Thank you for a successful 2023 season! All tournaments that I assign have concluded.
2024-2025 Rates of pay
2024-2025 Rates -- still to be finalized
weather POlicy
The weather policy was drafted based on the MHSAA "ACT OF GOD" policy. This is the same in all games assigned by Eric-John Szczepaniak.
Weather Policy:
[Tournament] will pay partial rates, based on the time of game cancellations, for an umpire’s
initial game of the day, as follows:
● Canceled before umpire has left for the field = none
● Canceled after umpire is en route or present* = half, rounded up to the
dollar
● Canceled after a delay of 1 hour or less after start time** = half, rounded up"
● Canceled after a delay greater than 1 hour after start time** = full pay
● Canceled after one pitch has been thrown = full pay
*There will be no compensation for any non-initial games if these games are
canceled:
1) during the umpire’s initial game or
2) no later than 30 minutes after the listed start time of a subsequent game,
or within 30 minutes after the conclusion of the initial game, whichever is
later.
**In subsequent games, if an umpire is made to stay for more than 30 minutes after
the listed start time of a subsequent game, or 30 minutes after the conclusion of the
initial game, whichever is later, then they are entitled to the above compensation.
Weather Policy:
[Tournament] will pay partial rates, based on the time of game cancellations, for an umpire’s
initial game of the day, as follows:
● Canceled before umpire has left for the field = none
● Canceled after umpire is en route or present* = half, rounded up to the
dollar
● Canceled after a delay of 1 hour or less after start time** = half, rounded up"
● Canceled after a delay greater than 1 hour after start time** = full pay
● Canceled after one pitch has been thrown = full pay
*There will be no compensation for any non-initial games if these games are
canceled:
1) during the umpire’s initial game or
2) no later than 30 minutes after the listed start time of a subsequent game,
or within 30 minutes after the conclusion of the initial game, whichever is
later.
**In subsequent games, if an umpire is made to stay for more than 30 minutes after
the listed start time of a subsequent game, or 30 minutes after the conclusion of the
initial game, whichever is later, then they are entitled to the above compensation.
Join the MHSAA
Join the MHSAA as an official today!
It is a great time to become a MHSAA official. All tournaments ask for MHSAA officials first and working MHSAA games will prepare you to officiate any level of travel ball.
For those that are already MHSAA officials, renewing your membership is now open here. Also I'd be happy to share any training opportunities that you come across or organize with my list of youth officials.
Juniors and seniors in HS are eligible to become MHSAA officials and are paid at the same rate as their adult counterparts. High school 9th graders and 10th graders can also register with MHSAA, which gives you a rulebook and access to online rules meetings and gets your name on the radars of some assigners, though 9th and 10th graders are only eligible to work middle school games. These are oftentimes assigned directly by the school or a different local assigner.
Those in high school who join MHSAA must join as a "Legacy Official" and have a "mentor official" who has done MHSAA before. If you are interested in joining, please let me know and I'd be happy to help connect you to a mentor official.
Local HS Assigners - After joining MHSAA, you'll need to get in touch with a local assigner / association. These folks work with HS across the state to provide MHSAA certified officials for all HS games. If you'll be living somewhere else in 2024 besides West Michigan, please reach out and I'll be happy to share contact info for nearby assigners.
West Michigan Umpires Association (the "Ottawa-Kent" OK Conference):
Kevin Weber
Email: kweber@nvps.net
Cell: (616) 821-9758
Mid Michigan Officials Association (Muskegon, Newaygo counties):
Chris Calkins
Email: calkins8108@comcast.net
Cell: (231) 457-6334
MHSAA Pay Rates: The rates for baseball / softball officials differ by conference. They are going up substantially for 2024 and beyond.
Varsity Single = ~ $100
Varsity Double Header = ~ $180-$200
Sub-Varsity Single = ~ $80-$90
Sub-Varsity DH = ~$150-$170
And be sure to attend training!
It is a great time to become a MHSAA official. All tournaments ask for MHSAA officials first and working MHSAA games will prepare you to officiate any level of travel ball.
For those that are already MHSAA officials, renewing your membership is now open here. Also I'd be happy to share any training opportunities that you come across or organize with my list of youth officials.
Juniors and seniors in HS are eligible to become MHSAA officials and are paid at the same rate as their adult counterparts. High school 9th graders and 10th graders can also register with MHSAA, which gives you a rulebook and access to online rules meetings and gets your name on the radars of some assigners, though 9th and 10th graders are only eligible to work middle school games. These are oftentimes assigned directly by the school or a different local assigner.
Those in high school who join MHSAA must join as a "Legacy Official" and have a "mentor official" who has done MHSAA before. If you are interested in joining, please let me know and I'd be happy to help connect you to a mentor official.
Local HS Assigners - After joining MHSAA, you'll need to get in touch with a local assigner / association. These folks work with HS across the state to provide MHSAA certified officials for all HS games. If you'll be living somewhere else in 2024 besides West Michigan, please reach out and I'll be happy to share contact info for nearby assigners.
West Michigan Umpires Association (the "Ottawa-Kent" OK Conference):
Kevin Weber
Email: kweber@nvps.net
Cell: (616) 821-9758
Mid Michigan Officials Association (Muskegon, Newaygo counties):
Chris Calkins
Email: calkins8108@comcast.net
Cell: (231) 457-6334
MHSAA Pay Rates: The rates for baseball / softball officials differ by conference. They are going up substantially for 2024 and beyond.
Varsity Single = ~ $100
Varsity Double Header = ~ $180-$200
Sub-Varsity Single = ~ $80-$90
Sub-Varsity DH = ~$150-$170
And be sure to attend training!
2024 Training dates
Put these on your calendar now! They're a great way to learn more about the game and connect with the assigners to answer any questions about officiating MHSAA and beyond!
-February 10th, 2024 - WMUA Softball Training @ Elite Training Facility
5930 Clyde Park Ave SW, Wyoming, MI 49509
-February 24th, 2024 - WMUA Baseball Training @ Elite Training Facility
5930 Clyde Park Ave SW, Wyoming, MI 49509
-BATL Umpire School (open to anyone ages 13+)
When: Sundays 4pm-7pm starting Feb 18th, 2024 through March 24th, 2024
Where: West Catholic HS, 1801 Bristol Ave NW, Grand Rapids, MI 49504
(see the attached "6 week umpire program" doc for contact info)
-February 10th, 2024 - WMUA Softball Training @ Elite Training Facility
5930 Clyde Park Ave SW, Wyoming, MI 49509
-February 24th, 2024 - WMUA Baseball Training @ Elite Training Facility
5930 Clyde Park Ave SW, Wyoming, MI 49509
-BATL Umpire School (open to anyone ages 13+)
When: Sundays 4pm-7pm starting Feb 18th, 2024 through March 24th, 2024
Where: West Catholic HS, 1801 Bristol Ave NW, Grand Rapids, MI 49504
(see the attached "6 week umpire program" doc for contact info)
Looking for an umpire-in-chief with connections throughout West Michigan? Email umpwestern@gmail.com
|
"Love is the most important thing in the world, but baseball is pretty good too." - Yogi BerraEric-John Szczepaniak is a West Michigan native that has umpired since age 13. He now umpires collegiate baseball and high school baseball and softball and often trains new officials. Every official has more to learn about the game and officials ought to strive to make themselves better during every game, during every inning.
With a combination of organizational skills, empathetic leadership, patience, and a bit of luck, he has built relationships with many youth sports organizations and umpires alike. Current umpire-in-chief / umpire coordinator:
Former umpire-in-chief:
|