Baseball and softball players spend a significant amount of their summer playing and being at the fields. However, another way students can be involved in the sport and earn a little extra money is by umpiring for Yutan’s youth softball and baseball leagues.
One student who spent most of their summer umpiring consistently is junior Eli Kult, who started umpiring three years ago.
“I started to umpire because Yutan lost its legion team, and I kind of just wanted to get back into the game and to make a little bit of money while doing it,” Kult said. “I enjoy being as close as possible to playing and being able to laugh with kids and provide them a good baseball experience.”
Although Kult has been enjoying providing good experiences, freshman Eli Thompson enjoys umpiring for different reasons.
“I like to watch the game happen, and it’s fun to be the person in charge,” Thompson said.
Eighth-grader Jakob Sieburg enjoys umpiring for similar reasons.
“I love umpiring because I get to make the calls on the game I love, and I get to be on a field and see kids play the game at a lower level,” Sieburg said.
Another benefit of umpiring is the money. The pay ranges from $25 to $55 per game, depending on the age group, with umpiring for the older age groups earning a higher rate. But it’s not always easy money when the umpires have to deal with conflicts.
“I think that the challenges are making the close calls because there are always people who disagree with you,” Thompson said.
Some parents and coaches get so mad that Kult can’t ignore them and has to confront them.
“I’ve had to do this (confront) to both a coach and a parent because they were yelling at the opposing team’s kids and ruining the fun of the games,” Kult said. “I walked over in between innings and told them to stop attacking the opposing team, or they would be forced to leave.”
Another challenge for umpires is being objective and fair, which was harder for Sieburg since he spent most of his umpiring career umpiring for his sisters’ games.
“Umpiring my sisters was fun. I got to see them play up close, but it’s pretty stressful when your sister is pitching and they’re up by one with the bases loaded. It’s pretty hard not to be biased,” Sieburg said.
Despite the challenges umpires have to face, Kult, Thompson and Sieburg all plan to continue umpiring.
“I plan on continuing to umpire because it is a fun thing to do and it makes you a decent amount of money,” Kult said.
