HiCast Sports Network Delivers Video Coverage for the Nation’s #1 Volleyball Club

Southern Volleyball Showcase on December 5, 2020

HiCast Sports Network is proud to announce a partnership with the #1 nationally-ranked A5 Volleyball Club (out of ~5,000 clubs in the U.S.) and the addition of live and on-demand video coverage for the A5 Sportsplex in Roswell, Georgia. We kicked off coverage on Saturday, December 5 for the 2020 Southern Volleyball Showcase, a 12-year running annual exposure event that attracted more than 350 registered college coaches to watch 546 of the best volleyball players from 25 states demonstrate their skills.

Due to the extended Division I (DI) dead period and travel concerns imposed by the Covid-19 pandemic, on-site attendance at the A5 Sportsplex for D2 and D3 coaches was limited this year. Less than 30 coaches (down from 100-150 last year) attended the event on-site, but thanks to live-streaming provided by HiCast Sports Network, more than 2,100 viewers tuned in to watch the event live safely from home. Livestream access and effective marketing by A5 this year contributed to a 45% increase in showcase player participation, attracting them to the A5 Sportsplex from more than double the number of states over 2019.

On the decision to partner with HiCast Sports Network, A5 founder and chairman of the board, Bob Westbrook, shares, “With everything being colored by the turbulent landscape that we currently operate on, the first question we had to answer was ‘Are we going to have a showcase?’ and the next question was, ‘If we did, how will it look?” That lead us to the fact that it had to be digital, so the next question was ‘Who can do that?’ We talked to a couple of companies and made a leap to work with HiCast who had never done anything to this magnitude. Very little of this had been done in the volleyball club sports world. It was a leap of faith on all of our parts that these were the right people, that we had the right facility, that we could employ the technology and make the grid interactive and that it would work for the college coaches and parents. We knew that if we did it well, it would set the standard for a platform we’d continue to use in the future, but if we failed, we’d miss that opportunity. Everybody knocked it out of the park. HiCast and our team did a remarkable job.”

Photo Credit: A5 Volleyball

To provide comprehensive coverage on all 11 courts at A5 Sportsplex, HiCast Sports Network installed two automated, fixed cameras discreetly over the baselines on each court, providing optimal views for all players. For the Southern Volleyball Showcase, HiCast Sports worked with A5 to create a custom web-based user interface, giving college coaches a player directory with quick links to find and follow individual players (wearing numbered jerseys) through three waves of play (9am, 12pm and 3pm) across the 22 views on 11 courts. A5 had the ability to immediately update player data through the event with support from the HiCast Sports team. The pace and tempo of the showcase and the simplicity and efficiency of the interactive functionality HiCast Sports created really set this A5 college showcase apart from others. Couple that with on-demand access to the event for up to three months to attract even more college coaches who can view the results roster provided by A5 and study video footage whenever it’s most convenient for them, and the solution is a win-win.

A5 Club Director and coach, Gabe Armamian, shares, “It was revolutionary. Nothing like this had really been done before at this level and all the feedback that we got from players to families and college coaches was just outstanding. It was definitely a turning point for us and the way showcases can be done.”

Beyond access for college coaches, HiCast Sports introduced the start of live coverage for A5 Sportsplex to families and fans as a free trial on the day of the event, and now offer subscribers the option to view that footage on-demand, as well as all upcoming practices and events live or on-demand at A5 Sportsplex. Gabe goes on to share, “The ability to watch from your home is so impactful. Kids have relatives that live in different states and even countries, and now they can watch them perform. HiCast will have a profound impact for our families. It’s extraordinary.” Using the HiCast Sports mobile app for iOS, subscribers can save and share highlights from the footage for personal use and work with A5 to create custom highlight reels for college recruiting purposes.

At A5, Gabe envisions coaches watching HiCast footage on-demand with players to help improve their game. “Being able to review and see what players need to change is paramount to their development. They have to do it when they get to college. Watching film is about a quarter of all time spent when it comes to developing your skills so learning that at an early age is important. Having the ability to go back and review their practice or game is a critical aspect of how they continue to find success with their technique and skill set,” shares Gabe.

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“Volleyball is among the fastest growing youth sports in the country and it’s an honor for us to partner with A5 Volleyball Club. While our coverage has been focused on baseball and softball thus far, we’re excited to expand our solution across a variety of playing fields and surfaces to meet the increasing demands of remote viewers,” shares Stephanie Calabrese, co-founder and chief brand officer for HiCast Sports Network. The 2020 State of Play report by Aspen Institute Project Play states that there are 2M+ volleyball players ages 6-17 who participate in the sport on a regular basis and shows 8% growth in 2019 participation for youth ages 13-17 over 2018. There are 1,000+ NCAA volleyball teams across Division I, II and III colleges.

A5 Volleyball Club, formed in 2004 as a 501-C(3) organization, coaches more than 1,000 players ages 7-18 spanning ~90 number of teams (excluding the sand volleyball program) across three locations in Georgia including Roswell, Suwanee and Tyrone. Several players travel in from out-of-state to play on A5 teams because the demand to play at A5 is so high. “Every one of our girls that have come through our 18s program who wanted to play in college, got that opportunity,” shares Gabe.

What makes A5 Volleyball Club unique? Gabe shares, “We stay true to our mission statement, ‘Teaching Life Lessons Through the Sport of Volleyball.’ It’s not always about the #1 ranking. The amount of kids that we have come back after they’re done with their volleyball college career to work or spend time with us is one of the most satisfying things that happen for us. And we are fortunate to have one of the strongest coaching staffs in the country and we believe it’s the crux of our success.”

Bob adds, “We don’t spend a lot of time thinking we’re good. We spend a lot more time thinking about what we can do to get better. We’re in the business of families and each individual family matters. You can’t pay lip service to that. You have to know what they need and what they want and we have to help them achieve that – and sometimes it’s different from what their athlete can actually achieve. We want to create an experience… for the people who work with us, the athletes who train with us, and the families who support us… that changes their lives in a way that is meaningful.”

A5 will host their first season of volleyball tournaments at the new 13-court A5 Sportsplex in Roswell beginning in January 2021 with families, college coaches and fans watching from all over the world. It represents a significant milestone for A5 and particularly its founder, Bob, who came to Atlanta 44 years ago to start junior volleyball. Bob shares, “To know that we started (girls volleyball) at Sutton Middle School in 1976 with three girls… and then to stand in a 13-court facility with every court filled with all ages is mostly cathartic to have played some small part in that vision.”

Read the A5 Press Release: https://www.einpresswire.com/article/532754208/being-seen-the-college-volleyball-recruiting-process-is-on

Watch A5 Volleyball live or on-demand weekdays 4:45pm - 10:15pm and anytime on Saturday and Sunday. Sign up now: http://www.hicastsports.com/a5

Grandfather Celebrates Grandson's Moments at Barrier Islands Little League

HiCast Sports user, grandfather, and attorney by day, Joe DaPore from Charleston, South Carolina coaches for the Land Sharks 9U team for Barrier Islands Little League, one of newest ballparks to join the HiCast Sports Network this year. Joe was a pitcher and first baseman in high school, and continued his love for the game when he started coaching young ballplayers 40 years ago. When his older grandson, James Saltmarsh, begin playing T-Ball at age five, he signed on as an assistant coach for his team at Barrier Islands Little League.

Grandfather and Coach Joe DaPore with grandson James; Photo provided by Joe DaPore

Barrier Islands Little League, started in 1955, was one of just a few Little League organizations in the state of South Carolina to establish return-to-play guidelines and resume play in June due to the Covid-19, thanks in part to leadership from Todd Rieger, former president of the organization and current board member. Over the past six years Barrier Islands Little League has grown from 100 players to 450, and continues to expand as the organization added a girls’ softball league for ages 6-16 this year.

Joe’s grandson, James, was a member of the All Star team that won the 9U division. During regular season, on July 23, Joe was coaching third base and waiting on his grandson to bat. They had two runners on base and two outs, so the pressure was on.

“James was a little late getting to the plate. Our Little League rules dictate if the batter doesn’t get into the box to bat in a timely manner the pitcher can start throwing. So when James got to the plate after a delay because he couldn’t find his bat, he already had two strikes on him. When he finally stepped into the box, he promptly hit one to the fence scoring two runs. It was a fun moment in a summer filled with Covid worries.”

James Saltmarsh’s 2-run triple for Land Sharks 9U at Barrier Islands Little League

On Joe’s use of HiCast at Barrier Islands Little League, he shares, “I had never heard of it. I didn’t sign up for a while, but I’ve really enjoyed it. It captures moments that are important to grandparents, parents and players.”

Photo provided by Barrier Islands Little League

Todd Rieger, former President and current Umpire-in-Chief for Barrier Islands Little League spearheaded the effort to bring in the HiCast Sports Network to Johns Island in South Carolina this past spring. Todd’s been involved with the organization for the past six years and has served all roles “except team mom, the hardest role of all!” Todd laughs. This 2020-2021 year, he’ll focus on recruiting and training umpires and creating a youth umpire program.

Coach Todd shares, “HiCast has been a huge success at Barrier Islands Little League. We only have 2 fields but our parents and grandparents love watching their kids. Not only for games, but for practices. It allows you to check in on your players when you can’t be there, plus with Covid it offers families the opportunity to still be involved with the games without the risk of getting sick.  We have also used it for our umpiring training and we can't wait to ramp things back up this Spring once we are done with Fall Ball.”

HiCast Sports Network is proud to welcome Barrier Islands Little League, their young athletes, families and fans to our HiCast community.

Photo provided by Barrier Islands Little League

Photo provided by Barrier Islands Little League

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.”

Catch the Cal Ripken Major/70 National Invitational from Ballparks of America from the Comfort of Your Home

We’re proud to announce our coverage of the Cal Ripken Major/70 National Invitational at Ballparks of America August 8 - 15, 2020. For the past three years, Ballparks of America has hosted the Cal Ripken Major/70 World Series, bringing together Babe Ruth chartered teams from all over the world to compete in Branson, Missouri. It’s been an incredible opportunity for American players and families to make memories, build bonds and play with the best of the best – teams from Japan, New Zealand, Puerto Rico, Mexico, Republic of Korea and Dominican Republic.

Ballparks of America, Branson, MO

But everything changed this year. If one thing is for certain, 2020 is teaching us how to manage a heavy dose of uncertainty. “Everything has been unique about this year,” shares Michael Solanik, Major70 World Series Director. The Covid-19 global pandemic pushed the Babe Ruth Organization to initially cancel international team participation, and eventually to cancel all 17 World Series events planned for the year as their tournament trail came to a halt – each state with its own uncertain phased-approach to resuming play.

Michael Solanik continues, “Some of our leagues (state-by-state) have been fortunate enough to play. Others have had to stop mid-way through their season. And some have not played at all, but are hoping to resume their season later in the summer and fall. We had eight regional qualifiers, a national qualifier, and state champions from Arkansas and Missouri would have qualified as well as the host team from Branson, MO. So knowing we had that core group of teams planning on being there, Ballparks of America suggested we keep the gates open and create a National Invitational tournament so these 12-year-old players wouldn’t lose the opportunity to represent their communities at a national level. We then opened it up to all of our chartered organizations across the country to participate.”

Ten teams will battle it out (6-game minimum; two pools) for the title of National Champion. They come from: Southwest (Florence, AL), Branson (Branson, MO), Missouri (Carthage, MO), SE Denver (Denver, CO), Galesburg (Galesburg, IL), Springfield (Springfield, MO), Parsons (Parsons, KS), New England (Norwalk, CT), Pacific Northwest (Kennewick, WA) and Arkansas (Benton, AR). Players have the option to stay with their team on-site in dormitories for the week at the Ballparks of America complex or in hotels with their parents.

To keep everyone as safe as possible, the Babe Ruth Organization and Ballparks of America (managed by Sports Facility Management) have established guidelines for play, teams and patrons. All Babe Ruth League credential books for tournaments have been migrated to digital binders. Ballparks of America offers online viewing of games live and on-demand for family members and fans beyond the stands through their partnership with our HiCast Sports Network.

“The Babe Ruth League is a community-based organization at our very core. With as many things that have been taken away from people throughout this year, we feel this is an opportunity for a community to rally around their team. It gives people something to look forward to –a sense of normalcy coming back,” said Michael Solanik.

View the Aug 8 - Aug 15, 2020 tourney schedule >

Time Out! A Highlight Contest

We know you’re eager to get back to the fields! While we wait through this pause on play, let’s celebrate your Moments That Matter™ from 2019 through March 2020. Our entire archive of 2019 games is available to watch on-demand, so it’s a great time to use our mobile app to save and share your favorite game highlights. All HiCast highlights created in 2019 and 2020 are eligible, except for previous highlight winners. We'll accept submissions now through June 1, 2020 and announce one winner each week. Winners score a free one-year Family Pass (a $239.99 value) to be activated when your season resumes.

Who Can Enter

If you are currently or were a HiCast Sports subscriber in 2019 or 2020, you are eligible to enter as many highlights as you like. All highlights are eligible to be selected throughout the contest timeframe, so if you enter three highlights during week one of the contest, those highlights are eligible to be chosen as a weekly winner anytime from date of entry through June 1. If your highlight was a winner in 2019, that highlight is not eligible to win.

How to Enter

Use our mobile app to share your HiCast highlight to our app’s HiCast Feed. In the caption of your highlight, include your player’s name, team name and age division, and a brief summary of the moment. Include this tag: #timeout

If you have saved highlights, it’s easy to share them to our HiCast Feed.

1. Tap on “Highlights” in the bottom menu to view your saved highlights. Select the highlight you want to enter by tapping on it.

2. Your selected highlight will open in the Preview Highlight screen. Make any adjustments for trim and soon, then tap “Share” in the upper right corner.

3. On the Share screen, add your player’s name, team name and age division, a brief summary of the moment, and the tag #timeout – then tap the “Share to HiCast” button at the bottom of the screen. That’s it!

If you’re not sure how to save and share a highlight, watch this video demo: http://www.hicastsports.com/demo

What Type of Highlights Should I Enter?

We’re looking for great offensive and defensive plays, hits that make you proud, and funny bloopers on the field that made you laugh. You’ll need to be able to identify the primary player(s) involved in the play, and of course use good sportsmanship in your submissions.

What’s the Prize?

We’ll give away one free HiCast Monthly Family Pass (valued at $239.88) to each winner each week. We’ll grant your Family Pass when your season resumes and it will remain active for 365 days from date of activation. Each winning highlight and player will be featured on our website and in our social media.

Let’s see your Moments That Matter™!

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.”

How 20 Bagel Bombers Teams Stay United and Focused on Improving Their Game

We talked with Bagel Bombers Baseball Association president Jerry Windish (who also works in law enforcement) to find out his recommendations for youth ballplayers to stay engaged during this disappointing pause on play due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Here’s what he had to share:

Tell us about your Bagel Bombers organization.

“Bagel Bombers Baseball Association is the largest and oldest travel ball organization in the state of Delaware. We have players who reside throughout Delaware and the Maryland area. We have 20 teams this year, from 7U up through 16U. We have two 16U teams. This past year, we partnered with US Elite Baseball to provide an exposure component for our older age groups, so US Elite Delaware is managed by the Bagel Bombers.”

US Elite Delaware 16U - Coach Jerry Windish and Assistant Coach Vinny Tallarico; Cole Windish, Vinny Tallarico, Amari Gordon, Zac Cole, Zach Lewis, Ocean Johnson, George Delgaudio, Quinn Buckaloo, Colton Benton, Hunter Wolfe, Gary Emory, Josh Townsend, Tristin McCray, Ethan Hazzard

Jerry coaches two teams this year, the 16U US Elite Delaware team and the Bagel Bombers 7U team. “I’m starting all over again with my youngest son in 7U machine pitch.” You’ll find the Bagel Bombers playing at Sports at the Beach in our HiCast Sports Network.

“None of our coaches are paid coaches. One of our organization’s aims is to keep travel baseball as affordable as possible for our families. We’re not here to make money off people. We’re here to allow kids to better their skills in a family-centered and competitive environment.”

What’s the story behind the Bagel Bombers name?

“The story goes back to the mid 2000’s. The name originated from a business owner who owns Surf Bagel. They did not have a travel ball organization in southern Delaware, so they started with one team. The owner of that business, Dave Vitella, partnered with Adam Gelof, another local resident formed a team and it was kind of a joke originally to call themselves the Bagel Bombers to play off Surf Bagel. The organization grew and it stuck.”

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

“Everyone’s got to remember this is a challenge facing our whole country and there are a lot of aspects of everyone’s lives arguably more important than the sport of baseball – financially, economically… We want to make sure our families are okay and we’ve gotta keep in mind that the challenges facing our country now override some of the smaller things, even though baseball to our families and our players is an important thing in our lives.

We’re going to do what’s best for our families, what’s best for our communities, and we’re going to follow the recommendations and guidelines put down by the CDC and our respective state governors, in regards to public gatherings because we want our families to be safe. That being said, we want to keep our players engaged in the sport they love so we’re trying to provide different means and access to material to keep them engaged during the downtime we have. 

Recently, we put an online training link on our website to post daily updates to material, whether that be video drills, work out competitions between the kids. Some of the kids, including our US Elite teams are using the Blast Baseball app to track their swings and record their workouts at home. Kids can post results and all their teammates can see what each other is doing and keep each other motivated and working. 

One of the things that I think is really cool, is that we partnered with some of the colleges in the area that have assisted us with clinics. We’ve reached out to Widener University, Wesley College, Delaware State University and they are going to be providing content to us. Everyone can benefit from the communal input of ideas.”

Is it helpful for players to watch baseball games in this downtime while we’re at home?

“Absolutely. Any time you can go back and evaluate your performance, it’s a positive. You can do a lot of learning just by watching game situations, not only your own games, but other games. You can make mental notes of different positionings and assess decision-making to look back on your own mistakes and successes, or the mistakes and successes of others.”

Bagel Bombers shortstop Lukas Loring with a bare-handed play to end the inning on 7/2/19 in the Firecracker 4-Day Classic at Sports at the Beach

What else should athletes be doing?

“The term “Student Athlete” is key. Beyond just working out for baseball, they’ve gotta keep their mind sharp. Unfortunately, I think schools are going to be out for a while, so they need to continue to hit the books in some capacity. If your school district is not offering online classes, seek it out. Or do SAT practice online. Read. Seek out the stuff you are missing in the classroom, because at the end of the day, we’re students first, athletes second. And those who want to further their baseball career in college, you have to have the grades to do it. Even in these trying times, we need to try to continue to educate ourselves.”

Words of encouragement for ballplayers everywhere?

“It’s an old expression, but it’s very true… ‘This too shall pass.’ This crisis will eventually come to an end. When we get past it and we turn the corner, baseball is going to be there. You want to be ready when that time comes. You want to take advantage of this time to get stronger and keep yourself in good physical shape. Work on speed and agility drills. You can better your game during this layover. If you don’t do anything, there will be other players out there taking advantage of this time and you’ll be behind. You have the time. Put the work in and when this passes, you’ll be able to hit the field again and have the success you’re looking for.”

Coach Jerry Widish and Assistant Coaches Jason Pease, Mike Thompson, Blake Hershelman; players –Jake Windish, Ben Pease, Mason Thompson, Grant Hershelman, Lucca Fazio, Brody Fazio, Ryan Craig, Chase Sanchez, Lucas Skoncziecki, Trent Fry, Nolan Jones

Photos provided by Bagel Bombers Baseball Association

Mid-Atlantic Shockers 12U Team Keeps a Winning Attitude Despite Pause on Play

We caught up with Mid-Atlantic Shockers 12U Coach Mike Gaylor to hear how he uses our HiCast Sports Network and to find out how his team is staying prepared despite the disappointing pause on play due to the COVID-19 virus sweeping across the country. Here’s what he had to share:

Tell us about your Mid Atlantic Shockers 12U team.

“I put this team together when the kids were 8 years old. I went around to all of the surrounding little leagues within a 40-mile circle. I looked at a whole bunch of kids and put together a dream team. I’ve had them all together for four years now. We’re rated in the east coast as one of the top teams. Last year at 11U, we went 49-3 with 79 home runs which is pretty amazing for a group of 11 year old kids. We have a good team of 12 kids, and a great parent base. We’re all a family – especially when you’ve been together that long.”

How have you used our HiCast Sports Network?

“We play at Sports at the Beach a lot where we play a lot of highly competitive teams from New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. When we’re at the game, as a coach we’re seeing it, but we can’t really study it. So after a tournament, I use HiCast to go back and look for things that we did correctly so I can praise the kids and also see what we did wrong. 

Johnny Hobgood's first home run of the 2019 Fall Season for Mid-Atlantic Shockers 12U at Sports at the Beach

When our kids hit a home run or make a great catch or something like that, my bookkeeper jots down the time during the game so I can go back to watch the game on-demand and get the highlight.” Mike adds with a laugh, “I would be lying if I said I didn’t use it to watch other teams too.”

Spencer Gaylor's home run blooper for Mid-Atlantic Shockers during their 10U season, shared by his dad, Coach Mike Gaylor from Sports at the Beach

“I think HiCast is a great thing. I have a very good team and it’s hard to tell when one of our kids is going to do something spectacular. If we didn’t have HiCast, I would be missing out on a lot of things. Our parents would too.”

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

“It was definitely a let-down for us. We were actually all signed up to go to Cooperstown this year. Last Friday, we were informed that Cooperstown was shut down for the whole season, which was definitely a blow to my kids and the families. It hurts because we were actually looking forward to making a good showing. The best a team has done in our organization at Cooperstown was second place, which was great, but I felt like we had a team that could win Cooperstown.”

Coach Mike is sending exercises and lessons to parents for his players weekly. “The luxury of us being together so long is that our parents and kids know what I expect and they all do it. Parents are sending me videos, showing me that the kids are still working to get better and the kids can see each other’s videos, so it’s competitive. Like I explained to the kids, when this breaks and we are able to start playing again, I want to go out on the field like we haven’t missed a beat.”

What words of encouragement would you like to share with ballplayers everywhere?

“Don’t give up on your dream. This is just a setback. Keep grinding. Something I always say to my kids throughout each game and all season long is that there are two things you can control… attitude and hustle. Keep practicing your craft. Have in your mind that there is always someone else out there working harder to get better. Don’t let ‘em take your spot.”

Big thanks to Coach Mike Gaylor and Coach Blair Boyce for their hard work on and off the field; to team mom Monica Edelmann for keeping families connected, and to the 12U Mid-Atlantic Shockers players: Jace Jarmon, Spencer Gaylor, Blake Bramble , Caleb Boyce , KD Tindley, Mason Edelmann, Ayden McCauley, Kobe Tindley, Ray Joseph,Johnny Hobgood, Kam Mister, Tony Martin for your commitment to your team and the game, especially during this challenging time. We can’t wait to see you back on the fields at Sports at the Beach!

Photos courtesy of Mid-Atlantic Shockers

COVID-19 Pauses Live Play, So We've Unarchived All of Your 2019 Games

Spring tournaments across our network came to an unexpected close by March 15, 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. At present, most our ballparks have paused play indefinitely with a common hope to resume sooner than later. It’s a difficult time for all of us right now, but coming together as a country to help slow the spread of this virus, flatten the curve for our healthcare system, and to support one another as one team is what’s most important right now.

But we know you need some good news while you’re homebound, and a way to stay connected to the game you love, so we've unarchived ALL of your games from 2019, so you can replay the Moments That Matter™ on-demand! Take advantage of this time you have with your family to dive into the archives together and watch your favorite games from ballparks across our network. Be sure to use our mobile app to tag highlights as you watch... We've got a contest coming soon! 

We couldn't have made this happen without our ballpark partners: Baseball Heaven, Sports at the Beach, Diamond Nation, Baseball USA "The Yard" Powered by Marucci Elite Texas and Texas USSSA Baseball, The Shipyard Park, Tyger River Park, Ballparks of America, East Cobb Baseball Complex, Buckhead Baseball, and JockJive Sports. Thanks for standing by us as we all wait this out together as a team.

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.”

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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/

HiCast Sports Network Partners with Rawlings to Award the 2019 Most Valuable Plays in Youth Baseball and Softball

It’s not often that youth athletes have the unique opportunity to share their memorable plays with legendary pro ballplayers they admire and with sports fans around the world, but HiCast Sports Network is proud to make that dream come true with the HiCast Sports 2019 Most Valuable Play Awards for Youth Baseball and Softball Presented by Rawlings.

Judges for the 2nd annual contest, legendary Hall of Fame Shortstop and 13 time Rawlings Gold Glove Award recipient Ozzie Smith and 2020 USA Olympic Softball Player Keilani Ricketts Tumanuvao selected the Top 3 Most Valuable Plays for Offense and Defense for Baseball and Fast Pitch Softball from more than 2,300 video highlight entries shared by HiCast Sports mobile app users from top ballparks across the country. Winners and their Moments That Matter™ in each category can be viewed here.

The three-phase contest began on November 7th with HiCast Sports team selections for the Top 25 Semi-Finalists in each contest category. Winning ballplayers range from age eight to 18. The general public cast nearly 9,000 votes online for the Semi-Finalists to determine the Top 10 Finalists in each category. 

Keilani Ricketts Tuanuvao

Keilani Ricketts Tumanuvao shares, “I’m so excited to be a part of this year’s HiCast Sports MVP Awards Presented by Rawlings. We are so used to seeing the top plays of collegiate and professionals aired on TV and social media, but we know these athletes didn’t just wake up one morning and start making great plays. They were once in these young athletes’ shoes making the same top plays in crucial situations just like we are seeing in these HiCast Sports Network highlights.”

Ozzie Smith adds, “I love seeing young kids out playing baseball and experiencing the competition. Overall, the videos I viewed all share the players’ enthusiasm for the game along with good sportsmanship. Case in point, the opposing catcher congratulating the young man who hit a home run. They’re all winners.”

Ozzie Smith

“This is our second year hosting the contest in partnership with Rawlings. It’s a meaningful way for us to celebrate these young athletes and their teams with a broader audience of fans and professional athletes they admire,” said Stephanie Calabrese, HiCast Sports Network Co-Founder and Chief Brand Officer. “Capturing and elevating these memorable moments for players and families is what we’re all about.”

Rawlings provided a powerful lineup of prizes including their new 2020 Quatro Bats and Rawlings custom gloves for the winners; Rawlings Covert Duffle Bags for the finalists; and $25 Rawlings Gift Cards for all semi-finalists.

About HiCast Sports Network

HiCast Sports Network is a game-changing, subscription-based social broadcast company which allows youth athletes, their coaches, families and fans to view and engage with sporting events live and on-demand at top ballparks across the nation anywhere, anytime, on any device. 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 clips or highlight reels. HiCast operates with a robust network of partners (venues) and promoters (sporting leagues and event organizers) with which they cultivate win-win relationships. HiCast Sports Network users from around the world have watched nearly 3 million game minutes featuring hundreds of thousands of athletes playing at premier venues in Delaware, Georgia, Louisiana, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, South Carolina and Texas. For more information, please visit: www.hicastsports.com

About Rawlings

Rawlings Sporting Goods Company, Inc. is an innovative manufacturer and marketer of sporting goods worldwide. Founded in 1887, Rawlings is an authentic global sports brand, trusted by generations of athletes of all skill levels. Rawlings’ unparalleled quality, innovative engineering and expert craftsmanship are the fundamental reasons why more professional athletes, national governing bodies and sports leagues choose Rawlings. Rawlings is the Official Ball Supplier and Batting Helmet of Major League Baseball®, the Official Ball Supplier of Minor League Baseball™ and the NCAA®. For more information, please visit www.rawlings.com

Rawlings Moment of the Month Winner for September 2019

Great hit down the first base line, but Delaware Wolfpack 12U right fielder gets the ball in to 11-year-old catcher Ryan Perkins for the tag at the plate! Wolfpack advanced to the Play It Forward tourney championship game at Sports at the Beach on 9/1/19. Congratulations to our winning HiCast User: @Catcher247 Marissa scored the Rawlings bat of Ryan’s choice.

HiCast Sports Network selected one winning moment from highlights shared in our app’s HiCast Feed each month all summer long. Winners scored their pick from an incredible lineup of Rawlings Sporting Goods bats. Learn more our Rawlings Moment of the Month contest and see the winners.

This month, we kick off our 2nd Annual MVP Awards Presented by Rawlings so now’s the time to share your highlights to our app’s HiCast Feed to get them eligible to win!

Remember Your First Kid-Pitch Homerun?

Deacon Eldridge with a go-ahead home run to seal the Houston Warriors 8U 10-9 win in the bottom of the final inning of the 9U Astros Baseball Festival World Series Championship Game, a tourney organized by Texas USSSA at Baseball USA Powered by Marucci Elite Texas on 7/28/19. Deacon’s dad and HiCast User shared that this was his son’s first kid-pitch home run, and that Deacon also won the 9U homerun derby that weekend. 

Deacon has been a founding member of his team since Spring 2016. Baseball has been his passion since his late great grandmother started him on a tee in the back yard when he was just a toddler. You’ll find him on the field at 1st base, 3rd base, catcher or pitcher.

These are the Moments That Matter™ and we’re proud to cover them for users across our network. Remember to save and share your summer game highlights before we archive them. You can access games three months from date of play, so for example, as of today (October 15), you can access games as far back as July 15. This month, we kick off our 2nd Annual MVP Awards Presented by Rawlings so now’s the time to share your highlights to our app’s HiCast Feed to get them eligible to win! Check out our 2018 winners.

Gage Saresky Scores Three Homeruns for the Clippers

The Nor’ East Clippers 12U were playing against 33Rodz in the Labor Day Championship on September 1st at Baseball Heave in Yaphank, NY. It was a high energy game. Gage Saresky steps up to bat for the Clippers and sends it over the left field fence! This was the first of two home runs for Gage in that game. He had three total that weekend during the tournament.

His mom shared, “There were a group of younger players watching from behind the backstop. My son Gage heard them say to him ‘Hey Kid, hit a dinger’ which made him smile. He took the moment in, had fun and hit a home run for them. The kids cheering in the background were the young players. You can see Gage point to them at the end of his celebration as a way to acknowledge their support.”

Gage is a passionate baseball player (mostly playing at catcher) with an IQ to match. He loves to support his teammates in the dugout to rally, is often the first player to practice and the last to leave or stay after to run laps or hills. Gage has been training with Coach Ryan Roman since he was 8 years old and is currently developing his skills to play third base. Gage made the Perfect Game All Tournament Team and was distinguished with MVP honors in a Cal Ripken tournament.

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These are the Moments That Matter™ and we’re proud to cover them for users across our network. Remember to save and share your summer game highlights before we archive them. You can access games three months from date of play, so for example, as of today (September 24), you can access games as far back as June 24. Beginning in October, we’ll kick off our 2nd Annual MVP Awards Presented by Rawlings so now’s the time to share your highlights to our app’s HiCast Feed to get them eligible to win! Check out our 2018 winners.

Rawlings Moment of the Month Winner for August 2019

Congratulations to HiCast User @dmf423 Darren M. Fullone II, left fielder for the South Shore Sharks 15U team for sharing the winning Rawlings Moment of the Month for August 2019.

South Shore Sharks were top-seeded in the Bash at the Beach tourney at Sports at the Beach. In this semi-final game, Sharks were up 1-0. Richmond Titans came back w/a 2-run home run, so the game is tight… 2-1 and the Sharks are down. Bottom of the 7th and it’s the Sharks last opportunity to score. First batter strikes out. Next batter, Mikey Furst walks, so one man’s on base when Justin Delgado walks up to the plate. Strike one… then Justin nails it to center field over the fence! Two runs score for the South Short Sharks securing the win and trip to the championship game, which they won decisively on 8/18/19.

HiCast Sports Network has selected one winning moment from highlights shared in our app’s HiCast Feed each month all summer long. Winners score their pick from an incredible lineup of Rawlings Sporting Goods bats. Learn more our Rawlings Moment of the Month contest. We’ve got one more winner to be named in September, then on to the 2nd Annual HiCast Sports MVP Awards in October.

Justin Delgado hit the game-winning home run for South Short Sharks

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HiCast User and South Shore Sharks Left Fielder, Darren Fullone II

Duryea Twins Double the Home Runs for Hudson Valley Renegades

Nicky Duryea (9) plays third, short stop, and pitcher. Nicky is a righty.

Danny Duryea (24) plays left field, first base, and relief pitcher. Danny is a lefty.

These twin brothers play for Hudson Valley Renegades 14U Blue and they have never been on a team without each other. During the East Coast Nationals tourney at Baseball Heaven on August 10, they each hit a home run in the same game, contributing to the Renegade’s win!

Nicky pushes Danny mostly on the practice field or in the batting cage. Nicky will point out the areas that Danny needs to tweak to improve, such as his swing. Nicky admires Danny’s ability to stay calm and focused in the most high-stake situations. He often will say that Danny has ice in his veins because he can handle any situation with a focused and intense approach.

Danny pushes Nicky with their competitive approach to everything. Danny admires Nicky’s pitching ability, his never-give-up approach, his ability to get out of very difficult situations, and his intense competitive nature.

Their mom shared that the boys were arguing over who’s ball went further and who’s home run had more significance. But their Aunt Diane (watching the game at home on our HiCast Sports Network) noted that the first person out of the dugout to congratulate each batter was his brother. These are the Moments That Matter™!

Bottom of the 7th, game’s tied... Danny Duryea w/a walk-off Grand Slam HR for Hudson Valley Renegades 14U Blue for the W. East Coast Nationals at Baseball Heaven on August 10, 2019.

Rawlings Moment of the Month Winner for July 2019

Congratulations to HiCast User @kbcokratts for being our Rawlings Moment of the Month for July 2019. Chase Kratts for Olean Bombers 16U nails it with his very first grand slam contributing to the Bombers 10-1 win in the Sizzling Showdown Tournament at Sports at the Beach on 7/28/19. This was the team's first grand slam of the season.

HiCast Sports Network selects one winning moment from highlights shared in our app’s HiCast Feed each month all summer long. Winners score their pick from an incredible lineup of Rawlings Sporting Goods bats. Learn more our Rawlings Moment of the Month contest.

HiCast Sports Network Teams Up with JockJive Sports to Deliver the 2019 Dixie Youth World Series On-Demand

We’re proud to partner with JockJive Sports to deliver the Dixie Youth World Series – the AA series (July 27 - 30) and Ozone, AAA and Majors series (Aug 3 - 8) from Ruston, LA. Players, coaches, families and fans can replay the memories on the field, and save and share their favorite game highlights. JockJive’s pro sports announcer and integration of game scores and stats makes the viewing experience ideal. Couple that with our tools to save and share your favorite game highlights with friends, family and social media followers and you’ve got the ultimate on-demand youth sports experience.

Sign up to create your HiCast Sports account, then use our web viewer or mobile app for iOS to watch games as often as you like during your pass purchase timeframe (a 7-Day Pass or a Monthly Pass). When you use our mobile app to share your game highlights to our HiCast Feed throughout August, your highlights are automatically entered in our Rawlings Moment of the Month Contest for August. We’ll pick one winner on September 10 and that winner chooses the Rawlings hot bat of their choice. Show us your Moments That Matter™!