Instructors' Qualifications
We have more major league umpires than any other school in the country, as well as high school, NCAA I, II, III and minor league level trainers.
All of our instructors are seasoned veterans with well over 100 years experience.
They are well-trained to give each student personalized attention.
TODD PASKIET
Todd worked 8 Years in Major League Professional Baseball and is a 2001 Graduate of the Harry
Wendelstedt School of Umpires. Worked 1 year in each of the following
leagues Gulf Coast League (Rookie), Appalachian (Low A), South Atlantic
(A), Florida State (High A) and Southern (AA). I then spent 3 years in
the International League (AAA).
During those years he was selected to
work 3 league playoff series, 2 league championship series, and also
was selected as the Southern League All-Star Game Crew Chief before
being promoted to Triple-A. His last year in professional baseball was
2008.
He has been the head instructor at various camps and clinics for
the past 10 years.
LARRY EATON
Larry
Eaton, Major League Spring training games, as well as AA and AAA Major league level baseball, began his tenure in baseball as a Little League player at age 8.
On his 10th birthday, he set a Little League pitching record, throwing
a perfect game, as he struck out 17 of the 18 batters. He played
through high school and after 4 years in the Navy, he played into
college.
Larry umpired his first game in a San Diego Pony League game and from that day on was hooked on umpiring.
After
attending his 1st umpire clinic, run by veteran Major League umpire
Augie Donatelli, The Augie Donatelli MLB Umpire Training School, he thought that this was what he wanted to for a hobby
and possible a career. The traveling a minor league umpire has to do
was more than he bargained for so he reverted back to sport umpiring.
Larry finds it so much more personally rewarding. He has FUN umpiring
at any level.
He has worked all levels, from Little League, High School, College, Men's Adult leagues,
Five years ago he expanded his umpiring skills and began working girls
high school fast pitch softball, where he was seen during a training
& evaluation clinic in 2007 and asked to move up to college
softball.
As long as there
are games to umpire, Larry will be there loving every minute. Larry
also teaches golf in the Palm Beach, Florida area.
Luis Sierra
Luis has been umpiring high school baseball for ten years and college baseball for six years. He graduated from the Jim Evans Umpire Training School.
He added major league professional baseball in the Atlantic League for one year to his umpiring career.
Beginning in 2003, he started umpiring in The Roy Hobbs World Series in Fort Myers, Florida, and has done that for five years.
During this time, he also worked the NBC World Series.
Luis lives in Brooklyn, NY.
Anthony (Tony) J. Senia
Summary of qualifications
Thirty (+) years experience as an umpire of highly
competitive baseball on the professional major league, collegiate, semi-professional and
amateur levels. Proven on field and
umpire administrative duties, which include:
Graduate of the Harry Wendelstedt School of Umpires
-
Game Management
-
Staffing/Scheduling
-
Liaison between
staff, league and club front office
-
Training of
Cadet Umpires. Advance training of umpire staffs
-
Public Relations
-
Recreational
Programs
· Served as Crew Chief of the Canadian-American Association and American Association of Professional Baseball
· Instructor – Pro Umpire Camp, Grand Prairie , Texas
· Umpiring Member of the :CBUA- Chesapeake Basin ,
Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference (ECAC), National Jr. Collegiate
Athletic Association (NJCAA) Region XV, New Jersey Federation of Umpires
(NJSFU),New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA), Central Jersey Umpires Association (CJUA), U.S. Over 30 Baseball
(USOTB), Jersey
Shore Baseball League
(JSBL), Roy
Hobbs Umpire Association (RHUA),
National Adult Baseball Association (NABA)
· Served as Umpire in Chief for Roy Hobbs
World Series
· Served as the Umpire in Chief of the South Plainfield Jr. Baseball Club
· Umpire training and development coordinator - CJUA
· Owner/Operator Ultimate Authority Umpire Training and
Development Association
·
BOB ROCCO
Bob is a graduate of the Harry Wendelstedt School of Umpires.
His
experience includes Little League, High School, NCAA
Division I college
baseball around Florida. He has also been umpire and crew chief for The Roy Hobbs
World Series held in Fort Myers, Florida, each year, umpire for Fantasy
Camps in Florida and Arizona, and a former trainer and evaluator for SEC Conferences.
LEE CHAMPAGNE
Lee is a graduate of Joe Brinkman School of Umpires. Lee now has over 25 years experience as an umpire. His experience includes high school baseball working in 7 state finals and 14 state semi finals in New Hampshire. Lee also worked two years on the New Hampshire College Board. He has been umpiring the Gene Cusic Collegiate Classic in Fort Myers, FL, for over 12 years and still counting.
In Florida, he has umpired the Roy Hobbs World Series for seven years. In addition, in Florida, Less has umpired the Red Sox and Twins Fantasy Camps since 2002, as well as umpiring the Reds and the Orioles Fantasy Camps .
Lee umpired exhibition games in the spring for the Red Sox in Fort Myers, Florida.
He has been a member of the NHBUA since 1990 and has been one of the trainers in the NH Baseball Apprentice Program since 1997 and is currently one of the regional assigners for high school baseball in New Hampshire.
John "Jack" Deveney
Jack began
his umpiring career in 1978. With his 30 years of baseball experience,
he has participated in all levels of baseball, including many
tournaments, state and regional championships.
Jack grew up in the Boston area and
became very involved in youth sports. As a member of the Massachusetts
Baseball Umpires Association, he worked numerous High School Varsity
Leagues, as well as many Amateur Baseball Leagues including the Boston
Senior Park League (former minor league and college players). Jack
also worked the Women's Fast Pitch Softball League.
Along with baseball umpiring, Jack's passion for sports brought him certification in basketball, soccer and football.
Jack is a member of the Robb Hobbs
Umpire Association; Canada Baseball Officials; Massachusetts Baseball
Umpires Association and is a former member of South Gulf Umpires
Association. He also holds membership in the International Association
of Basketball Officials; Eastern Massachusetts Soccer Officials
Association and Association of New England Football Officials.
Jack resides in Florida with his wife
of over 40 years. He spends part of his summer in Prince Edward
Island, Canada, where he participates in baseball, as well as another
of his favorite hobbies, music.
Steve Christnacht
Steve has been umpiring for over 11 years. He got his start with AABC baseball while also coaching in Georgia.
Since 2001, Steve has lived in Florida doing men's softball and high school baseball first in Collier County and then in 2004 he relocated to Lee County and began working spring training games for the Minnesota Twins and Boston Red Sox.
He continued high school baseball and has added five years of the Roy Hobbs World Series to his credits. Steve also umpires the Hobbs league baseball and is an assigner and umpire for MSBL, Red Sox extended spring training, 2 fantasy camps and several AAU teams in the Fort Myers area. He also umpires for Perfect Game here in Fort Myers and several other locations. He has also worked different college games along the way and plans to get more involved with the college scene in the near future.
Steve will start working girls high school softball in 2009.
MAX McLEARY
Max is a graduate of Harry Wendelstedt School of Umpires. McLeary is an institution in the Frontier League.
The unaffiliated 12-team
operation has produced such recent major-leaguers as Angels reliever
Brendan Donnelly and Cardinals pitcher Jason Simontacchi.
McLeary grew up in Johnstown, Pa., and played collegiate ball at Penn State.
But it was former major-league umpire Augie Donatelli who turned the young man on to umpiring.
"He just worked with me," McLeary said. "He knew I treated the game right."
McLeary worked his way to the
Class A New York-Penn League, but left umpiring in the early 1970s to
coach soccer and assist mens' basketball coach Bill Musselman at
Ashland (Ohio) University.
McLeary works about 70 Frontier
League games a season, in addition to more than 200 college and high
school games a year. He also assigns umpires for 12 Cincinnati-area
high schools and 27 colleges.
Henry "Hank" St. Clair
Hank graduated from the Sun Belt Umpires School in Charlotte, NC. My officiating career began over 30 years ago in Cleveland Ohio
with stoppages for military, work and family. I learned to play
baseball and softball in the sandlots of Cleveland
and in high school. I continued to play and learned to
officiate while in the USMC. My officiating career took off when forced
to replace an ill official at a little league game.
I have officiated all levels of baseball including youth,
recreation, high school, college and some minor league
assignments. Have worked several organized Adult World
Series that include MSBL, Roy Hobbs and NABA.
My training has come from baseball umpires schools and clinics over the
years, with Jerry Lane
and Steve Spano as my mentors. I have worked as a
umpire trainer and mentor for various umpire associations.
The past three years Roy Hobbs Baseball has utilized my baseball skills
as the UIC for umpires.
I believe that rules knowledge, mechanics and common sense are essential
tools for a good umpire. Learning what good umpires do to present
themselves respectfully and professionally are necessary.
Bill Collins
For nearly 50 years, Bill Collins has been either playing,
coaching or umpiring baseball. Bill graduated from the Augie Donnetelli MLB Umpire Training School.
Bill began his playing career at the age of 7 and in 1967,
he was drafted by the Baltimore Orioles, playing Double A ball for two and a
half years before being drafted by Uncle
Sam into the U.S. Army in 1969. Shortly before leaving for Vietnam, Bill umpired
rec leagues at Stopel Park in Detroit and when he was discharged from the Army
in 1972, Bill was a rec league baseball umpire, working his way up into high
school baseball and then college baseball. Bill currently is a Division I, II
and III college umpire for baseball and a Division I and II college umpire for
softball. He has worked many conference tournaments, both junior college and
junior Olympics.
Bill said he first became interested in umpiring at his
father’s funeral.
“I was talking about something an umpire did and Ed Runge
senior, a friend of my father’s and a Major League Baseball umpire, came up to
me and said, "If you want to make a difference in umpiring, be one. But if you
do, make the commitment to be the very best you can be.”
Bill’s umpire credentials include baseball for the NCAA,
CBUA, ABUA, RHUA, American Legion, Midwest Elite League, Connie Mac and the
Michigan High School Athletic Association (MHSAA). Bill also is the assigner
for American Legion, Midwest Elite and Connie Mac leagues and is an umpire
trainer for the MHSAA.
