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★★★★★

4.7

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12 reviews

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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 questions, and fostering a community of dedicated officials who are committed to excellence on and off the field. So, grab your mask and indicator, and join us behind the plate for a unique and entertaining look at the challenging and rewarding world of fastpitch softball umpiring. Don't miss an episode – subscribe now and be part of the conversation! https://umpiringfastpitchsoftball.com

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Check latest episodes from Umpiring Fastpitch Softball podcast

Episode 98 - Base Awards

2026/06/24

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 three major sanctions that we cover and address a few common misconceptions that are held concerning awards. Then, in our social media segment, we talk about when (if ever) it is appropriate for umpires to "talk" to players or coaches (conversation, rules explanations, etc). Lastly, we conclude by wrapping up our podcast season (we made an extra long episode as a going away present ;) ). Big thanks to everyone who has listened, supported, and/or interacted with us along with way so far! As always, if you want to weigh in with your opinions, you can email us at [email protected], leave a comment at UmpiringFastpitchSoftball.com, or comment on this episode on Facebook - just search for Umpiring Fastpitch Softball

Episode 97 - USA Softball Rules (Appeals pt 2 and ball rotation)

2026/06/17

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 Rules Supplement, Ball Rotation Procedure. Lastly, we move on to our Social Media Segment and discuss a question about an annoying myth around warm-up pitches. As always, if you want to weigh in with your opinions, you can email us at [email protected], leave a comment at UmpiringFastpitchSoftball.com, or comment on this episode on Facebook - just search for Umpiring Fastpitch Softball

Episode 96 - USA Softball Rules (OBS, Zone, and Appeals pt 1)

2026/06/10

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 pause for next time. Lastly, in our social media segment, we talk about a play that happened and what exactly constitutes "leaving a base". As always, if you want to weigh in with your opinions, you can email us at [email protected], leave a comment at UmpiringFastpitchSoftball.com, or comment on this episode on Facebook - just search for Umpiring Fastpitch Softball

Episode 95 - Windmill? What Windmill?

2026/06/03

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. Next, in the social media segment, we answer a question about just how often are umpires supposed to call time during stoppages of play. As always, if you want to weigh in with your opinions, you can email us at [email protected], leave a comment at UmpiringFastpitchSoftball.com, or comment on this episode on Facebook - just search for Umpiring Fastpitch Softball

Episode 94 - Appropriate Obstruction?

2026/05/27

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 cover what we saw, what we think is appropriate, and how you might handle similar situations if this happens in a game you're officiating. Then, in our social media segment, we cover a play where an umpire called dead ball interference and should have called obstruction. How should the crew best fix it? As always, if you want to weigh in with your opinions, you can email us at [email protected], leave a comment at UmpiringFastpitchSoftball.com, or comment on this episode on Facebook - just search for Umpiring Fastpitch Softball

Episode 93 - An End of Game Appeal Scenario

2026/05/20

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 rulebook says about it and what we would do if this happened in one of our games. As always, if you want to weigh in with your opinions, you can email us at [email protected], leave a comment at UmpiringFastpitchSoftball.com, or comment on this episode on Facebook - just search for Umpiring Fastpitch Softball

Episode 92 - Listener Questions Volume 1

2026/05/13

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 episode and we always enjoy interacting and reacting to our listeners' questions, so if you have some yourself, please send them in. As always, if you want to weigh in with your opinions, you can email us at [email protected], leave a comment at UmpiringFastpitchSoftball.com, or comment on this episode on Facebook - just search for Umpiring Fastpitch Softball

Episode 91 - Stump the Chump Volume 2

2026/05/06

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 communication, and player conferences. Give this episode a listen to see if David redeems himself from last time! As always, if you want to weigh in with your opinions, you can email us at [email protected], leave a comment at UmpiringFastpitchSoftball.com, or comment on this episode on Facebook - just search for Umpiring Fastpitch Softball

Episode 90 - Mining the Socials pt 2

2026/04/29

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 hitting a bat in the field of play that was kicked by the catcher. Phew! As always, if you want to weigh in with your opinions, you can email us at [email protected], leave a comment at UmpiringFastpitchSoftball.com, or comment on this episode on Facebook - just search for Umpiring Fastpitch Softball

Episode 89 - Stump the Chump Volume 1

2026/04/22

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 can email us at [email protected], leave a comment at UmpiringFastpitchSoftball.com, or comment on this episode on Facebook - just search for Umpiring Fastpitch Softball

Episode 88 - The Strike Zone?

2026/04/15

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 private rebellion against the written rules? And if all of that is true, why do people post one thing online but are likely to tell you differently in private? We share our thoughts on this topic likely to get us cancelled. As always, if you want to weigh in with your opinions, you can email us at [email protected], leave a comment at UmpiringFastpitchSoftball.com, or comment on this episode on Facebook - just search for Umpiring Fastpitch Softball

Episode 87 - NFHS Double First Base

2026/04/08

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 FB comments for this episode for the rules and case plays mentioned. As always, if you want to weigh in with your opinions, you can email us at [email protected], leave a comment at UmpiringFastpitchSoftball.com, or comment on this episode on Facebook - just search for Umpiring Fastpitch Softball

Episode 86 - An Interview With Robert Bannon

2026/04/01

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, we talk about Bob's origin story, what makes a good (and bad) umpire, and pick his brain about some things that were on our mind. As always, if you want to weigh in with your opinions, you can email us at [email protected], leave a comment at UmpiringFastpitchSoftball.com, or comment on this episode on Facebook - just search for Umpiring Fastpitch Softball

Episode 85 - Base Umpires: Are You Ready?

2026/03/25

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) Then, we talk about pre-pitch planning and what it should be for you on day one, as well as where it should start to get for you as you can run through these initial things as second nature. Lastly, in our social media segment, we cover a post that was made about rule 8-10-2. The wording here seems pretty clear, but that didn't stop a huge discussion from being undertaken. As promised during the show, we have the rule for you (to make sure the original poster gave it to us correctly) in the comments on our site and on the episode post on Facebook. As always, if you want to weigh in with your opinions, you can email us at [email protected], leave a comment at UmpiringFastpitchSoftball.com, or comment on this episode on Facebook - just search for Umpiring Fastpitch Softball

Episode 84 - Plate Mechanics Review

2026/03/18

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 tackle a post about interference on an infield fly. (Sneak preview: we were actually shocked by the rules interpretation) As always, if you want to weigh in with your opinions, you can email us at [email protected], leave a comment at UmpiringFastpitchSoftball.com, or comment on this episode on Facebook - just search for Umpiring Fastpitch Softball

Podcast reviews

Read Umpiring Fastpitch Softball podcast reviews

4.7 out of 5

12 reviews

★★★★★

NickD929 2025/08/12

Great Fastpitch Podcast

This is a fantastic fastpitch softball podcast produced by 2 knowledgeable umpires. Informative and entertaining even for non-umpires (such as myself)...

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