D9 Umpire Home

Welcome to the Washington District 9 Umpire Information & Resources web site, an umpire program supported by Washington District 9 Baseball & Softball.

WA D9 serves 13 leagues near Seattle, in the area just east of Lake Washington and extending to the foot of the Cascade mountains. The district encompasses the communities of Bellevue, Kirkland, Redmond, Carnation, North Bend, and their surrounding areas.

2024 Training Dates

Hey Blue! Let’s get ready for the 2024 Little League season!

The following umpire field training sessions are for experienced umpires on the 60’ diamond (baseball and softball) and the 90’ diamond (baseball). New and inexperienced umpires should contact their League umpire-in-chief (UIC) to learn of local field and classroom training options.

Please RSVP for one or both sessions ahead of time to Patrick O'Rourke (patrick@d9ump.org) and Chris Martin (chris@d9ump.org). Knowing this information allows us to plan and have the right number of trainers on-site.

Small Diamond Field Training
Sunday, March 3 1:30pm-5:00pm
Redmond Ridge, Field 1 and Batting Cages
22915 NE Alder Crest Dr, Redmond WA 98053

• 60’ small diamond baseball and softball
• Dress warm and like an umpire. Bring water, your plate mask and an indicator.
• Topics:
• Home Plate and Base Umpire Mechanics
• Communications and Rotations
• Game Management

Big Diamond Field Training
Sunday March 24 12:30pm-4:30pm
Hartman Park Redmond, Les Dow Field
17300 NE 104th St, Redmond, WA 98052
Recommend parking in the Redmond High School parking lot, then walk across the street to the field.

• 90’ big diamond baseball
• Dress warm and like an umpire. Bring water, your plate mask and an indicator.
• Topics:
• Home Plate and Base Umpire Mechanics
• Communications and Rotations
• Pick-Offs and Balks
• Game Management

2023 Training Resources

• 2023 Virtual Classroom Training Recording


• District 9 umpire training webinar to prepare you for the post-season tournaments
  
  The training is designed for adult and junior volunteer umpires that will work small-diamond baseball and softball games. We'll review new tournament rules, game management, the 3- and 4-umpire rotations, umpire camp, and answer your questions.
  
  
  • PDF Presentation

Pitching Rules (and Catching)

For the most part, umpires don't worry too much about pitch counts -- that's up to the official pitch counter at the game. There are a few things we ARE responsible for as umpires:

• Enforcing pitch limits: If the scorekeeper lets you know that a pitcher has reached their maximum, DO NOT let that pitcher continue (they can finish the last batter). The official pitch counter is the offical count. If the manager refuses to remove the pitcher (its happened, sadly), direct them to. If they again refuse, eject them. Direct the replacement to remove the pitcher. Repeat until the pitcher is replaced, or there are no more adults and the game is suspended and referred to the board.
  
  Again, DO NOT allow a pitcher to keep pitching after they are out of pitches. It doesn't matter if the manager disagrees with the pitch counter. They can play the game under protest, but protect the kid's arm!


• Pitching and Catching: There are restrictions on pitching and catching in the same game. This is why its very important to keep a lineup and keep track of pitchers and catchers in the game.
  • If a catcher enters and they pitched in that game, confirm that they threw 40 or less pitches.
  • If a pitcher enters and they caught in that game, confirm that they caught 3 or less innings (catching a single pitch constitues an inning for catching)

Here's a summary of pitching and catching rules for the regular season: Regular Season Pitching Rules Summary

District COVID-19 Rules

District rules apply to all Interlock and Special Games regardless of the leagues involved in the game.

District 9 will follow all city, local, and field requirements to protect the safety of participants and spectators. At this time, there are no additional requirements adopted by the district.

Umpires are permitted to umpire using traditional slot positioning. ALSO, rule 9.04 (a) allows umpires to umpire from behind the pitcher. Several leagues reported that this positioning resulted in MORE umpires working games as it reduced the anxiety related to working the slot, especially at lower levels.

RESOURCES

• 2022 Little League Rules Instruction Manual (RIM) PDF version of the Little League Umpire Instructor's Manual. This is an invaluable resource that complements the Little League rule books with explanations, interpretations, and clarifications of troublesome rules. A must-have for all Little League umpires.
• Little League Umpire Registry Lots of resources for umpires, including getting a background check that will be good across ALL district 9 leagues
• ArbiterSports.com The district-wide umpire scheduling system.

FORMS

• 2023 Little League Volunteer application form
  (consider joining the Little League Umpire Registry and getting a background check there that will be good across all of District 9)
• 2023 Little League "Returning Volunteer" form
  (Seriously, join the Little League Umpire Registry)
• District 9 Ejection Report form (PDF)
• District 9 Ejection Report form (DOCX) (send as attachment in email)

Training Files

Rules Resources

Sites of Interest

Good Reading

Equipment