Baseball: Local young umpires recognized by Illinois Officials Association

While his peers were stocking shelves at grocery stores and flipping burgers at fast-food joints, Louis Johnson went from swinging at strikes to calling them as he developed social skills, a strong work ethic and a nice payday as a baseball umpire.

Johnson, who graduated from Minooka High School in 2022, was recognized in August by the Illinois Officials Association as its 2023 Rookie of the Year.

“He definitely stood out because he’s done such a good job,” said Jordan Cohen, owner and assigner of the IOA. “Coaches like him, tournament directors like him. He’s a hardworking guy that commits his time to umpiring and wants to get better. He works a ton of games, day and night, throughout the week and weekends.”

The IOA, which assigns umpires for several high school conferences along with thousands of youth tournament games from March through October, continues to look for new officials to make a dent in the national umpire shortage.

A couple of IOA veterans, Adam Satorius and Kellen Walker, who also are campus monitors at Minooka, encouraged Johnson to try a fun, challenging and rewarding job where you get to work from home ... plate, that is.

“And, of course, you’re literally getting paid to watch baseball. I mean, c’mon. There are so many awesome things about being an umpire.”

—  Louis Johnson, 2022 Minooka graduate

“It’s really fun, because you get to see some awesome competition,” Johnson said. “It’s mostly easy and fun, but you also learn great social skills when things get hard, like disagreements with players, coaches and fans. You get to be outside, and you only work on days that you’re available.”

Johnson also enjoys meeting others who share his love for the national pastime.

“I’ve gotten to know the tournament directors and other umpires, which is pretty cool,” he said. “And, of course, you’re literally getting paid to watch baseball. I mean, c’mon. There are so many awesome things about being an umpire.”

Johnson, who has umpired more than 300 games this year, is humble about the recognition.

“It was pretty cool, because I got a late start in 2022,” he said. “I was like a rookie pulled up past the deadline, so this was my first real season. Nothing really changes, though. I still get to go out and umpire games and have fun. That’s it.”

Another young local umpire, Joliet’s Vinny DeFilippo, was named IOA’s Top Summer Umpire for 2023.

“It feels very good to receive an award from the organization that you work for,” he said. “I feel very honored.”

DeFilippo, a 2020 graduate of Joliet Catholic Academy who is a student at the University of Nebraska, was introduced to umpiring by his father, Vince, several years ago.

“He’s been with [the IOA] for four or five years now, and he’s another game-eater, per se,” Cohen said. “Every week he’s there to work – Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday – so it’s a great way to make money. And he’s improved a lot as he’s gone on. And his dad is an umpire, too, so that helps in keeping it in the family.”

Similarly, Johnson’s father, Don, and brother, Carson, also are baseball umpires.

Vinny DeFilippo said he began umpiring when he was 16 or 17 and that he was never apprehensive about the bad behavior of players, coaches and fans that deter many from becoming a crucial part of the game. As the saying goes, without umpires, it’s just recess.

“I have always loved this game, and I will always love and continue to follow this game, so it was really easy to get into officiating,” DeFilippo said. “And prior to becoming an official, I knew I had good knowledge of the rules of the game since I played ever since I was 8.”

He will most certainly recommend becoming an umpire to current players and former ones who are open to converting into a different role in baseball.

“I would advise them to get into it, of course, and to give it a try and see if you like it,” he said. “It can get hard sometimes, but when you stick to your training and knowledge, it gets easy, and that’s when you really start to enjoy it.”

Enjoying the game as a hitter in the batter’s box, in the dugout as a coach or in the stands as parents is getting tougher to do when there are more games than umpires. The National Federation of State High School Associations reported that almost 20,000 umpires at the high school level were lost between 2018 and 2022.

“If we could get 10 to 15 guys like [Johnson and DeFilippo] every summer, that would be ideal,” Cohen said. “We’re looking for guys who aren’t afraid to work, hustle and do a good job.”

Anyone interested can reach out to Cohen at jordan@ilofficials.com. Fall ball begins in September.