Continuing Education - Umpire Evaluation

[YoungBuck]

How are umpires evaluated at the d3 level?

I watched a game this weekend where a call or rule was routinely 'missed/not applied.' At this level of play there is no video review, had there been the calls would have likely been overturned. Do coaches appeal their concerns to the conference or the NCAA?

 

[The Man In Blue]

Ol' Smitty's assignor sends him because he is available for those noon games on Tuesday, not so he can be evaluated.

 

[The Man In Blue]

Follow-up:

D3 coach: “Why can’t we get better umpires for $100 on these Tuesday noon games?”

 

[Tatonka]

Yeah, yeah, we get it...don't question the ump regardless of bad they are or how it appears. Honestly, Youngbuck posed this question in a very fair and reasonable manner and it deserves a decent response. Maybe you truly believe that they should not be held to any standard or evaluated in any way whatsoever? You get what you get and don't throw a fit! If the pay was higher would their standards increase automatically? I get that it's way too often a thankless job, I really do but does that mean we shouldn't measure performance at all?

Can we pay Coaches more? Can we get better video or livestream of these games? How much more can we pay? Technology has improved so much that the video from a Mom at a 10U game is far superior to what some D3 schools put out (that's if it's even available)...do they even care about a silly women's game? When NCAA college athletes have hand me down. torn and stained uniforms, no socks, old, beat up soggy balls and coaches with very little to no real experience, is it time to give up? New administrators on the payroll banging the DEI drums but nothing for women's sports? C'mon man...

 

[marriard]

How are umpires evaluated at the d3 level?

I watched a game this weekend where a call or rule was routinely 'missed/not applied.' At this level of play there is no video review, had there been the calls would have likely been overturned. Do coaches appeal their concerns to the conference or the NCAA?

In general they are not - or a least not at D3 games.

Most D3's allow coaches to submit an umpires report to their conference.
Evals are more done at assignor/clinics than at games and then once you are in, you are in.

My assignor for college got 'comfortable with me' a few years ago and I haven't been evaluated since in any meaningful way (except various NCAA exams and so on).. And once they were comfortable with me, every other assignor has happily used me - many without meeting me

D1 is a little more rigorous or at least at the 'tv' level


But at TMIB said, your mid-week, early afternoon D3 game is going to get who ever is available - so mostly the retired and the unemployed (or the VERY tired shift worker).


Need to add: No evals because the evaluators are out umpiring if they are available

 

[marriard]

In general they are not - or a least not at D3 games.

Most D3's allow coaches to submit an umpires report to their conference.
Evals are more done at assignor/clinics than at games and then once you are in, you are in.

My assignor for college got 'comfortable with me' a few years ago and I haven't been evaluated since in any meaningful way (except various NCAA exams and so on).. And once they were comfortable with me, every other assignor has happily used me - many without meeting me

D1 is a little more rigorous or at least at the 'tv' level


But at TMIB said, your mid-week, early afternoon D3 game is going to get who ever is available - so mostly the retired and the unemployed (or the VERY tired shift worker).

Probably should add this.. "But how are umpires assigned to conference championships?"

Availability and Politically .. but then generally there is some evals done at these events if they are at one school. That can get you into the NCAA regionals, etc.

I have a real job so I have zero interest (and availability) in doing conference finals, regionals, NCAA and so on. Even in D1 I would say it is rare the actual best umpires are at the NCAA tournaments

 

[Cannonball]

While I have seen numerous D-I and D-II games, I have seen far more at the D-II level. I'd have to say that the quality of umpiring was exceptional. I do recognize that games through the week might cause problems but, to be honest, these umpires we saw in mid-week games were the same ones we saw on the weekend. I only know of one instance where my dd's HC went to league officials and that was due to an umpiring crew throwing out several bats and apparently based upon what was mentioned by the opposing coach. My dd's bat was taken. It was new and had been used for about 2 weeks.

There is a process for all leagues for the head coaches to use to communicate thoughts and concerns about umpiring.

 

[Bernie]

The bats that were thrown out weren’t the Suncoast bats were they?


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[Cannonball]

The bats that were thrown out weren’t the Suncoast bats were they?


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No, they were Miken. This was during that brief period of time when the umpires "checked the bats" prior to the game. I think that it was either 2012 or 2013. It might have been a conference rule. My dd had a bat seized in a regional that was also brand new. She had not used that bat. It was a Miken. She averaged busting a couple of bats a year.

 

[Northball]

...umpiring crew throwing out several bats ...My dd's bat was taken. It was new and had been used for about 2 weeks...

Wouldn't you just love at that point to catch an umpire wearing, say, the wrong color shirt for an NCAA uniform and tell him he has to take it off to umpire the game.