THE FEW, THE PROUD, THE UMPIRES: Lilley among few young officials in the profession

Umpires do not have a whistle, but they know how to be heard when they need to be. They are not on the field serving as a coach, but they are often seen coaching up kids learning the game. On the diamond, they are simply indispensable to the game — whether it’s baseball or softball.

Today, there is an acute shortage of umpires and referees to call games of all kinds, but one young man in Martin County has heeded the call to fill the void.

Brandon Lilley, 20, has played and attended baseball games all his life with family and in his community, so the love of the game was always there.

A graduate of Riverside High School, he is a junior at East Carolina University and started umpiring the spring semester of his senior year in high school.

“This is my third season umpiring,” Lilley said.

For many area coaches, having a young umpire calling games is a welcome sight.

The shortage of umpires, especially at the youth and high school levels, may be attributed to several factors. The environment at games can be challenging with the families and fans of the players creating a sometimes toxic environment for umpires. This is not the only factor and is not always true, but the nature of each call being for one team or against another team at the same time naturally can cause a conflict.

Bobby Harmon, head varsity baseball coach of Martin County High School, said that social media also plays a role in the abuse of umpires even after the games. So, not only is the rough treatment of umpires during the game, but they may also face abuse long after the game on Instagram or Facebook or on other social media platforms.

“Baseball needs young umpires at all levels, as there have not been enough young umpires coming into baseball to replace the old umpires who are aging out of the position,” noted Randy Whitaker, longtime head baseball coach of Bertie High School and assistant at Riverside High School.

The pay scale for youth umpires, especially at the little league and 8u and 10u levels is low, which does not always offset the possible unpleasantness of the job.

For Lilley, umpiring is much more than a job.

“Growing up, I always wanted to be an umpire,” he noted.

Like many entering the profession, Lilley has those who he has looked up to.

“I would say Perry James and Chuck Rogerson — just watching them made me love officiating even more,” Lilley said.

Lilley is a registered Tar Heel Leagues, Inc. umpire and works for booking agent Jerry Harrell.

He also officiates football in the fall, so technically he is just as comfortable working with a whistle as he is behind a home plate calling balls and strikes. He mainly works varsity, junior varsity and middle school football games in the area, while also officiating some local youth games during the fall.

Lilley said he does not see a lot of young people going into the profession and thinks the actions of a few parents and fans make the job less attractive to other young people.

The youngest umpire at the Major League level to be actually rostered is Quinn Wolcott, who is now 38 years old, but was 28 when he replaced Gary Darling, who retired in 2014.

Lilley is certainly a well-rounded young man with plans of graduating in the fall with a Bachelor of Science in business administration and a concentration in accounting. He intends to enroll in a Master of Science program in accounting, also at East Carolina University with the goal of becoming a certified public accountant.

Lilley has worked countless games the last few years at Barnes Field at Skewarkee Park for Riverside varsity baseball and American Legion games.

In northeastern North Carolina, there is a lot of baseball played in the spring and summer. There are college, high school, American Legion, recreational, travel ball and youth leagues played in almost every community. The demand for umpires is great in the region, and area coaches continue to voice the need for more people to step behind the plate and be umpires.

For Lilley, filling that need in his community doesn’t come with a ton of accolades. Umpires largely are anonymous except when fans are berating them, so one does not expect fame or fortune when entering the profession. One notable exception is “Cowboy Joe” West, retired Major League Baseball umpire who graduated from J.H. Rose High School in Greenville and attended East Carolina University. Also known as “Country Joe,” West did receive some notoriety as a major league umpire.

But in most cases, it is better for umpires not to be noticed during a game; after all, they are not who the fans are coming to see. If he was still living, MLB umpire Ron Luciano might argue that point as he did make himself part of the game — or, the entertainment as he called it. He wrote the popular and illuminating book “The Umpire Strikes Back.”

Lilley isn’t looking to strike back when he steps behind the home plate. But he would love it if more young people chose to follow his lead and some day called his name when reflecting on the umpires that they looked up to. One thing’s for sure: The community needs many more individuals like Lilley to take up the call. Without these brave souls, the games cannot be played.