Last month, Baseball Victoria confirmed the establishment of the BV Technical Operations Committee, which will be responsible for overseeing technical operations in Victoria, including administration for existing umpires and pathway development for all umpires.
Baseball Victoria is pleased to announce the following appointments to the committee:
- Umpire Officer – Operations: Randall Vavra
- Umpire Officer – Pathways: Stewart Howe
As outlined in the committee framework document, these officers will work alongside the Baseball Victoria CEO in the role of committee chairperson.
“We are excited to appoint two highly experienced and passionate BV Umpire Officers in Randall Vavra and Stewart Howe,” BV CEO Chet Gray said. “The Technical Operations Committee involves a significant investment into umpire development as we strive to further support the umpiring community, which plays a critical role in the overall success of baseball across Victoria.”
“As we move forward with a dedicated focus on umpire development and training, the BV Umpire Officers will lead the way in educating existing umpires, recruiting new umpires, and promoting umpire opportunities and achievements to the wider community. We look forward to this important step forward in enhancing support and resources for the valued officials who make our great game possible.”
BV Technical Operations Committee - Umpire Officers
Umpire Officer – Operations: Randall Vavra
In the role of Umpire Officer – Operations, Randall will be responsible for managing the communications, governance, administration, scheduling, registration, compliance, insurance, and codes of conduct of umpires in Victoria.
Randall comes to BV with over 50 years of experience in baseball umpiring. He has umpired in Australia for more than 15 years, participating in several National Championships ranging from U12s to U18s. Randall got his start behind the plate as a Little League umpire when he was 10 years old. He continued with high school and college games in the US before coming to Australia.
In addition to his extensive umpiring experience, Randall also has four decades of coaching under his belt, beginning with American YMCA ball and including a stint as head coach of the women’s section at Melbourne Baseball Club from 2010-2015. He attended Iowa Western Community College on a baseball scholarship and has significant playing experience in both the US and Australia, too.
Randall’s vast experience on all sides of the game gives him a unique perspective on how it all fits together, and his expertise will serve as invaluable input to our goals of moving forward to make baseball bigger and better in Victoria.
Umpire Officer – Pathways: Stewart Howe
As Umpire Officer – Pathways, Stewart will oversee pathway development, education, recruitment, and retention of umpires. This will include scheduling and promoting formal education sessions and ongoing development initiatives, as well as umpire assessment and evaluation as they move through the pathways.
Stewart brings over 40 years of umpiring experience to this role, having umpired over 5,300 games of baseball since he first started in 1982. He’s honoured to be so heavily involved in his beloved game, a true passion that has earned him five Umpire of the Year awards at the state and national level.
As a leader in grassroots umpiring, Stewart has covered VSBL, ABL, and Australian Championship games. He’s also well-known on the global stage, having umpired in four WBSC World Cups including 27 plate umpire appearances at international tournaments.
Stewart’s obvious love of the game and decades of dedicated service make him a valuable asset to the Technical Operations Committee. His desire to grow the game and support umpires at all levels will make a positive difference to overall pathway development and promotion of baseball umpiring in Victoria.