Column: Seven Mater Dei High baseball players try umpiring: ‘A different perspective’

At a time when there’s an umpire shortage and the men and women doing the job are sometimes treated with disrespect and ridicule, seven teenagers from Santa Ana Mater Dei High have taken the plunge to put themselves on the line and get a feel for what it’s like to be an adult.

They’re umpiring youth baseball games in Orange County. Some get paid as much as $80 a game, but it’s not the money that motivates them to take on the umpiring role for players ranging in age from 6 to 13.

“You don’t even think about it,” junior shortstop Brody Connors said. “You do it because you love the game. You get to see what you were like as a kid.”

Ryan Iveson, a 6-foot-6 junior pitcher/outfielder, helped recruit his Mater Dei teammates to umpiring after a neighbor, former USC baseball player Tanner Eriksen, tried to help Costa Mesa Little League with a shortage of umpires.

“They know the game inside and out and are better than 99% of the dads out there,” Eriksen said.

But would they have the calm, steady demeanor needed to deal with adults and kids questioning their calls?

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“You learn to ignore negative comments they send your way,” Iveson said.

The biggest learning curve for Iveson is how he comes to a game for a different purpose than being a fan or player.

“As an umpire, you don’t care who wins or loses,” he said. “You’re there to watch and observe.”

Eriksen said the teenagers have taken on their tasks with enthusiasm and professionalism.

“The full circle of the beauty has been special in terms of these kids giving back and seeing the game from a different perspective,” Eriksen said.

They’ve become so respected that other leagues compete for their services on weekends, whether for league games or tournaments.

“Now I have to get in line,” Eriksen said.

Connors said when he was a youth player, he used to like interacting with the umpires and now has fun talking to the players, even though he’s wearing umpire gear.

“You get to see the game from a different perspective,” Connors said.

Former Mater Dei shortstop Ethan Hedges, now at USC, was an umpire last year. Eriksen brought out some of the youth players to watch Hedges play for USC and he waved to them in the bleachers, giving them a thrill.

So far, the challenge of making the right call and living with the reaction, good or bad, has not deterred any of the Mater Dei Seven.

“It’s awesome,” Connors said of umpiring. “Borderline calls, either way, you know there will be a little backlash. It’s tough, especially borderline pitches.”

Figuring out the strike zone for youth baseball is the biggest challenge for a plate umpire while base umpires just need to focus and rely on their eyes and instincts for close calls. Most of all, it’s about trying to do your best, knowing the rules and keeping your cool under pressure.

To have teenagers provide a service that others have rejected because of the sometimes brutal verbal treatment of spectators is always a good development. Then they can spread the word to their friends and play the role of peacemaker in their own games when others want to be disruptive about calls. They’re learning mistakes can happen but if the person is fully engaged with no reason to show bias, perhaps accepting the call can be tolerated.

The job is tough and challenging, so bravo to the Mater Dei Seven for giving umpiring a try.