HiCast Sports Network Delivers Youth Ballgames Live from Elizabethtown Sports Park to Family and Fans at Home or Anywhere in the World

While the Covid-19 global pandemic put a pause on the start of spring baseball and softball play at Elizabethtown Sports Park in Elizabethtown Kentucky, the ballpark was able to resume play in June with beautifully renovated turf infields, and a powerful video coverage solution in partnership with The HiCast Sports Network, a game-changing, subscription-based social broadcast company which allows youth athletes, coaches, families and fans to view live sporting events at top ballparks across the nation anywhere, anytime, on any device.

Todd Yancey, General Manager for Elizabethtown Sports Park in Kentucky, shares, “Our return-to-play guidelines closed our bleachers to support a safe environment. Spectators have to bring their own chairs and social distance around the diamonds. Now that we have HiCast in place, we’re excited to share the best view behind home plate with fans here at the park and watching from home.”

Elizabethtown Sports Park opened eight years ago and sits on just under 160 acres of land featuring 12 diamond fields for baseball (about 70% of the ballpark’s play) and softball (about 30%), a Miracle Field for athletes with special needs, and 12 rectangular fields for soccer, lacrosse and football.  The venue, which sits about a half-hour south of Louisville, KY attracts teams from all over the country.  Different size ballfields enables the venue to host athletes from ages 8 through 18, and the new turf infields minimize the impact of weather conditions on play. 

Elizabethtown Sports Park is overseen by Elizabethtown Tourism who secured Sports Facilities Management (SFM) to effectively manage operations of the venue. Todd Yancey was brought in by SFM to run the day-to-day operations of the park. “We’re really focused on streamlining operations, partnering with top baseball and softball event organizer Athletx Sports Group and with their help, grow our own branded tournaments here at Elizabethtown.”

“While generating revenue is important to Elizabethtown Sports Park, community involvement is another one of our key performance indicators. When we came in, the venue was 100% travel tournament play and within a year, we were able to support the local Elizabethtown Area Baseball Commission to help them operationally, at no cost to the league. Our Miracle Field was just put to use last year. We had eight local schools come out and participate in field days and we’re looking forward to hosting more of those events in the future.” This fall, family and fans can tune in using the HiCast Sports mobile app or web viewer to watch fellow community members and coworkers relive their glory days in the adult co-ed wiffle ball league.

Stephanie Calabrese, co-founder and Chief Brand Officer for HiCast Sports Network, shares, “We’re so excited to partner with Elizabethtown Sports Park. It’s one of the top ballparks in the country and because of its location, an attractive destination for ~1200 travel ball teams up and down the east coast. We covered a national Baseball Youth event at the venue in the past, so installing our network as a permanent amenity makes it possible for us to capture all the moments that matter on the diamonds.”

“I had background experience with HiCast when I served as the general manager at Ballparks of America in Branson, MO and appreciated the ability for our patrons to share those game memories across all social channels. I really wanted to be able to bring that to Elizabethtown Sports Park and make sure that we were able to offer that same level of experience to the people who are on-site and to those who can’t make it.”

Runners on 2nd & 3rd and the well-timed bunt on Field 5 at our newest ballpark, Elizabethtown Sports Park in KY from the Versus tourney on 9/20/20

Remote Viewing Surges for Youth Ballparks During Covid-19 Global Pandemic

When America’s favorite pastime was indefinitely paused at the start of Spring season in March, it changed everything for youth athletes and families across the country. Tournaments were cancelled. Venues closed their gates. By the end of June, the majority of ballparks in the HiCast Sports Network across nine states established return-to-play polices and welcomed teams back on their fields, but limited spectators in the stands and encouraged family members and fans to watch from home thanks to an automated video coverage solution provided by the HiCast Sports Network, a game-changing, subscription-based social broadcast company which allows youth athletes, coaches, families and fans to view live sporting events at top ballparks across the nation anywhere, anytime, on any device.

Todd Yancey, General Manager for Elizabethtown Sports Park in Kentucky, shares, “We had to go back to the drawing board like so many other people in terms of our operations. We were able to launch some of our baseball season. Our bleachers are closed, and spectators have to bring their own chairs and social distance around the diamonds. Now that we have HiCast in place, we’re excited to share the best view behind home plate with fans here at the park and watching from home.”

Field at Elizabethtown Sports Park in Elizabethtown, KY. Now during Covid-19 pandemic, bleachers are closed to spectators, but they can bring their own chairs and social distance along the fence line. Having the HiCast Sports app in hand, all fans can get a view behind the plate.

Co-founder and Chief Brand Officer for HiCast Sports Network, Stephanie Calabrese shares, “We’ve seen a rapid surge in viewership. Looking at 2020 vs 2019 game minutes viewed across our network, we saw a 20% increase in July and more than 100% increase in August. While our coverage has been a nice-to-have amenity for our ballpark partners, it’s now become a necessity. Fans expect to have remote game access and we’ve proven our ability to provide reliable video coverage for ballparks over the past several years. We’re poised to grow.”

The HiCast Sports Network was founded by two creative-minded parents and entrepreneurs, Robert Stribling and Stephanie Calabrese, located just outside the metro Atlanta area. Inspired to cover and preserve the moments that matter for their own young athletes, they teamed up with friends and family to invest in product development, acquired U.S. utility patents, and have steadily grown their network and user base to cover more than 100 ballfields and about 300,000 ballplayers across 11 states. They’ve finalized agreements with two more venues in Michigan and Colorado for installation prior to the start of spring season 2021 and expect more to follow as demand for their coverage increases.  

While parents and grandparents appreciate the ability to watch games live from home, their use often follows the lead of their players who use the HiCast Sports mobile app to watch their games back on-demand and save their favorite plays or hits from the game in the form of clips and highlight reels. HiCast subscriber and baseball dad Carlos Tariche’s son Tommy, a senior in high school who plays varsity and travel ball aspires to play for a D2 or D3 college, discovered HiCast initially. Carlos shares, “Tommy told me about the HiCast Sports app. When I took a look, I couldn’t believe how easy it was to figure out. I had a situation where I was working and my son had a game during the week, so I was able to air-play it to my Apple TV and watch the game. The quality was amazing. I’ve actually used some of those highlights to send to a couple of college coaches who were looking for film of him. It’s a valuable tool. We play in so many different places, it makes me wish that more venues had it.”

Bases loaded and a solid DP here. 3rd baseman Tommy Tariche to catcher Patrick Bartoletta to Christian DeRisi at 1st for Batting 1000 Seminoles 17/18U on 9/1/20 at Baseball Heaven. Shared by HiCast User and proud dad, Carlos Tariche.

While NCAA Division 1 coaches remain in their extended dead period for in-person recruiting through Jan 1, 2021, nearly 100 colleges from across the country including Columbia University, Princeton University, Rutgers University, University of Virginia, Vanderbilt University, and Yale University tuned in to watch players at Diamond Nation in New Jersey using the HiCast Sports Network. Diamond Nation General Manager Nick Massari shares, “We knew we had to do something to make sure kids playing in our tournaments had the best opportunity available for exposure. We created virtual roster packets for ten of our events this summer, and emailed them out with game schedules to our scouting list which includes coaches from colleges nationwide (mostly Division 1 schools) and all of the professional baseball teams to let them know we were streaming our games live and on-demand.”

At the ballpark, Diamond Nation shares listing of college and pro scouts watching players on-site and online through the HiCast Sports Network. Photo courtesy of Diamond Nation

Former professional ballplayer, Coach David Whigham, founder and owner of travel ball organization Delmarva Aces comprised of 42 teams across three states, and associate scout for the Baltimore Orioles, uses HiCast to support his players. He’s helped secure 99 college commits from his Aces program since 2016. David shares, “Because of my communications background, we do a lot with social media and video. For our kids, having social media followers watching their home run videos mean so much to them. You’d be surprised how many kids save those videos and will keep them forever to relive moments like that. The way everything is going, venues are going to rely on HiCast Sports even more than ever to try to capture the moments.”

Investing in the Youth Baseball Experience at Ballparks of America

We caught up with Springfield Mavericks coach and one of new owners of Ballparks of America in Branson Missouri, Paul Satterwhite. Paul, in partnership with three local businessmen from Springfield, MO (Greg Snider, Dale Helle, and Steve Strobel) purchased the complex in February 2020 and we’re excited to see this unique ballpark complex grow.

Here’s what Paul had to share in anticipation of the delayed start of their spring season:

What got him interested in Ballparks of America?

Paul Satterwhite and son Graham

Paul has coached his son’s team for about eight years now, serving as head coach for five of them in Springfield, Missouri which is about 45 minutes from Branson. When he first learned about the construction of Ballparks of America, he got excited, as the target age range (11U - 14U) would be a perfect fit for his son’s team, the Springfield Mavericks. They were among the first teams to play at the ballpark since it opened in 2017. In 2018, Paul’s son Graham made the Branson 12U team and played in the Cal Ripken Series 70 World Series at Ballparks of America, which was a highlight for his son and the entire family. The Mavericks have played 75-80 games at Ballparks of America thus far.

How have you used HiCast Sports Network at Ballparks of America as a dad and coach?

“We’ve had quite a bit of experience with HiCast footage. I’m an attorney by trade and I travel some. I haven’t missed many of my team’s games over the years, but I was traveling back from a conference I had to attend and I wasn’t going to make it back in time for their Friday night games. I was waiting for my flight at the Denver airport and I pulled up and watched all of our games on HiCast, texting my coach who was running the game between innings, and making suggestions. It’s a really good view of your pitchers and batters, and I thought it was a really neat experience. My own parents have been able to get on and watch games, and there’s extended family who use it to watch our team.”

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What inspired you to take ownership of this venue with your three partners?

 “A couple of reasons. One, we really understand the place. One of my partners, Greg Snider, also has sons who’ve played often at Ballparks of America. We both serve on the Board for the Springfield Mavericks organization, and we operated tournaments at Ballparks of America before getting involved on the ownership side.  As a result, we understand the operations side of it and what has made our tournaments great over the last couple of years.

We also understand some of the challenges there, especially with the size of the facility, and we have a ton of connections in Branson and the ability to really make what we believe to be a great product on a national level and also for the Branson community and southwest Missouri. We really wanted to put some energy behind it and it’s something I saw as a worthwhile endeavor. Of course, we didn’t see the fun that is this challenge we’re all facing as a country right now with COVID-19, but it’s one we believe we can overcome.”

What’s in store for the future of Ballparks of America?

“We’re in the process of bringing the existing facilities up to a higher level. It’s a pretty amazing facility to start out with. The dorms are an incredible experience for the kids. We’re putting in some more food options by adding a restaurant and a sit-down, air-conditioned area inside for folks to get out of the sun for a bit. We’re going to enhance some of the experiences on campus and add some parties in the evenings. We’re partnering with the best local event businesses in Branson to put on co-branded and exciting events to create a tourna-cation experience for kids and families. We want it to be seven days of lifelong memories. You might not remember the scores of the games but you’ll remember the memories you created with your child, your teammates and your family. That’s the goal, and that’s what we’re working hard at.”

With COVID-19 pause on play, what’s happening right now?

“We’re working with health officials and our government to understand what’s safe, but we’re continuing to move forward with an intention to play this summer. We’re taking a week-by-week approach on this and we’re not acting too quickly to cancel future events. We’re actually adding teams who lost their spring season and are looking to expand their summer experience. We’re going to try to give a month’s lead time on summer events so teams traveling from further out will have time to make a determinations. We’re communicating regularly with the teams. We’re going to look at what other opportunities are available and hope to expand our late summer and fall opportunities to maximize use of the facility.” 

Since our call with Paul, they’ve added four tournaments in August to help meet the growing summer demand for play. Teams from more than 30 states are signed up for tournaments from Memorial Day through Labor Day. 

“With the Cal Ripken World Series in August, we typically have ten international teams, but due to COVID-19, international teams will not attend this year. We’ll still have 20 national teams coming for the tournament August 6-15.”

How are you and your team working through this challenging time?

“I think it’s a great time for players to study the game, to watch older baseball games, watch people they see as heroes and see how they play. I think it’s a great time to work out. My own 13-year old son is making me jealous by the amount of time he’s been able to put in with his work outs, and I think he’s going to be in the best shape of his life by the time this ends. It’s a great time to get out and play catch with your dad or your sister in the back yard. Set up your tee and your nets, or your tennis ball in the garage. 

For coaches, I’m encouraging regular communication with your team. For us, most of that is happening through the Band app where we communicate through messaging and video to have a team experience there. Our club is putting out a video every other day to the kids with a work-out routine so they are all getting something that pushes them.”

Words of encouragement for ballplayers everywhere?

“Baseball is a game that we play that is a microcosm of life. Of all the sports that I’ve been involved in throughout my life, baseball is the quickest to take you to the top and take you to the bottom all at the same time. You can be the hero in one inning and the goat in the next. There are great life lessons to be learned from the game of baseball. And what we’re dealing with right now is just a period of adversity. It’s a challenge. We’re missing baseball because it’s become a central part of our life, but it will be back. Use this time to get closer to your family. If you are a person of faith, use this time to focus on that to help you see this as a opportunity to rise above the challenge.”

Photos provided by Paul Satterwhite and Springfield Mavericks

Delmarva Aces Family Scores Valuable Life Lessons

We caught up with David Whigham, owner, president and pitching coordinator for the Delmarva Aces and Baltimore Orioles associate scout, to learn more about his 42 Aces teams and find out how they’re staying motivated in spite of the COVID-19 virus pause on play. Here’s what he had to share:

What life experience has helped prepare you to stay motivated in challenging times?

David Whigham played college baseball at Guilford and Virginia Wesleyan, then went on to play professionally and in Australia, Austria, and Germany before returning home to Ocean City, Maryland in 2014. He’s no stranger to overcoming obstacles and maintaining a positive attitude. In 2009 at age 23 while playing for the El Paso Diablos in the American Association, an independent professional baseball league, David suffered a significant head injury on the field. 

“I was hit directly in the temple by a line drive while pitching in the fourth inning and woke up two weeks later. I had to have two emergency brain surgeries. It was a pretty turbulent point in my life and it really shook me up. I think that’s why I’ve been able to run the Aces the way that I have because having to experience something like that, nothing seems as troublesome as when I was lying in a hospital bed fighting for my life. ” 

What’s the story behind the Delmarva Aces?

David formed the Aces organization in 2014, basing it off the Melbourne Aces, an Australian baseball league where he had played. He started with 14 teams and has grown the organization to 42 teams in three states (Maryland, Delaware and Virginia) including nearly 500 players. Ages span 5-6 year-old-teams though high school showcase teams, college summer teams, men’s softball teams, and even a woman’s baseball team soon to come. You’ll find them playing at Sports at the Beach, Diamond Nation and Baseball Heaven.

“Our youngest player is five years old and our oldest player is 78. I played baseball in Australia for two years, and tried to bring that culture back of how they run it over here. Basically you start playing baseball from the time you’re in diapers until you can’t walk any more.”

“I really wanted to change the culture of travel ball. I’m an old school guy and I believe in a lot of old school techniques. I like keeping my hands in recruiting and we do a lot of stuff with our community. We give scholarships out to kids. We did an equipment drop where we uniformed and equipped players in Uganda. We’re actively involved in getting the kids different types of opportunities in the community. We’re trying to build a person instead of just a player.” 

Tell us about scouting and recruiting.

David began scouting amateur baseball players for the Baltimore Orioles in 2018. Several Aces players have been scouted by Major League organizations including the Orioles, and he’s helped secure 99 college commits from his Aces program since 2016. 

“I’m all about trying to find the perfect fit for a player’s skills across all levels of college and junior college ball. I start the process early and spend a lot of time talking about recruiting. Travel ball has been so geared around the D1 or bust mentality, but a lot of kids find themselves in bad scenarios when they get to college or it just wasn’t the right fit for them and they learn too late that the school wasn’t the best spot.”

How have you used our HiCast Sports Network?

“Because of my communications background, we do a lot with social media and video. We’re very familiar with HiCast. For our kids, having social media followers watching their home run videos mean so much to them. We have our players submitting videos showing us how they’re staying active at home. One kid submitted a HiCast video of himself hitting a home run last year and tripping over third base and falling in the mud. It was pretty cool and the kids loved it. Then after he sent it, another kid sends in his HiCast video of him tripping over third base in the same spot at the same venue. You’d be surprised how many kids save those videos and will keep them forever to relive moments like that.”

TJ Morris of Delmarva Aces 14U East Blooper Rounding 3rd

“The way everything is going, venues are going to rely on HiCast Sports even more than ever to try to capture the moments. People can re-watch their games, and scout other teams. It’s really freaking awesome. For a large organization like ours, there are so many active and moving parts during the season. One thing people tend to not do very well is to capture these important moments so we can share them with each other.”

How are you and your team working through this challenging time?

“Our winter academy, which begins in November and ends in March, had just ended when Maryland issued a state of emergency. We got really lucky to complete it, even though training came to a screeching halt. Some of our teams are actually running online practices now through Zoom. We offered a complimentary two-week academy once this thing clears to get the kids back in shape. I’ve formed connections with local tournament venues to do weekly contests (like a scavenger hunt crossword puzzle about Aces history) where the winning team that is first to submit wins free tournament entry. 

The hardest thing right now is to keep people engaged. Everybody’s feeling frustrated but we really have a resilient family. We have a slogan without our program called “One Family.” We’re doing things to try to keep everybody together. I’m on 32 telephone chats and I like being a part of all of the conversations.”

What encouragement can you share with ballplayers everywhere?

“We’re learning a lot about ourselves during this time. I think that everybody is going to be so much more thankful… just for everything in their life after all of this is gone. It’s a learning experience. Just think when you get back on the field, how good that’s going to feel. Would it have felt that good if we didn’t have to go through this hard time? After my head injury and the stuff I went through, it changed my perspective. 

I think players are going to be so much more appreciative of the opportunity their parents give them, stuff like HiCast Sports technology gives them, opportunities that they were given that has now been taken away from them. I think you’re going to see a much more appreciative culture out of this. Hopefully that lesson is something they can take with them throughout their baseball career and life.”

Solving the Umpire Shortage in Youth Sports Requires a Team Approach

February 14, 2020 – HiCast Sports Network co-founders Stephanie Calabrese and Robert Stribling recently attended the Grand Slam Tournaments annual meeting in Panama City Beach, Florida. It was a unique opportunity for us to spend time with tournament organizers across the southeast and to learn ways in which we can come together as a youth baseball/softball community to support each other and the game we love. 

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Marty Clark at Diamond Nation. Photo provided by Diamond Nation

One of the topics raised by Larry Thompson, Grand Slam Tournaments Owner/CEO, was concern over the shortage of umpires and challenges in recruiting (particularly young adults) as the national average age of baseball officials has risen to 54. We know travel baseball has experienced explosive growth over the past several years, but have we looked closely at the impact on our officials? We’ve heard and seen verbal abuse from coaches and fans cited as a contributing factor to the umpire shortage, but what other factors are at play? And most importantly, what can each of us do to help solve the problem?

To get better insight and advice, we reached out to three of the top UICs (Umpire in Chief) in youth baseball across the country, each with more than three decades of experience officiating  and educating officials, and the founder of UmpireBible.com to hear what they had to say. We hope their perspectives give you an inside look at the challenges we face as a youth sports community, and inspire you to think about ways you can be part of the solution. 

Our contributors:

James Jesse, Vice President (Umpires) for Grand Slam Tournaments (GS), leads corporate oversight of all GS umpires and directly manages a team of 60 umpires in Atlanta, Georgia. Jesse played baseball for many years, served in the U.S. Army for 15 years, and began officiating 32 years ago.

Marty Clark, Umpire in Chief (UIC) and Tournament Director for Diamond Nation, became an umpire 44 years ago, inspired by his older brother AL who went on to become an MLB umpire. Marty has worked with Diamond Nation in Flemington, NJ for the past ten years where he manages a staff of 95 umpires.

John Turner, founder of Central Georgia Umpires lead a staff of 100 umpires officiating games at East Cobb Baseball (ECB) Complex and surrounding venues in Marietta, Georgia. He began officiating 38 years ago, working under his father who ran the umpire association for the organization where John grew up playing baseball. He was an official at the NCAA level for one year and served more than 10 years at the high school level. John is currently officiating baseball in Toronto, Canada.

Nick Gattuccio, founder of UmpireBible.com, created this resource five years ago to support umpires, coaches and fans in their knowledge of the rules of baseball in plain speak. A retired technical writer for Microsoft, he served as a youth sports umpire for 18 years in the Seattle, WA area. Nick blends these skills to help improve our understanding of the game.

What’s driving the shortage of umpires in youth sports?

More games. And better job opportunities with less harassment and risk.

“I don’t really think there’s a shortage of officials. Maybe there are too many games being played,” shares John Turner with a laugh. With the reduction of local league play and the dramatic growth in travel teams and tournament organizations over the past several years, we’re experiencing a dramatic increase in the quantity of games being played. For example, a national championship tournament to be held at East Cobb Baseball Complex this summer will bring in more than 250 teams and offer a 7-game minimum. That’s 1750 games or 3,500 umpire spots during a 7-day timeframe. Before the dawn of travel ball, a local league team typically played just 2-3 games per week for a three-month spring season. So while the  demand for more baseball games has increased, we’ve outpaced the growth rate of umpires joining the ranks.

“There is a shortage of umpires,” says John Turner, “That is a true statement, but to say that we’re having a hard time recruiting umpires just because parents are abusive is a scapegoat. Travel organizations need to help drive umpire recruiting and retention with dollars and cents. Going back 35 years ago, I played baseball in high school and then got in to officiating. For most of us at that time, if you didn’t play in college or professionally, there were very few avenues for you to continue with baseball other than officiating. There’s less of a need to officiate to stay involved in the game today, because young adults can continue to play in amateur leagues or pursue opportunities as coaches or administrators within the travel ball industry. Young adults have so many other part-time job opportunities before them now to earn more money with less hassle.”

Central Georgia Umpires in training at East Cobb Baseball Complex. Photo © Stephanie Calabrese

And risk. If a game is rained out, the umpire doesn’t get paid. If tournament schedules get behind or delayed by weather conditions, the umpire spends more time at the ballpark without extra compensation. Couple that with the need for umpires to secure secondary insurance to help cover their liabilities not only for injuries, but disputes on their calls… and choosing to pursue a part-time job as an umpire is a tough call.

Does age matter when it comes to our community of umpires?

Maybe. The average age of 17,000 officials responding to the National Association of Sports Officials survey (NASO) Survey in 2017 was 52 years old. Of the 6562 baseball officials surveyed, the average age was 54.

James Jesse has been successful in recruiting and training younger umpires. The average age of his Georgia team of umpires is 35. “How you treat the individual, how you work with them, and how you pay them is going to determine if they are willing to stay with you long term,” shares Jesse. 44 umpires of his 60-person team of umpires have been working with him for more than 10 years. 

Marty Clark shares that the average age of his 95-person team of umpires is about 40 as he tends to hire umpires who already have 3-5 years of experience because of the high level of play at Diamond Nation, a ballpark that regularly attracts college recruiters from around the country. Marty also officiates for high schools and emphasized that umpire recruiting has been particularly challenging. “At the high school level, we are drowning for officials. We see retirees coming in to officiate, but it’s tough to recruit college age officials partly because they don’t want to deal with the parents.”

Diamond Nation umpire at work. Photo © Stephanie Calabrese

Nick Gattuccio adds, “There’s increasing hostility directed at umpires. I ran a junior umpire program for a league in the Seattle area and it was difficult to retain kids because you put a teenager on the field with an alpha male coach, and it’s a really difficult thing to ask of a kid. The kids quit. They don’t want to put up with it. Even adult umpires have difficulty. You need a thick skin, but even with a thick skin, after a while it begins to wear down.”

How much of a problem is umpire abuse from coaches and parents?

It’s big. But, let’s also look at some underlying challenges that might contribute to this.

According to the NASO 2017 survey, the majority of baseball officials surveyed (59%) stated that sportsmanship is getting worse particularly at the youth competitive level of play (37%) over the youth recreational level (16%) and even high school level (11%) – pointing the finger at parents (41%), rather than coaches (29%) or players (8%) as the source of the problems.

Marty Clark adds, “It’s a challenge for my umpires – to ignore (abuse) as much as they can until they can’t ignore it anymore. A human being can only be yelled at for so long without taking action. And we have a policy in place to take care of things of that nature.”

Grand Slam and Diamond Nation both have an Umpire-in-Chief on site during tournaments, citing this as a critical element in keeping things cool in a heated environment. If there is a discrepancy on the field between a coach and an umpire, the UIC can be there to provide support and an objective perspective on the rule and the call. It gives the coach an opportunity to express their concern to a senior level umpire who was not involved in the call. This helps coaches develop confidence in the  officiating of a tournament and respect for one another. Last year Diamond Nation hosted more than 6,000 games and had just 12 ejections.

John Turner believes that abuse from coaches and fans would be less of an issue if tournament organizers are hiring well-trained and more experienced umpires. He shares, “I consider myself one of the better officials and as a general rule, when I walk off a ball field, parents tell me ‘We’re glad you’re here. We can tell that you know what you’re doing and you’ve put in the effort to be good at this, and thanks.’ If umpires would do the backend work of going to clinics, learning the systems and the mechanics to officiate correctly, and really be a true steward of the game and commit to it, the abuse from parents would be less of an issue.”

John Turner leading a Central Georgia Umpire clinic at East Cobb Baseball Complex. Photo © Stephanie Calabrese

Often times, due to the increasing growth rate of tournaments and games, UICs are pushed to place two less experienced umpires on a field together, which can lead to challenges. James Jesse shares, “If I ever put a junior-level umpire on a field, I always place him or her with a senior-level umpire. When I train the junior officials, I don’t let them work the plate until I am confident they can work the plate. Not all tournament organizations do this as some are much more focused on increasing their team numbers for tournaments and less focused on the quality of officiating games. Less experienced officials put in this challenging position can lead to complaints from coaches on the field.”

If we want top-notch officials, who pays the price?

We all need to step up to the plate.

The majority of umpires on your ball fields are independent contractors who are paid on a game-by-game basis and work in affiliation with one or more tournament organizations, leagues or venues hosting their own tournaments. Each umpire is responsible for covering and tracking their own expenses such as uniforms, a chest protector, plate shoes, travel expenses, insurance, meals and background checks; and they invest their own time for clinics and evaluations.

For most umpires you see on travel baseball/softball fields, officiating is a second, part-time job for them and an opportunity to earn some extra income while staying involved in a game they have loved most of their lives. The National Association of Sports Officials 2017 survey backs this up citing that the vast majority of its respondents got into officiating “For the love of the game” and most continue to officiate for three reasons: 1. to monitor newer officials, 2. to challenge themselves, and 3. to stay fit. James Jesse shares that many of his umpires are educators and some junior-level umpires are college students who have more flexible time in the summer to work games for some extra income when travel tournaments really start to heat up.

The UICs we talked to shared that umpires are paid by the game. An umpire officiating a 13U and up game typically earns $50-65 per game; a 12U and down game will bring in less; and a one-hour coach-pitch game will earn $25-30 per game. So, consider that an umpire officiating three 13U games at $50 per game on Saturday in 90-degree heat and two games on Sunday in drizzling rain will earn $250 for 10 hours of his time on the field, excluding wait time between games, and travel time to the ballpark.

John Turner shares, “The independent contractor model is part of what has caused our industry some problems. We as umpires haven’t really had a true advocate for us. The price of umpire gear has gone up every year for the last 20 years. In 1998, I bought a new chest protector for $90. That same chest protector now is a minimum of $150. And yet tournament organizers still want to pay us $50-60 per game. At some point, for someone officiating as a side job, it becomes difficult to justify. If it’s not going to financially benefit someone to the point that they think it’s worth it, they’re going to stop doing it and it’s going to be difficult to recruit others.”

What about college officials? The New York Times reports that, “Though compensation varies depending on the college conference, baseball umpires working in Division 1 can earn about $400 a game and mileage, lodging and a modest per diem. John Turner adds, “You’re not going to get an umpire who’s used to making $400 per game in the college season to come work youth tournaments for $60 per game in the summer. I think the way to fix the problem is to raise the rates.”

Are there opportunities to help umpires reduce their expenses? 

Likely. Maybe you can help.

We here at HiCast Sports Network are doing our part by offering free Monthly Passes to all officials through our venue partners and tournament organizer relationships. Providing HiCast Sports at no cost to umpires at ballparks within our network can only help improve umpire training and the quality of games across our entire network.

John Turner leading a Central Georgia Umpire clinic at East Cobb Baseball Complex. Photo © Stephanie Calabrese

John Turner who’s been officiating baseball just outside of Toronto, Canada for the last few years, suggests that the U.S. officiating community can learn from Canada’s centralized background check approach. Nationally all recreational baseball is governed by Baseball Canada. “In the U.S. there’s a push to do state-by-state background checks on officials, which I completely support. But if you are a multi-sport official, you’ve got to pay for a background check for each of the sports.” Peopletrail, a company that provides such background checks, charges $70 for the first sport, $20 for the second sport, and $15 for each additional sport. John adds, “Here in Canada, I can do one background check and it’s good for all of Canada, for all sports.”

Aside from abuse on the field, what’s the biggest challenge for an umpire? 

Continuing to improve their own game, while educating players, coaches and fans on the fly.

Marty Clark shares, “Most umpires I know want to be perfect. They have a lot of self pride. They study the rule book. They go to classes. We’re always talking about how to become better. Everybody who does this, even though it’s not their profession as much as a vocation, wants to do the best they can day in and day out because they love the game.

So the challenge is to get better every day and to learn from the mistakes. Honestly, that’s where HiCast Sports comes in, especially with positioning. Over the past couple of years we’ve been using it here at Diamond Nation. I’m able to bring up a video to show them where they were and then we can talk about it, or I can look at a particular field at a certain time to evaluate a play in question. HiCast has become a very good teaching and accountability tool for us.”

James Jesse shares that educating the players, coaches and parents (to a degree) the rules of the game while the game is in progress and emotions are high can be challenging. “If there is a situation where a coach might question a call, it’s our job to help them understand the rules in a respectful way and without embarrassing them. Coaches are doing their best to represent their team in a high pressure environment and parents are watching them. Parents expect their coaches to advocate for their team and we understand that. It’s important that we not make the coach look bad even if they don’t understand the rule.”

What can players, coaches and fans do to improve the situation?

Adjust your actions based on the umpire’s calls, show respect, and know the rules.

James Jesse shares, “If I’m calling low strikes, what does that mean? Step up in the box. If I’m calling high strikes, move back in the box. As the umpire, I’m not going to adjust my calls because I’m trying to remain consistent. If I did, I’d be criticized for being all over the place.” It’s the coach’s job to adjust the actions of their players based on the umpire’s calls. 

And think before you speak (or yell)! Know the rules governing your game. James Jesse shares, “Playing the game and coaching the game are two different things. Playing the game, coaching the game, and officiating the game are three different things.” And to keep it interesting, different organizations play by different rules. Grand Slam Tournaments and Diamond Nation follow National Federation of High School Rules. USSSA plays by Official Baseball Regulations (OBR), and while the majority of the rules are the same, about 10% of the rules are different. That 10% might distinguish what the rule is for a balk for example.

Marty Clark at Diamond Nation. Photo provided by Diamond Nation

Marty Clark adds, “Each rule is not just black and white. You can rule a number of different ways on each individual play depending on the definition of what transpired. For instance I had a mother yelling at an umpire last year about a player running out of the baseline. And the umpire was 100% correct because every time a player turns to go in a different direction in a run-down situation, he creates a new baseline. And the mother didn’t understand that. When I spoke to her to explain the rule, she just said, ‘Oh, I didn’t know that.’ Education and knowledge is a very powerful thing.”

John Turner suggests, “Knowing the rules would cure more than half of what goes on with parents screaming at umpires. We have to ask ourselves what life skills are we teaching our kids. Some of it is humility. It’s understanding that you are as much an influence on the team as you are in the dugout or the clubhouse as you are on the field. The same is true for parents. Rather than yell at the umpire, the best thing you can do for your kid, is to show them how to respect others, rise above adversity, and take the initiative to educate yourself on the game.”

* * *

Learn the Rules:

Umpire Bible: www.umpirebible.com – a website for new and developing umpires of amateur baseball, as well as for players, coaches, and fans who want to enhance their command of the rules of baseball. You’ll find NFHS and OBR rule differences, rule myths and more. 

2020 Changes to the National Federation of High Schools Rule Book: https://www.nfhs.org/sports-resource-content/baseball-rules-changes-2020/

Teaming Up for the 2018 Triple Crown US Club Nationals

We're excited and getting ready for the third annual Triple Crown US Club Nationals on July 24-28, 2018 to be hosted at East Cobb Baseball Complex, our venue partner in Marietta, GA.

Triple Crown Sports has offered exclusive invitations to the country's most highly skilled and rigorously organized baseball clubs to compete in this unique national event. Each club will send 4-6 teams, ages 9u-14u. The individual teams will compete in their division for the age-group title, but the final standings in all divisions will be factored into determining the Organization National Champion.

Last year, travel ball founder Guerry Baldwin and his East Cobb Baseball organization (Georgia) claimed the overall crown, winning age group titles in 12u and 14u. Five Stars Tigers (Florida) won the 9u, 10u and 11u championships, and the Dallas Tigers (Texas) took first place in 13u. (You'll find scenes from the games in our hype video above.)

This year, you'll find 1000 athletes competing for the crown from 13 baseball organizations from around the country including:

6-4-3 DP Baseball (Georgia)

Canes (North Carolina)

Central Alabama Nationals (Alabama)

Dallas Patriots (Texas)

Dallas Raiders (Texas)

Dallas Tigers (Texas)

Dirtbags Baseball (North Carolina)

East Cobb Baseball (Georgia)

Five Star Tigers (Florida)

Georgia Bombers (Georgia)

Lone Star Baseball Club (Texas)

SBA Canes (North Carolina)

Slammers (Colorado)

Select games will be televised on ESPN 3, but you catch all the games live and on-demand on your mobile device or computer in our HiCast Sports Network. Sign up for your free 1-hour trial: http://www.hicastsports.com/triplecrown

Share your 4th of July Week Highlights for a chance to win a FREE 1-Year PASS!

Just tag and share your Moments That Matter™ in our HiCast Feed within the app starting Sunday, July 1st through Sunday, July 8th and you're automatically entered to win. 

We'll pick 1 Hot Highlight of the Day each day and you'll win a free 1-Year Pass to watch all the games live and on-demand in our HiCast Sports Network for the next 365 days.

Catch the winners right here and in our Facebook and Instagram feeds so give us a follow and bring your best game this week!

Here's your 4th of July Week Lineup of Tourneys Across our Network

Ballparks of America – Nations Hometown Heroes Salute & Stars & Stripes Showdown

Baseball Heaven – Independence Weekend Championship, All American Invitational and Girls Fast Pitch All American Invitational

Baseball USA Powered by Marucci – Rawlings Summer Championships & Fireworks Festival

Diamond Nation – Garden State Invitational 16U, Finch's Aces Stars & Stripes,  Independence Weekend Firecrackers & DN Youth World Series 9U-11U

East Cobb Baseball Complex – Auburn University Showcase, Perfect Game 17U & 16U WWBA, Training Legends World Series, CABA World Series 12U

Shipyard Park – Showcase Tourney

Sports at the Beach – Firecracker Four-Day Classic, Clash of the Titans

Tyger River Sports Complex – TCS/SC Bandits Hot Times Classic Showcase

Charleston Press Spotlights HiCast Sports Network & Shipyard Park

Big thanks to NBC News 2 (WCBD) Sports anchor/reporter Brianne Welch and Charleston Post & Courier Sports Reporter Jeff Hartsell for sharing stories about our partnership and coverage for The Shipyard Park is the southeast's only waterfront ballpark. Along the Wando River in Mt Pleasant, SC, you'll find teams from all over the country coming to play in tournaments and showcases organized by the ballpark and event organizers including Game Day USA, Top Gun Sports, Prep Baseball Report, Carolina Prospects, and Atlantic Coast Baseball. 

Watch the Story - https://www.counton2.com/sports/local-sports/hicast-sports-network-comes-to-shipyard-park/1254437662

Read the Story – https://www.postandcourier.com/sports/can-t-make-junior-s-baseball-game-there-s-an/article_80d38fb0-7589-11e8-8b90-3b233a28f499.html

The Shipyard Park Joins the HiCast Sports Network

HiCast Sports Network, a game-changing, subscription-based social broadcast company which allows youth athletes, their coaches, families and friends to view sporting events at top venues across the nation anywhere, anytime, on any device, is proud to announce Shipyard Park as a new venue partner.

Shipyard Park is the Southeast’s only waterfront baseball complex.  The 20-acre facility includes five fields located in Charleston, South Carolina.  The premier athletic facility, built by Harbor Contracting and owned by Detyens Shipyards, sits on the banks of the Wando River at the company’s old shipyard site that was shuttered in 2006.  Shipyard Park includes a 17,500 square foot climate-controlled training facility containing retractable batting cages, and basketball &  volleyball court capabilities.  Other highlights include three youth-size fields and two collegiate-size fields and top-of-the-line AstroTurf® specifically designed for baseball play, true bounces and natural speed of the game. The fields are also to host soccer, field hockey, and lacrosse games.

HiCast Sports Network, a game-changing, subscription-based social broadcast company which allows youth athletes, their coaches, families and friends to view sporting events at top venues across the nation anywhere, anytime, on any device, is proud to announce Shipyard Park as a new venue partner.

Shipyard Park is the Southeast’s only waterfront baseball complex.  The 20-acre facility includes five fields located in Charleston, South Carolina.  The premier athletic facility, built by Harbor Contracting and owned by Detyens Shipyards, sits on the banks of the Wando River at the company’s old shipyard site that was shuttered in 2006.  Shipyard Park includes a 17,500 square foot climate-controlled training facility containing retractable batting cages, and basketball &  volleyball court capabilities.  Other highlights include three youth-size fields and two collegiate-size fields and top-of-the-line AstroTurf® specifically designed for baseball play, true bounces and natural speed of the game. The fields are also to host soccer, field hockey, and lacrosse games.

HiCast offers an automated, turnkey video technology solution for venue owners and managers who want to provide the ultimate player and fan experience, reach more viewers, engage with fans beyond their stands through shared game highlights via social media, support coaching and player development, and better manage their facility. The HiCast Sports Network installs and maintains a fixed, remote-monitored video camera solution that delivers games live and on-demand. Users get to experience game content not covered by traditional media outlets, and delivered through the HiCast Sports mobile app or web viewer. The app makes it easy for users to not only see the whole game, but to save, trim, zoom and share their Moments That Matter™ in the form of clips or highlight reels in the HiCast youth sports social network and beyond. 

“In today’s fast paced instant gratification world, HiCast Sports Network has solved the age old problem of time and space,” said Bradley J. Kerr, Sales & Marketing Director, Detyens Shipyards. “While we can’t always be there for every ballgame our loved ones play, HiCast and their venue partners have made the virtual viewing experience priceless and emotionally gratifying. Now, nobody has to miss out.”

“We’re bringing families and friends together around sporting events no matter where they are located. With HiCast, no one has to miss that great catch or grand slam and we now have a platform to build up our young athletes and celebrate these Moments That Matter™ together,” said Stephanie Calabrese, HiCast co-founder and chief brand officer. 

HiCast Sports Network operates with a robust network of partners (venues) and promoters (sporting leagues and event organizers) with which they cultivate win-win relationships and share up to 25% of net revenue. Currently, the HiCast Sports Network covers hundreds of thousands of athletes playing on more than 100 baseball and softball fields at premier venues in Delaware, Georgia, Louisiana, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, South Carolina and Texas.

Why Diamond Nation Joined the HiCast Sports Network

Diamond Nation in Flemington, NJ, home to the nationally-renowned Jack Cust Baseball Academy and Jennie Finch Softball Academy, is one of the top ballparks in America offering the ultimate player and fan experience for more than 3,000 teams each year. See how they're using the HiCast Sports Network to increase exposure for athletes across the country with recruiters and sharing HiCast highlights to boost the confidence of their athletes and their social media engagement with fans worldwide. And put your eyes on Diamond Jacks Super 16 player Stephen Reid who's already committed to play ball for Georgia Tech. We're proud to cover Diamond Nation.

How Baseball Heaven is Winning with the HiCast Sports Network

Meet our partners at Baseball Heaven, General Manager Frank Zataglio and Travel Team Director and Coach Steve Hassan, and a few of our HiCast Sports subscribers in Yaphank, NY to hear what they have to say about the HiCast Sports Network. At Baseball Heaven, we're covering games for nearly 3,000 teams each year not only in the northeast region, but across the country. Host to the National Youth Baseball Championship for the second year, this iconic ballpark is second to none. We're proud to cover Baseball Heaven.

HiCast Sports Network to Cover the National Youth Baseball Championships at Baseball Heaven

The 10th Annual National Youth Baseball Championships (NYBC) kicks off its Championship Week starting today, July 22 at Baseball Heaven in Yaphank, NY (Long Island) for a major league tournament experience, and ending with championship games for each age division on Saturday, July 29 and Sunday, July 30. 

In its 10th year, the NYBC is bringing together the best of the best youth travel baseball players from 9U-14U age divisions representing 70 teams from 14 states across America. Each team had to earn a bid to compete in this final week of championship games by way of NYBC Qualifiers that occurred March - July throughout the US. 

Nathan Clinkenbeard, Communications Manager for Steel Sports, shares, “It all comes down to providing the ultimate tournament for these players and families to experience… beyond the games, we’re providing opening ceremonies, skills competitions, a home run derby and Friday is our big festival day. We understand the time and financial commitment these families make to come to New York for a week and we just want to give back, and celebrate these young athletes and families for all the hard work they put it all season long.”

NYBC was founded in 2008 by former Chicago White Sox vice chairman and minority owner former Eddie Einhorn. His vision was to give youth travel baseball athletes a platform to showcase their skills. Steel Sports expanded the NYBC to include more age groups. “We want to give these players that unique opportunity to play for a national audience. While we get a lot of hype around our 12 games to be televised by CBS Sports, the great news is that ALL of our games at Baseball Heaven will be covered by HiCast Sports Network,” said Clinkenbeard.

How does NYBC feel about HiCast Sports Network putting game highlights in the hands of players and fans at Baseball Heaven? Clinkenbeard answers, “These kids love being able to see their highlights and we love sharing them too in our NYBC social media. Getting exposure for a great hit or a big play is everything to them. These are the future stars. You’ll see many of these players in Major League Baseball one day.”

Catch the entire tournament live or on-demand July 25 - 30 on the HiCast Sports Network. Start your free trial here: http://www.hicastsports.com/baseballheaven

Triple Crown Sports Teams Up with HiCast Sports Network to Bring Families Across America Together on One Playing Field

Triple Crown Sports will host its second annual US Club Nationals at legendary East Cobb Baseball Complex in Marietta, Georgia on July 18 - 22, bringing together 12 baseball clubs from across the country and one from Canada representing 900 youth athletes from 9U to 14U age divisions to compete for coveted championship titles. Even though each of the teams will be competing in their own age divisions, they’ll be earning points for their clubs. Triple Crown Sports will crown one club the overall champion at the closing ceremonies to be held at The Battery Atlanta and SunTrust Park (home of the Atlanta Braves) on July 22.

Joe Santilli, Executive Director of Baseball for Triple Crown Sports, shares “The geographic representation is phenomenal. We limit how many clubs we invite from each region. Our criteria is not just performance on the field. We invite clubs that are highly competitive and highly organized. They’ll be 10-16 games in each division, but because of the high caliber of play, you know every game is going to be a good one.” Clubs represented in this year’s event include:

• Alabama – Central Alabama Nationals
• California – South Bay Surf
• Colorado – Slammers Baseball
• Florida – Five Star Tigers
• Georgia – 6-4-3 DB Baseball, Georgia Bombers and East Cobb Baseball
• North Carolina – EvoShield Canes
• Oregon – Mound Time Baseball
• Texas – Dallas Patriots and Dallas Tigers
• Virginia – Tidewater Drillers
• Ontario, Canada – Fieldhouse Pirates

Triple Crown Sports selected East Cobb Baseball Complex to host the US Club Nationals because of the park’s reputation. “It’s a beautiful facility. Well kept. The East Cobb Baseball organization is legendary in travel baseball. And what we saw last year with the HiCast Sports Network at East Cobb Baseball Complex was just great. It enhanced the experience,” shared Santilli. True to their core value of putting “Family First,” Triple Crown Sports goes beyond the competition on the field to create a fun experience for the whole family including tickets to an Atlanta Braves game and tours at the new SunTrust Park and entertainment at The Battery Atlanta.

“Triple Crown Sports is about building memories. And our events are all about providing those moments that will give someone a lifelong memory. When I was originally involved as a coach with Triple Crown Sports, I still have these crystal clear memories in my head of teams that I coached in the Steam Boat World Series, but HiCast is actually capturing those memories. So no matter how clear it is in my head, no matter how I explain these memories to someone, it’s never going to be the same. HiCast makes it possible for someone to save and actually show it to someone. Triple Crown Sports is creating the event for these memories to happen, and HiCast is capturing them, which is just a great addition and a great partnership for us.”

Catch the entire tournament live or on-demand July 18-22 on the HiCast Sports Network using your mobile device or computer and use our HiCast Sports mobile app to save and share your favorite highlights from the tournament. Championship Games for 13U and 14U will also be televised on ESPN3.

East Cobb Baseball on the HiCast Sports Network

We're proud to partner with East Cobb Baseball Complex where we're covering their nationally-ranked East Cobb Baseball teams and travel ball tournaments lead by Triple Crown Sports, Perfect Game, CABA and Travel Ball Select hosted at this legendary ballpark in Marietta, Georgia.

Documenting a Day at East Cobb Baseball Complex

Guerry Baldwin, founder of East Cobb Baseball Complex

We sure loved documenting a day at East Cobb Baseball Complex. ECB is the legendary, nationally-recognized youth baseball program and facility lead by founder Guerry Baldwin with support from his top-notch staff including Director of Baseball Operations, Jamie Crane. 

"Do we have really good players? We do. Have we had a lot who have done incredibly well? We have. But it's also about kids having fun with the game, and getting better no matter what their level is." – Guerry Baldwin

Wishing BIG luck to Caleb Reis, 16-year old athlete for the ECB Astros. Catcher, pitcher and first baseman. Super impressed with this young man who spent time with us yesterday. His high school team, Mt. Bethel Christian Academy, will play in the State Championship game at ECB this Monday night.

We can't wait to share the video story with you! And we sure are proud to have ECB among our partners.

Caleb Reis, ECB Astros 16U, catcher, pitcher and first baseman

Jamie Crane, Director of Baseball Operations at East Cobb Baseball Complex