WESTBROOK – Andrew Woody, Jr. is just 13, and about to begin his eighth-grade year at Westbrook Middle School. But he fills a role on the baseball field usually reserved for guys much older than that.

Andy, Jr. is an umpire.

Like many kids who take up an activity, Andy, Jr. took up umpiring after seeing a parent – in this case, his dad (Andy, Sr., naturally) – doing the same. “My father has umpired for as long as I remember and I always liked watching,” says Andy, Jr. “I have umpired about four years now.”

“He just seemed to take an interest in it,” says Andy, Sr. “I never approached him. I actually didn’t want him to get into umpiring. He just has always enjoyed the learning aspect of it and wanted to do it, so four years ago, when I went to do a minor league game, he said ‘I’ll do the bases,’ and I let him try it and he loved it. I think he has done an outstanding job, especially for only being 13.”

Four years is a long time, especially in the life of a 13-year-old – which is to say, Andy, Jr.’s been running baseball games (and softball games, it’s worth mentioning) for quite some time. And yet, he hasn’t, to this point, taken a certification course.

Apparently that’s not a requirement, though: “You should go to a certification course,” Andy, Jr. says. “I have not, yet. I have gone over the rulebook with my father.”

Andy, Sr., elaborates: “Normally you need to be 16 to umpire in Little League, but he got a waiver due to doing minors games last year.” Minors games are for boys 7-11 who haven’t reached Little League yet.

“I’ve been umpiring since 1981,” Andy, Sr. says. “I went over the rules with Andrew every game that he did this year: We went over what happens in certain situations and how you would handle certain situations. He’s played baseball since he was five years old, so he has a lot of the rules [down].”

The informal nature of his training hasn’t hindered Andy, Jr. For one, the players on the field with him seem to respect him – even those who’re older. 

“Little League has different cutoff dates for boys and girls,” Andy, Jr. says, “and some of the girls I umpire for are older. Yes, they respect me as an umpire. Some do not know I am only 13, and just see a person in blue.”

Andy, Jr., has actually umpired for his friends. In general, that’s worked out well: “[It’s not really difficult]; they are just like any other players out there,” he says. 

On the other hand, officiating for his chums hasn’t always gone smoothly for Andy, Jr. “[One of my friends] hates me for a call I had to make,” he says.

“The Cape Elizabeth girls loved him,” Andy, Sr., says. “Westbrook, the players all enjoyed him. His first Little League baseball game on the bases, the catcher, at one time, was his center in football – [Andy, Jr. was] the QB. The catcher asked me, ‘If you blow a call, can I appeal it to him?’ It was a funny moment.”

Coaches typically treat him well, too. Somewhat to his chagrin, in fact, he’s never had the opportunity to toss a loudmouth coach out of a game. “Not yet,” he says, “but I look forward to it. Most coaches know I am only 13 and haven’t questioned me yet.”

Umpiring, of course, is more than simply calling balls and strikes, and Andy, Jr. has had to make some tough decisions. 

“I think it was the first game I ever did the bases for,” he says, by way of an example, “and my father was doing the plate. A player ran to first and started towards second base and the player on first tagged him out. I felt he committed to second base and had no problem making the call. This was minor league baseball and we explained to all the players why we made the call.”

Runners in baseball are allowed to overrun first base, as everyone knows. But committing to second renders them fair game again.

Andy, Jr., is not just an umpire; he’s also an athlete. In particular, he enjoys the gridiron and the mats: “I play football,” he says. “I also wrestled for the middle school last year.” He does like baseball as well, though it’s perhaps not his best sport, as he notes: “I didn’t make the seventh-grade baseball team last season.”

Andy, Jr. umpires regularly through the spring each year.

Adam Birt can be reached at abirt@keepmecurrent.com. Follow him on Twitter: @CurrentSportsME

Andy, Jr. calls pitches from behind home plate.

Photo courtesy of Andrew Woody, Sr.