Destined for the diamond?
BUTLER TWP — The Butler County area is badly in need of umpires.
Trevor Short is doing his part to rectify that problem.
Short, 19, of Butler, has been interested in working games for years. Last season was his first as a member of the Butler County Sports Officials Association and the Butler County chapter of PIAA baseball officials. Larry Holt, 76, is secretary of both organizations.
“He’s a great kid who is serious about the craft,” Holt said of Short’s umpiring. “Trevor worked a lot of games with me last year. I know he’s going to be doing this for a long time.”
Short recently returned from the Wendelstedt Umpiring School in Ormond Beach, Fla. The month-long school — founded by the late Harry Wendelstedt, a former major league umpire, and now run by his son, current MLB umpire Hunter Wendetstedt — ran from Jan. 2 through Feb. 2.
“I began umpiring games when I was 11,” Short said. “I was a Little League player who broke his leg and didn’t want to miss a summer of baseball, so I started working little kids’ games. From that point, I stayed with umpiring and worked games involving kids younger than myself.
“My goal now is to have a career as a professional baseball umpire. That’s why I decided to attend the Wendelstedt school.”
There were more than 100 umpires attending the school. The top 12 from the school receive minor league assignments for the 2023 season. Short fell short of that goal, but finished among the top 20.
He said he will continue to umpire locally while he maintains his pursuit of becoming a professional umpire.
“I was encouraged by my experience down there. I know I’m close,” Short said of the Wendelstedt school. “From Day 1, everyone was treated first-class. Learning and working with those major league guys, I felt like I was part of a family.
“I learned more about baseball during that month than I knew in a lifetime. They started from the very beginning — like, ‘this is a baseball’ — and by the time I was done, I knew everything about the rules, positioning and all that goes with working a game.”
For now, he’s more than happy to continue working as part of the Butler County umpires group which sorely needs him.
“Our numbers are dwindling,” Holt admitted. “At one point, we had 34 or 35 umpires to work games. Now we’re down to 20. A lot of guys have retired and the rest of us aren’t getting any younger. The median age in our association is 45 or so.
“Thirty (umpires) would be a good number or us. We’re looking for younger guys. Anyone interested can call me. It’s not hard to get started.”
Holt suggested that anyone interested call hjm at 724-283-5739 and leave a message. He is in his 31st year of umpiring games.
Short said the way umpires — and officials in all sports — are treated by parents, fans, coaches and sometimes players themselves is discouraging younger people from entering the field.
“It’s sad,” he said. “Umpires are needed and are such a vital part of the game. They should be respected and appreciated, not abused. I’ve adapted to it, but a lot of people don’t want any part of that type of treatment.
“I’ve worked two, three, even four games in a day because of our shortage of umpires. I’ll work 75 to 100 games in a season. I like to keep up the integrity of the game.”
And Holt wants to keep his umpire numbers up.
“Trevor takes umpiring to heart and he’s great at it,” Holt said. “I’m sure he’ll go back to the Wendelstedt school again. For now, I’m glad he’s a part of us. We need more young people like him.”
