Baseball and softball are excellent sports for new officials to learn about. An amateur game’s field crew generally has a simple job: call fair or foul, safe or out. Understanding the rules and physics of the plate is more complex.
To begin, baseball and softball need a substantial amount of softball umpire gear to start. You’ll need it all for safety reasons, so don’t attempt to save money here.
So let us look in detail at the gear required to get started as a softball umpire:
Clothes
A Short-Brimmed Black Hat
Caps, not hats, are what umpires refer to them as. Short-brimmed hats like this one may be worn both in and out of the batter’s box. You don’t have to purchase two hats!
A Black Umpire Shirt Or A Blue Umpire Shirt
This softball umpire gear is nearly as nearly to industry standard as you can. If you go to any sporting event, no one will bat an eye if you wear black or blue. There are a few clauses why you should have them both. For starters, you never know when you’ll need one while the other is still in the washer.
As a second reason, you may need to change into a new shirt after working the first game of a double-header in the summers, and finally, having both of your team’s shirts on hand before a game is a brilliant idea since you should always match your teammate’s shirt color.
Optional: A Powder Blue Short-Sleeved Umpire Tee
For hot summer days, several umpires advocate getting this one; nevertheless, I’ll leave that decision up to you!
Optional: Umpire Pullover Jacket With Long Sleeves.
Even if you like the cold, you may want to consider buying one of them if you reside in a colder region.
Slacks In Charcoal/Grey With A Black Belt
In other words, these are the trousers you’ll wear the most often. They go well with my black, navy, or powder blue shirts.
Knee High Black Socks
Since umpires are standing the whole time, they prefer compression socks, but anything that covers your knees would do. If your jeans ride up, the officiating community thinks it’s bad form to display flesh around your calf and ankle.
Gear
Clicker/Indicator Balls & Strikes
As a result, umpires have developed indicators as a part of softball umpire gear to keep track of the score. The plastic ones are better for me since they don’t slip about in my hand like the metal ones.
Plate Brushes
If the home plate is covered with dirt, you can’t see it. So you’ll need a hand-held brush to remove the sand and grime off the floor.
A Ball Bag Or Bags
This is a straightforward process. Balls, an indicator, and a brush must be stored together in a bag.
Chest Protector.
This is where things become complicated when making a purchase. Depending on your budget and the quality of games you’ll be umpiring, you may wish to invest in a particular softball umpire gear for chest protection.
If you’re working with a younger audience who won’t be throwing as hard, less expensive chest protection can be sufficient. A more expensive armor may be necessary if you’re going up against a pitcher who can throw.
The Wilson West Vest, developed by our friend and umpire advocate Joe West, is a good choice overall. The MLB umpire with the second-most games officiated may feel safe and secure wearing it.
Wearing a Mask or Helmet
Fielders choose masks over chest shields. Helmets and masks with various levels of protection are available.
Protective Plate Shoes
These don’t earn you any style points, but the metal plates will protect your young piggies from nasty tips. You can probably ignore wearing them on the field and behind the plate.
Including the following is optional but highly recommended: They are called “Field Shoes.” Black cleats or sneakers are an option if you don’t want to wear heavy-plate shoes on the field.
Final Words
You need to know these things about softball umpire gear to get started as a softball umpire without any hassle. These are all the essential equipment that is mandatory for any new referee and are also used by sports veterans to ensure that they can do their umpiring without worrying about injuries and complications.