Forty-one young people showed up in Wilmington, California, this summer to learn a job most of them had probably never considered: umpiring.
They came because Steven Contreras believed his hometown baseball league needed more officials AND because he was willing to do something about it.
Contreras grew up in Wilmington playing football and baseball. In 2009, while attending Rolling Hills Prep, his life changed. Doctors discovered cancer in his left leg, and on March 5, 2010, surgeons amputated the leg below the knee.
For a few minutes, he thought his playing days might be over.
Then he decided they weren't.
After surgery and chemotherapy, Contreras returned to the football field. In his first game back, he played eight snaps and made three tackles. By his senior year, he was selected to the CIF Southern Section 8 Man Football All-Star Game.
What mattered most to him wasn't the story behind his comeback. He wanted to be there because he could play.
Today, Contreras is still playing. He's a member of the Louisville Slugger Warriors, a national amputee baseball team that travels the country playing against able-bodied teams.
And now he's helping build the next generation of people who keep the game moving.
Giving Kids a First Chance
The inaugural Junior Umpire Development Program at Wilmington PONY Baseball was simple: give young people a chance to learn the job, learn from experienced officials and, most importantly, get on the field.
The camp was free.
Chris Torres, Javier Navarro, Tony Norris and Tim O’Day helped lead instruction, covering everything from plate mechanics and positioning to rules and game situations.
But this wasn't just a classroom exercise. The kids got hands-on experience and a chance to see what being an umpire actually feels like.
That was the point.
"There aren't enough umpires," Contreras said in so many words through the work he put into the camp. So instead of complaining about it, he went looking for the next ones.
The community stepped up too. Sponsors including Councilmember Tim McOsker and The One-Five, UMPS CARE Charities, RefMasters, Ump Attire, Davis, ThighPro, LiUNA! Local 1309 and Wilmington PONY Baseball helped make the free camp possible and it worked.
Forty-one young umpires attended. Eight left ready to work Wilmington PONY Baseball's Fall Ball games. That's a pretty good first day. For Contreras, though, the bigger win may have been giving a group of kids something he understands better than most: a chance.
A chance to try something new. A chance to be trusted. A chance to find another way to stay close to the game. Every career starts somewhere. For eight young umpires in Wilmington, it started with a first call.
Sources
- The First Call: How Steven Contreras' Junior Umpire Camp Opened a New Door (RefMasters Magazine)
- California Leg Amputee Is All Star Football Player (CoachFore.org, 2012)
- Augustana alum Parker Hanson-Harden brings amputee baseball team home (Sioux Falls Live, Aug. 2026)
- Mets honor inspirational amputee baseball team (MLB.com)
- Louisville Slugger Warriors Weekend (Western Kentucky University)
