While East Hampton Little League’s umpire shortage is not as severe as it was a month or two ago, “it’s still a problem,” Dave Rutkowski, the organization’s president, said this week. “We’re still actively recruiting — about a dozen people have answered the call, but, ideally, we’d like to have 20.”
On the eve of Little League’s opening day, which is Friday, he said he is “cautiously optimistic.”
An umpiring crisis arose, when, at the beginning of the year, the Rocky Point-based East Coast Umpires Association, which had been supplying East Hampton Little League with umpires for the last few years, “notified us that they’d no longer be coming out,” said Elisa Carney, a Little League board member. “Driving time on weekdays and the fact they could make more money staying closer to home apparently were the reasons.”
“We did get a response when we reached out,” she said, and while it had not been overwhelming, “I think we’re going to be able to piece together a season. A friend of Dave’s, Bob Aspenleiter, is handling the assignments. I think he’s got enough to cover us from April 8 through the middle of the month, up until the spring break. He’s been extremely helpful.”
Aspenleiter is the former general manager of the Montauk Mustangs, which for several years played in the Hamptons Collegiate Baseball League, and will also be stepping behind the plate
“We’ve got approximately 22 games a week, Monday through Friday — baseball and softball — over the course of eight weeks on fields throughout the town, all at 5:30,” Aspenleiter said. “We’ve got approximately 12 volunteers,” who are to be paid $85 per game. “You do the math — we’ll need them to officiate two games a week, but some can’t do that. So, yes, absolutely there’s a need for more umpires.”
Prospective umpires can offer to help by emailing [email protected].
“There’s no certification required, though there is a Little League background check,” Aspenleiter said. “Really, the main thing required is a love for the game — it’s not like a police officer directing traffic. Little League umpires are part of the flow of the game. If someone’s hesitant, I’ll mentor them.”
Forty-two Little League baseball and softball teams have been fielded this year, including the 5 and 6-year-old T-ballers overseen by Jeff Tupper and Mary Jo Babinski on Saturday mornings, beginning the first week in May, at the John M. Marshall Elementary School. In addition, there’s a “coaches-pitch” Olympic League for first and second graders, an American League for third and fourth graders, and a National League for fifth and sixth graders.
Eight National and American League baseball and softball teams are to play doubleheaders at the Pantigo fields Friday, beginning at 5 p.m. The 11-and-under 2019 softball team, which won District 36 and Sectional championships and vied with five other regional winners in the state tournament, is to be honored in between the doubleheaders, as is last year’s district-champion 10-and-under team.
The 2019 11-and-under team comprised Georgia Kenny, Kerri O’Donnell, Lila Ruddy, Sienna Salamy, Olivia Dodge, Susie DiSunno, Anya Crio, Mackenzie Lenehan, Olivia Walsh, Paige Daniels, Abby O’Sullivan, Emily Bruno, and Lily Griffin. The 2021 10-and-under team’s roster included Dylan Centalonza, Fallon Centalonza, Jackie Geehreng, Peyton Prado, Ella Field, Cadence Page, and Alexa Schaffer.