With a continued focus on improving the education and experience for its umpires volunteering their services, Little League® Baseball and Softball is pleased to announce the addition of MLB Veteran Umpire Gerry Davis as its new Senior Umpire Consultant.
“On behalf of the hundreds of thousands of umpires that dedicate and volunteer their time to our program, as well as all of us at Little League International, we are thrilled to have Gerry on our team in this new capacity and are excited to be able to bring his insight, expertise, and professionalism to our umpire education and development program,” said Nick Caringi, Little League Senior Director of Operations and Education. “Gerry’s knowledge of the game, understanding of the importance of umpires at every level, and commitment to improving both the umpire and player experience on and off the field makes him an incredible asset to the future of our program and we are thrilled to bring him on in this capacity.”
In this role, Mr. Davis will analyze Little League’s current umpire education resources, create a curriculum to further train and support umpires, review the selection process for tournament umpires, assist in creating training opportunities, develop umpire retention practices, and more. Additionally, Mr. Davis will serve as the Co-Chairman to the Little League International Volunteer Umpire Advisory Committee alongside Mr. Caringi to advance forward the strategic decision-making surrounding training, education, tournament selection, evaluation, and recruitment.
“I want to thank Little League International for giving me this rare opportunity,” said Mr. Davis. “I feel so blessed to have had an umpiring career that was beyond my wildest dreams and now I will have the opportunity to give back at the grassroots level. I look forward to working with all the volunteer umpires who help to make Little League the tremendous building block it is for today’s youth.”
Over the past six years, Mr. Davis has become very closely affiliated with the Little League program, starting with his involvement with the Little League MLB Classic in 2017. That year, he became the first umpire to officiate a Little League Baseball® World Series game and MLB World Series game in the same season and just a few months later joined the Little League team as a member of the Little League International Volunteer Umpire Advisory Committee. In addition to assisting with education initiatives, including an in-person camp during the Little League International Congress in June 2022, his company, Gerry Davis Sports, also serves as the official Umpire Uniform Provider for the Little League World Series.
As part of the Congress festivities, Mr. Davis was also honored with the presentation of the 2022 Little League Chairman’s Award, recognizing him for his contribution and dedicated service to Little League Baseball and Softball.
During his 40-year MLB career that included an astonishing 5,000 games served, Mr. Davis has seen historic games including a perfect game by Randy Johnson, the first overturned call due to instant replay in MLB history, and the last game played at Shea Stadium. Additionally, Mr. Davis has taken the field for four MLB All-Star Games as well as the 2013 World Baseball Classic. Today, Mr. Davis also holds the record for umpiring the most career Postseason games ever, including 11 League Championship Series and 6 World Series.