PODCAST · sports
Umpiring Fastpitch Softball
by David Trout & Pete Shearer
Welcome to "Umpiring Fastpitch Softball," the ultimate Fastpitch Softball Umpiring podcast, hosted by umpires David Trout and Pete Shearer. Join us as we dive deep into the world of fastpitch softball officiating, sharing our passion for the game, and providing valuable insights and guidance for umpires at all levels. Each episode, we'll bring you engaging conversations, expert tips, and real-life experiences from the field, covering everything from the basics of umpiring to advanced mechanics and game management. Our goal is to help you hone your skills, understand the rules, and develop the confidence to make the right calls under pressure. Whether you're an aspiring umpire just starting your journey, a seasoned pro looking to stay sharp, or simply a fan who wants to understand the game from a new perspective, "Umpiring Fastpitch Softball" is the podcast for you. Tune in as David and Pete take you inside the world of fastpitch softball umpiring, sharing stories, answering q
Episodes
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Episode 98 - Base Awards
Before we get underway, we revisit last week's episode to get clarification around NCAA's handling of appeals at home when the plate was missed and tag was/was not attempted. After that, in response to a listener prompting, we tackle the correct way to interpret the base award rules across the...
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Episode 97 - USA Softball Rules (Appeals pt 2 and ball rotation)
We dive in and cover the appeal topics in the 2026 USA Softball Rules Supplement 1- Appeals, sections G-N of: More Than One Appeal, Awards, Plate and Tag Missed, Force Out, Tag-Ups, Missing First Base Before the Throw Arrives, Fourth-Out Appeal, and End of Game. We then tackle section 2 of the...
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Episode 96 - USA Softball Rules (OBS, Zone, and Appeals pt 1)
We started mining the Rules Supplement in the back of the book to see which things that USA Softball decided to add more color on and then bring those things to you. We cover USA softball's definition for obstruction, their defined zone, and then begin to dig into valid appeals before we had to...
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Episode 95 - Windmill? What Windmill?
You can check out the link to the post, which contains a video, in the comments on either the Facebook Post for this episode, or the comments for this episode on our website. We break down - from the rules - what constitutes a legal delivery and whether or not this player violated those rules....
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Episode 94 - Appropriate Obstruction?
In the video of the play (linked in our comments on this episode on our website and on Facebook), we can see a player attempting to score, but being thrown out. The home plate umpire signals out, but we're told that the base umpire got involved and the call got "overturned to obstruction". We…
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Episode 93 - An End of Game Appeal Scenario
We tackle what happened, the rule behind it, whether we thought the umpire crew handled it correctly, and what you should do in similar situations. In our social media segment, we take a look at a post asking about what you do about a strange double first base situation. We explain what the...
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Episode 92 - Listener Questions Volume 1
First up, Adrian asked us about some scenarios with obstruction at first base. Next, Joe asked us about changing a judgment call at third base and about umpires getting in the way while a fielder is making a play. Lastly, Vernon asked us about U1 calling pitching lane violations. This was a fun...
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Episode 91 - Stump the Chump Volume 2
David was kind enough to be our "chump" again this episode, which is good because Pete is more Alex Trebek than Ken Jennings. We cover nine scenarios including: equipment, double first base, batter interference, substitutions, projected substitutions, batting out of order, look back rule, two-way...
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Episode 90 - Mining the Socials pt 2
We tackle several scenarios ranging from bedazzled gloves (check comments for the images), malicious contact at first base, a runner missing home plate, interference when an out occurs, the umpire's role in impartially enforcing rules and not coaching, tie goes to the runner, and calling a ball...
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Episode 89 - Stump the Chump Volume 1
Just so we're clear... the title was David's idea ;) We tackle situations including communications devices, obstruction, bodycams, and DP/FLEX. Our social segment this week is one inspired by some more reports of "that umpire" at games. As always, if you want to weigh in with your opinions, you…
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Episode 88 - The Strike Zone?
The problem is a tale as old as time. Everyone knows where the strike zone is (or thinks they do, anyway), but it sure seems like everyone calls it differently. Is that because they see it differently? Is it because they've been *TOLD* to call it differently? Is it because they are waging a…
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Episode 87 - NFHS Double First Base
Boy, this one is a doozy. We had this one in the can for a while, but it turns out that we made some mistakes during recording. However, we tracked down where we went wrong and issued corrections in-place in the audio so that we could still cover this topic. Make sure to check our website or the…
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Episode 86 - An Interview With Robert Bannon
No, this isn't an April Fools' Day prank, we got the man himself on the podcast! If you don't know Bob, he's an umpire who works NCAA, High School, and USSSA. He's also the creator and an admin over at the Ask the Softball Umpires group on Facebook with almost 30,000 members! In this interview…
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Episode 85 - Base Umpires: Are You Ready?
At a high level, we cover what to do in your proper starting position and what to avoid. Then we talk about being ready to move and were driven to the manual for some clarification about what we were told. (See the comments section on the website or Facebook for the exact section of the manual)...
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Episode 84 - Plate Mechanics Review
We review anchor foot position, slot foot, balance, head placement, and consistency. We also talk about some issues that umpires of different size might encounter when trying to adhere to these mechanics and issues faced by players' placement and movement. Then, in our social media segment, we...
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Episode 83 - Mechanics Miscues
The article begins, "The following is a list of miscues regarding umpire mechanics which we continue to see in our contests"... ok, we see you, sassy pants! Jokes aside, the things in this article weren't brought up to eat up space in this year's publication. These are things that the…
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Episode 82 - AI
What even are LLMs? Are they infallible? Are they an acceptable source for rules and mechanics? Should they be, or is this a case of Luddites trying to take away all of our fun? Join us as we talk about what are the proper sources of guidance for your umpiring journey. As always, if you want to...
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Episode 81 - Are You that Other Umpire?
We could chalk it up to it being an "imaginary other umpire" that coaches are appealing to to try to get their way or skirt rules. But we all know that there are definitely umpires that enforce too many (or not enough) rules on the diamond. In this episode, we follow along with a great article in...
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Episode 80 - 2026 NFHS Rule Changes
The good news is that only 3 changes are covered: electronic devices that are prohibited (1-9-6), a reorganization of Rule 8, and Rule 10-4-2 about our uniform pants. Hang with us as we cover all of that, break it down, and make sure that you're ready to get out on the middle/high school diamond...
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Episode 79 - NFHS Points of Emphasis 2026
What better way to kick off the NFHS season that to talk about the points of emphasis the the Federation wants to highlight for 2026? Last year, it was Teams' Role in Pace of Play and Situational Awareness. This year, our focus is on Obstruction and Maintaining an Unobstructed View. We chop those...
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Episode 78 - NCAA 2 Umpire Mechanics Changes pt 3
Wrapping up our series, we proceed to work through more of the 2-Person Mechanics Updates published for NCAA crews. This week we take a look at the following scenarios and what the Plate and Base Umpire should do in each one of them: * Runner on Third (Hit to Infield) * Runner on Third (Fly...
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Episode 77 - NCAA 2 Umpire Mechanics Changes pt 2
Continuing from last time, we proceed to work through more of the 2-Person Mechanics Updates published for NCAA crews. This week, we talk about fly ball coverage responsibilities overall. Then, we move onto specific scenarios for Plate and Base like: * No Runners On - ball hit to OF and not…
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Episode 76 - NCAA 2 Umpire Mechanics Changes pt 1
After last season concluded, Cody Little (the director of training and video review for the NCAA Softball Umpire Program) published these updates for the 2 person umpire system mechanics. In this first of three episodes, we start by covering the changes for plate and base umpires for between...
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Episode 75 - Clearing the Cleats
In NCAA Fastpitch rules, the pitcher may not step off of the pitcher's plate and back on again during the pitch... or may they? We take a look NCAA Rule 10.5.3.3 and at Approved Ruling (AR) 10-8 applying to that rule and have a discussion as to whether this contradicts AR 10-7 and a (only…
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Episode 74 - Mining the Socials
We start off by talking about an umpire, Mitchell Huggins (known as "Uncle Mitch" or "Mr. Mitch" to the players), who unfortunately passed away from heat stroke while working a game in South Carolina. We then move to talking about a question from an umpire about starting in the "C" position and...
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Episode 73 - Situational Mechanics: CCA Section 7.7 (NCAA Mechanics)
It might seem like talking about "situational mechanics" and then giving scenarios is doing "planned deviations", but that isn't the case. What we're looking for and talking about are situations that the manual just doesn't cover, not breaking and "doing your own thing" for situations that are...
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Episode 72 - Polishing the Craft: CCA 7.2 Wrap-Up (NCAA Mechanics)
We tackle the finer points of covering rundowns, how to handle a dropped third strike as a plate umpire and from the bases, infield fly, home runs, and the power of the point. As always, if you want to weigh in with your opinions, you can email us at [email protected], leave a...
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Episode 71 - The Look Back Rule
Listener Nick from NY wanted to understand more about the look back rule. He had heard us talk about it before, but as someone new to the sport, he was a little confused. So, we dropped what we were doing and recorded a "remote" episode, away from the friendly confines of the palatial UFS Studios...
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Episode 70 - Point of Plate, Classic 90, and the Wedge (NCAA Mechanics)
One of the best ways to start an aggressive discussion online is to talk about calling positions, especially around home plate. A number of times in recent memory, we've seen videos of plays offered for consideration only to have the discussion invariably end up in a criticism that that umpire...
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Episode 69 - Section 7 of the CCA Manual pt 2 (NCAA Mechanics)
The remainder of section 7 talks about calling distance and mechanics for tag plays at the bases/plage, correct position for watching for swipe or tag plays between bases, what to watch for on check swings, not calling or echoing obvious fouls, where to be for watching tag-up plays, preparing for...
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Episode 68 - Section 7 of the CCA Manual (NCAA Mechanics)
Section 7 starts a discussion of mechanics in general and then on to what do with pre-pitch preparation/planning and how many things that an umpire should be considering before the pitch. It then follows to discuss some basic calling position mechanics. As always, if you want to weigh in with…
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Episode 67 - An NCAA Three Umpire Experience, Part 2
Continuing on from last week, David talks about his experiences as part of a four umpire crew, this time focusing on his games at U1 and Video Review. Was it as bad as last time? Did he let the bad game at U3 wear on him? How does video review work at places that don't have 6 network camera…
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Episode 66 - An NCAA Three Umpire Experience, Part 1
Working in a crew of four, David talks about the experiences he had working with the crew, the facilities, and - here in part one - his specific game experiences at the Plate and U3. How did that go? At the clinics and in prior practice, Plate and U3 were his stronger positions. Did that hold up?...
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Episode 65 - Ejections
Ejected, Tossed, Run, Heaved, Thrown out, Sent packing, Launched, Chucked, Given the hook, Booted, 86'ed, Took the long walk, Got the thumb, Hit the showers early, Banished. Whatever you call it, we'd like to think that no umpire heads into a game looking to eject people. However, if we are...
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Episode 64 - Is It Preventative Umpiring Or Unfair Coaching?
We dive into a variety of situations and discuss where umpires might walk the line between preventative umpiring and outright coaching. We discuss everything from guiding younger players through basic rules to stepping in to prevent violence at the college level. How do you know when to speak up...
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Episode 63 - Umpiring Morality and Other Tips
Before we get into the meat of the episode, Pete starts us off with a correction from last episode regarding the running lane interference rules across sanctions prompted by some great listener feedback from Carlos in Hawaii. Next, we respond to a question from Jessica in Illinois about how to...
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Episode 62 - "Appealing" Behavior and Other Scenarios
First, we look at a play similar to last week where there is a question as to what to do with a runner who ended up on third. Did they miss the base? Did they score? Can an offensive coach appeal themselves? Next, we tackle a play from a recent game of David's with runner's lane interference and…
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Episode 61 - Can a Runner Unscore?
In the play, a suicide squeeze was on and the batter popped up the bunt. The runner scored, but erroneously thought the ball was caught and went back to third to tag up and stayed there. We dissect whether the runner can "un-score", whether replay was allowed to be used to see if she touched the...
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Episode 60 - OHSAA White Book: Mechanics Reminders pt 2
At the end of our last discussion, we still had a section of reminders about some pitch calling mechanics. We decided to merge the remainder of those things with our discussion around the tips within another article titled, "Get Your Head Right: Using the Slot to Get the Most Accurate Strike…
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Episode 59 - OHSAA White Book: Mechanics Reminders pt 1
We talk about mechanics for plate umpires including: reporting changes, handling intentional walks, fair/foul position, priorities, and signals - selling tough calls vs making unnecessary calls. We also talk about some reminders for base umpires including: proper initial position getting set and...
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Episode 58 - OHSAA White Book: Rules Reminders
We talk about the proper application for rules around: noise makers, sweatshirts/jackets, rule books, headwear, dugout personnel, substitutions and lineup card management, and game management. As always, if you want to weigh in with your opinions, you can email us at...
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Episode 57 - OHSAA Points of Emphasis for 2025
In addition to the points of emphasis that the National Federation had point out, our state association published their own points. Since they are also rules-based, they're valuable for everyone to consider. First, we talk about several aspects of pitching rules, including timing, replants…
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Episode 56 - NFHS and NCAA Rule Differences
Since it is that time where NCAA Softball is starting and High School is getting underway across much of the country, we wanted to dig into some of the differences in the rules between the two. We know a lot of umpires that work both, so we want to make sure you're keeping it all straight in your...
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Episode 55 - Don't Bet On It
In light of Pat Hoberg's firing in early February 2025, we wanted to talk about the importance of gambling (namely, NOT gambling) as an umpire or official. Unfortunately, gambling scandals in sports happen and even among officials. But, what all is considered sports gambling? Coming into Final…
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Episode 54 - Goals for the Season
In episode 50, David and Pete talked about some offseason preparation from a "Home Plate" publication. One of those points was about setting goals. In her next article, Sally talked more about goal-setting and David and Pete go over some of the tips and talk about how to make goals, work to…
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Episode 53 - 2025 NFHS Rule Updates and Points of Emphasis pt 2
We talk about the rest of the NFHS guidance for the 2025 season with a little bit of what our local OHSAA has thrown in as well. First, we go back and touch on some additional situational awareness thoughts from last week. Next, we talk about everyone's favorite topic - the replant. Finally, we...
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Episode 52 - 2025 NFHS Rule Updates and Points of Emphasis pt 1
We cover some of the changes and clarifications that NFHS has provided for the 2025 season. It isn't anything ground-breaking with regards to rules, but some penalties have changed and there has been some more clarity added around one-way electronic communication to the field from the dugout....
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Episode 51 - The Strike Zone
Just knowing where the strike zone is isn't enough. Sometimes, even a "book strike" isn't going to be popular with either team. What do you do about that? Do you give in and abandon the pitches? Does your zone change and get tighter with top teams and more lenient with lower-level teams? Should…
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Episode 50 - Offseason Preparation
Taking our cue from Sally's tips, we discuss some of the things that good umpires of all levels should be doing in the offseason as they prepare for the start of their next season. Topics include rest and relaxation, goal setting, psychological preparation, knowledge of rules and mechanics,...
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Episode 49 - Listener Suggested Topics
At the end of last season and in the off season, we put out a call to know what the listeners wanted to hear about. We got several responses and we're taking this episode to tackle some of them. Some questions can't be answered in one episode, so we let you know what our plans are for those, but…
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
Welcome to "Umpiring Fastpitch Softball," the ultimate Fastpitch Softball Umpiring podcast, hosted by umpires David Trout and Pete Shearer. Join us as we dive deep into the world of fastpitch softball officiating, sharing our passion for the game, and providing valuable insights and guidance for umpires at all levels. Each episode, we'll bring you engaging conversations, expert tips, and real-life experiences from the field, covering everything from the basics of umpiring to advanced mechanics and game management. Our goal is to help you hone your skills, understand the rules, and develop the confidence to make the right calls under pressure. Whether you're an aspiring umpire just starting your journey, a seasoned pro looking to stay sharp, or simply a fan who wants to understand the game from a new perspective, "Umpiring Fastpitch Softball" is the podcast for you. Tune in as David and Pete take you inside the world of fastpitch softball umpiring, sharing stories, answering q
HOSTED BY
David Trout & Pete Shearer
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Umpiring Fastpitch Softball have?
Umpiring Fastpitch Softball currently has 50 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Umpiring Fastpitch Softball about?
Welcome to "Umpiring Fastpitch Softball," the ultimate Fastpitch Softball Umpiring podcast, hosted by umpires David Trout and Pete Shearer. Join us as we dive deep into the world of fastpitch softball officiating, sharing our passion for the game, and providing valuable insights and guidance for...
How often does Umpiring Fastpitch Softball release new episodes?
Umpiring Fastpitch Softball has 50 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to Umpiring Fastpitch Softball?
You can listen to Umpiring Fastpitch Softball on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Umpiring Fastpitch Softball?
Umpiring Fastpitch Softball is created and hosted by David Trout & Pete Shearer.
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