole lotta time in producing the audio/video presentation for an evening filled
with well-chosen tunes, followed by the introduction (after the requisite “war
story”), to the Master of Ceremonies, Mark Clough.

Mark entertained the room and brought up Vice-President Brian Rooney, who
introduced the Board members. Then, Mark asked for a moment of reflection for our passed brethren Bill Ranko and Ryan Green. Our President, Hank Margeson, could not join us, but he extended his welcome in a heartfelt video presentation.

Dinner was served! Raffles of gifts for our guests were held throughout the
evening and, during the delicious dinner, we proceeded to awards and promotions.
Awards

Tom Krause, PSSBL President, presented the first-ever PSSBL Umpire of the Year
Award to Pete Perry.

Henry VonJouanne, Director of Training, and Dean Corcoran presented WOA
Meritorious Service Pins to those umpires who were present, with the absent
umpires listed on the screen.
5 Year Pins:
David Jaffe, Chris Lathwell, Ryan McNeil, Chet Morgan, Richard Fried, John
Matson, Brian Tschumper
10 Year Pins:
Mike McQuery, Paul Williams, Mike Opprecht, Brian Rooney, Earl Smith, Greg
Clarkson, Bob Matekel
15 Year Pins:
Ben Bayer, Brian Sweet, Mark Clough, Paul Kahle, Mike MacKinnon, Fritz Timm,
Chris AND Henry VonJouanne, Glenn Campbell, Chris Claflin, Peyton Coffin
22 Years: Bill Fitzgerald
25 Years: John Leeper

We saluted our longest-tenured umpires:
Bill Lewis: 27 years; Thom Denholm: 30 years; Ted Buehner: 36 years and, Tim
Stevens: 39 years. Hey, new umpires! Heed the goals these men have set!

Many of our umpires worked Washington State Regional and Championship
games. Greg Olmstead invited Dean Corcoran (if the President of the WOA shows
up, we’re going to keep him busy), to present commemorative pins to those
present. All umpires who earned state assignments were listed on the screen and
those present were presented pins:
Tony Amado, Phil Bogardus, Glenn Campbell, Greg Clarkson, Peyton Coffin,
Chris Corbray, Reams Goodloe, Jeff Jacobson, Bill Lewis, Bob Matekel, Greg
Olmstead, Michael Opprecht, Brian Rooney, Earl Smith, Tim Stevens, Tim
Sullivan, Fritz Timm, Brian Tschumper, Brett Whipple, Paul Williams

Henry and Corky Trewin asked us to join in their salute to two of our Washington
state honored umpires.
Tim Stevens: Inducted into the WOA Hall of Fame.
Bob Matekel: Selected as the WOA Baseball Official of the Year.

The George Eshleman Award for Service, Integrity and being a Valued Partner on
the Field was awarded to Terry Granillo by Earl Smith, By-Laws and Policies
Chairman.

Taking a break from umpire awards, Peyton handed out the NBUA 2022 Golf
Tournament trophies. Low score was earned by Dan Borgida’s guest (ringers)
foursome at 63, whose members Derek Lohr hit the longest drive and Jake Nelson
grabbed one of the KP’s. The other KP (closest to the pin) was hit by Bill Fitzgerald.

Mark switched hats to his assignor role and awarded the 2022 Assignor Awards.
These are awarded to umpires who are “any game, anywhere” and have minimal
turnbacks. They are hallmarks of dedication to our craft and our association.
C Tier: Mike Leitner
B Tier: Paul Reynolds
A Tier: Paul Williams
T Tier: Mike McQuery

Corky stepped up to acknowledge an umpire who emotes energy and friendliness
and is our best recruiter. Rick Park earned the 2022 Unsung Hero Award!

Dale Wilson asked Dean Corcoran, president of WOA, to receive the 2022 NBUA
Customer of the Year Award for Unwavering Support of Washington State’s
Sports Officials. As he did, Dale acknowledged that NBUA could not have
succeeded as we have without WOA as a partner in officiating management.

The Leslie Fitzpatrick Rookie of the Year Award is very prestigious. Named after
our long-time, beloved assignor, it recognizes an “Outstanding Umpire of the
Present and the Future.” Brian Rooney, Recruiting and Retention Chairman,
stepped up and awarded it to: Nick Gallagher. Nick crossed 153 games off his
bucket list in his first year as an umpire! Thank you, Nick!

Mark introduced Justin Moser, and Justin entertained us with a pertinent and
humorous chat. We should not disregard the enormous amount of work that
leagues, managers, coaches and support personnel put into getting the baseball
game on the field and the work players put into their game to get out there and
succeed. We owe it to them to always give them our best game as well.

Promotions:
One of the highlights of our banquet is the announcing of promotions and at this
point, Greg Olmstead, Evaluations Director, stepped up and did so.
Promoted to C Tier:
Adam Carlson, Craig Tashiro, Dan Eck, Richard Hepler, Andrew Alsdorf, Bryan
McNair, Tedd Dideriksen, Mario Padilla, Michael Skarin and, of course, Nick
Gallagher with 153 games!
We had a special promotion awarded to a 2nd year umpire with NBUA (but very
experienced elsewhere, including Europe), and who attended professional umpire
school and was accepted into the college umpire ranks. Promoted from C to A tier:
Chris Castro!
Promoted to B Tier:
Casey Bloom, Thomas Peckham, Jeff Cannon, Tom Niccoli, Dan Borgida, Carl-
Michael Aoanan, Michael Owsiak, Mike Spear, Mike Leitner, Peter Caro and
Loren Ryan with 129 games!
Promoted to A Tier:
Ryan McNeil, Steve Mueller, and (all working over 100 games), Jim Melrose,
Randy Venters, Ron Klamert, Lane Loland (122) and Paul Reynolds – 143 games!
Promoted to Tournament Tier:
Dennis Williams, Brian Tschumper, Hank Margeson, Greg Clarkson
We have several transfer umpires and they have been confirmed as: Gerritt Nelson
to B Tier, Kerry Clark to A Tier and Regina Boyd to A Tier.

The Brian Gooch Award is for outstanding service to one’s fellow umpires and our
association. Terry Granillo, Treasurer, introduced the award and presented it to our
long-time Director of Training: Henry VonJouanne. The many hours, organization,
teamwork with trainers and attention to detail that goes into the best umpire
training in the state is often taken for granted. Thank you, Henry!

Mark meandered in with gracious closing remarks, thanking our guests and
significant others that support us as we hang out under beautiful blue skies
(sometimes) and watch kids playing baseball, skip dinners and have to say “But, I
have a game that day and can’t go…”.

Thank you, Mark, for not only your engaging talents as Master of Ceremonies but
also the countless hours you dedicated to producing the slide show and organizing
the behind-the-scenes production details, and thank you to your wife, Jody who,
once again, organized the beautiful centerpieces and gifts for the raffle. This
banquet would not have been so successful without you, Jody — and Chris
VonJouanne (and his orchestra) who carried the evening with fun and timely tunes
for our enjoyment.
What a team!

Brian stepped in with a closing toast and reminded us as to the importance of
having officials at the game.
“Without us… it’s just practice!”

2022 Promotions and Awards

2022 NBUA Promotions and Awards were announced at the annual banquet,
Maplewood Country Club, Renton, on September 17th , 2022.

The banquet was MC’d by Mark Clough and produced by Mark and Chris
VonJouanne, hosted by Peyton Coffin.

The promotions, announced by Greg Olmstead, Evaluations Chairman:
Promoted from Apprentice to C Tier:
Adam Carlson, Craig Tashiro, Dan Eck, Richard Hepler, Andrew Alsdorf, Bryan
McNair, Tedd Dideriksen, Mario Padilla, Michael Skarin and…

… one other C Tier promotion: The recipient of the Leslie Fitzpatrick Rookie of the Year Award, named after our long-time, beloved assignor, for an “Outstanding Umpire
of the Present and the Future.” Brian Rooney, Recruiting and Retention Chairman,
awarded it to: Nick Gallagher! Nick crossed 153 games off his bucket list in his
first year as an umpire!

We had a special promotion awarded to a 2nd year umpire with NBUA (but very
experienced elsewhere, including Europe), who attended professional umpire
school and was accepted into the college umpire ranks. Promoted from C to A tier:
Chris Castro.

Promoted to B Tier:
Casey Bloom, Thomas Peckham, Jeff Cannon, Tom Niccoli, Dan Borgida, Carl-
Michael Aoanan, Michael Owsiak, Mike Spear, Mike Leitner, Peter Caro, and
Loren Ryan with 129 games!

Promoted to A Tier:
Ryan McNeil, Steve Mueller, and (all working over 100 games), Jim Melrose,
Randy Venters, Ron Klamert, Lane Loland (122) and Paul Reynolds – 143 games!


Promoted to Tournament Tier:
Dennis Williams, Brian Tschumper, Hank Margeson, Greg Clarkson


We have several transfer umpires and they have been confirmed as: Gerritt Nelson
to B Tier, Kerry Clark to A Tier and Regina Boyd to A Tier.

Awards:
Henry VonJouanne and Corky Trewin asked us to join in their salute to two of our
honored umpires:
Tim Stevens was inducted into the WAO Hall of Fame.
Bob Matekel was selected as the WOA Baseball Official of the Year.

Tom Krause, President of PSSBL, presented the first-ever PSSBL Umpire of the
Year award to Pete Perry.

The George Eshleman Award for Service, Integrity and being a Valued Partner on
the Field was awarded to Terry Granillo.

Peyton presented the NBUA Coach of the Year to Chris Moedritzer, head baseball
coach of Garfield High School. He runs a respectful and talented program
throughout Garfield baseball.

Mark Clough, our valued assignor, named the 2022 Assignor Awards. These are
awarded to umpires who are “any game, anywhere”, and have minimal turn-backs.
They are hallmarks of dedication to our craft.
C Tier: Mike Leitner
B Tier: Paul Reynolds
A Tier: Paul Williams
T Tier: Mike McQuery

Corky acknowledged an umpire who emotes energy and friendliness and is our
best recruiter. Rick Park earned the 2022 Unsung Hero Award!

Dale Wilson asked Dean Corcoran, president of Washington Officials Association,
to receive the 2022 NBUA Customer of the Year Award for Unwavering Support
of Washington State’s Sports Officials.

The Brian Gooch Award is awarded for outstanding service to one’s fellow
umpires. Receiving the award was our long-time Director of Training: Henry
VonJouanne.

To all awardees: Congratulations and well deserved!

For your Board of Directors,
Peyton
Member Services

The first RTO’s are on the WOA Central Hub & other stuff

Umpires!

The first RTO’s are posted on the WOA Central Hub / Eligibility Center, then go to RTO and “Enroll”.

You’ll see a couple of red X’s where you can take a couple of clinics.

The first: Baseball Rubric: Preseason Self-Evaluation,  is a very useful tool if you take the category specifications as tips and great guidelines of what to work on in your game. Definitely worth taking some time and introspection. Lots of thought went into the criteria, so take advantage of it.

There will be a few more RTO’s (if you don’t know what an RTO is, take a guess — answer’s at the bottom*) coming up as in-season clinics and quizzes to keep us sharp, and keep us learning — and they are prerequisites for post-season assignments..

Speaking of quizzes, have you downloaded the Referee Magazine 2022 baseball quiz? Might be a question or two you have to look up … so you get it right in a game.

2022 High School Baseball Umpires Quiz

Here’s a fun video: What happens when a batter/runner overruns 1st base on a walk?

https://baseballrulesacademy.com/what-happens-when-a-batter-runner-overruns-first-base-on-walk/

Now, what if we’re playing under FED rules? After you answer, you can see if you got it right with rule 8-2-7 and Case Book 8.2.7.Sit. A.

We’ll be mixing up MLB and FED rules quite soon so we will have to be able to switch gears as smoothly an F1 driver.

Some new field designations, if you haven’t been there yet, are now cross-referenced on your NBUA website/members/field locations — umpire parking. Do yourself a favor and check out the parking suggestions. Might save yourself a walk or not knowing where the closest restroom is. Check out SWAC, SEAC, NWAC, new construction at Inglemoor HS, and others. If you are fortunate and get a High School Classic at T-Mobile park, directions to drive there by entering at the guard gate, parking and how to get to the staff entrance are also on the website.

If you have any parking suggestions that help our members, send ‘em to me.

Want to get info about a school that’s in a game you have coming up? Hit up MaxPreps:  https://www.maxpreps.com/search/default.aspx?type=school&search=&state=wa&gendersport=boys,baseball

Type in the name of the school, pick Varsity or JV and find their win/loss record. If you then go to Roster – Staff and you can even, in most cases, find the names of the coaching staff.

Have fun!

Peyton

2022 Training Schedule is posted

The training schedule for all Tiers has been posted for 2022. You can view this schedule in two ways. It is posted as a grid under Members/Training and it is posted as a series of individual events on the NBUA Calendar. The Calendar can be reached here. Or by going to Information/Calendar. The Calendar shows up as a list by default but you can modify your screen by choosing the “Month” view style. You can also sort through the events for those that apply to your Tier by using the Calendar search function and putting in “Apprentice” or “T-Tier” for example.

There are a number of events which are listed as TDB for time and/or location so, keep coming back here to find out where and when those events will be held. It is also possible that last minute cancelations might occur so make sure to check on the day of to get the most recent information.

2021 NBUA Promotions

The 2021 NBUA promotions were announced at the Annual Banquet on Saturday night. Congratulations to those that got promoted and please acknowledge your fellow umpires that moved up.

Apprentice to C-Tier

Bloom, Casey

Cannon, Jeffrey

Caro, Peter

Castro, Christopher

Duke, Martin

Garcia, Cesar

Lee, Dominic

Leitner, Mike

McCoy, Mitchell

O’Rourke, Patrick

Owsiak, Michael

Peckham, Thomas

Ryan, Loren

C-Tier to B-Tier

Berg, Jeff

Green, Ryan

Kaye, Marc

Loland, Lane

Mueller, Steven

Reynolds, Paul

B-Tier to A-Tier

Keepers, John

Richardson, Dave

Trewin, Corky

A-Tier to Tournament

Olmsted, Greg

Rooney, Brian

Sweet, Brian

Wilson, Dale