One of Victoria’s bright young umpires is heading overseas to continue his education and training in umpiring, thanks to the support of the Baseball Umpires Association of Victoria (BUAV).
Casey Cooke has been selected for funding by the BUAV to attend the Minor League Baseball Umpiring Training Academy at the Jackie Robinson Training Complex in Vero Beach, FL. Casey will head overseas for five weeks next January/February to take part in this extensive umpire training, which provides a pathway to higher levels of umpiring.
This is a big accomplishment for Casey, who began umpiring softball in 2015 before making the switch to baseball a year later, umpiring with Melbourne Winter Baseball League. He’s no stranger to the game, having played and coached juniors before taking up umpiring, something he now shares with his dad. “He helped me put a lot of effort into getting some of the basics right.”
Now, Casey is ready to improve his umpiring skills surrounded by seasoned umpires with years of experience. “It feels amazing to be selected,” Casey said. “This is an opportunity I've heard of from players and other umpires throughout the seasons, and it seemed really interesting to get a chance to learn from the best of the best.”
Thinking ahead to his first international trip apart from New Zealand, Casey is excited to have a month of dedicated practice time at a world-class training facility. “Even with our training nights, umpires have very few chances to practice rulings, see the same plays over and over or experiment with how they do things,” Casey said. “I’m coming internationally, as someone with such a different experience compared to some of the other students, which is something I’m looking forward to. I’m always keen to put myself under a whole lot of pressure.”
Being part of this prestigious training academy could open up new doors for Casey as he continues to pursue his umpiring passions. “There is a chance that I can be selected from the academy directly to the minor league system in America, which would be really cool,” Casey said. “But even without that, I have the opportunity to come back and help improve the quality of umpiring at a national or even regional level.”