Camp Directors

Camp Staff

Mike Bess

Mike began umpiring at the age of 15. In 1972 he attended Umpire Development Program School and was assigned to the New York Penn League where he worked for two seasons. Before accepting coaching positions at Kellogg Community College and Battle Creek St. Phillip High School he umpired in the Big Ten, Mid-American, and Midwestern Cities Conferences. Mike has worked numerous JUCO and NAIA post season tournaments. While coaching at St. Phillip Mike set coaching records for the most single season and career wins and sent over 20 players into college baseball. Mike has umpired 30 Stan Musial World Series, nine Connie Mack Work Series, four Mickey Mantle World Series, and the USA Junior National Team Selection Tournament. He is now coaching baseball at East Lansing High School, and is also the Director of Baseball for Grand Slam Baseball Academy at Court One Athletic Club in Lansing. He also officiates high school football, basketball, and volleyball.

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Chad Bocian

This is Chad's 9th year as an instructor. For the past 10 seasons Chad has worked all levels of college baseball, primarily in the GLIAC, MIAA, WHAC, and MCCAA conferences. In 2006-08 2010-11 he umpired the NJCAA Regional Tournament, the NCAA Division II Regional Tournament, and was added to the staff of the Frontier League in 2008. He also officiates college football, working in the GLIAC and Pioneer collegiate conferences, as well as high school and collegiate (MCCAA, MIAA, WHAC) women’s basketball. Chad worked the 2005 baseball, 2006 football, and 2007 basketball MHSAA state finals. Also, he serves as an instructor for officiating courses at Aquinas College and as an umpire assignor for summer baseball leagues in west Michigan through the Great Lakes Umpire Alliance.

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Dave Buck

Dave is in his 28th year of umpiring. He attended the Harry Wendelstedt Umpire School in 1984 and was chosen as the school’s outstanding student. Dave worked the next eleven years in the minor leagues, including four years at the AAA level. He has been umpiring college baseball since 1995, and currently works in the Big Ten, Conference USA, the Big East and the Mid-American Conferences. His post season assignments include two Division III Regional Tournaments, one Big Ten Conference Tournament, two Conference USA Tournaments, two Big East Conference Tournaments, six Mid-American Conference Tournaments, thirteen Division I Regional Tournaments, and eight Division I Super Regional Tournaments. Dave was chosen for and worked the Division I College World Series in 2004 and 2007. He also umpired the 2007 World Cup and 2008 Olympic Qualifying Tournaments in Taiwan. In addition to umpiring, Dave officiates high school and small college basketball, and is actively involved with fundraising in the fight against cystic fibrosis, a disease affecting his oldest daughter, Hannah.

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Perry Costello

Perry began umpiring at the Little League level 37 years ago. He worked high school and small college baseball until becoming a professional umpire. He spent 11 years umpiring professionally and worked many league championship assignments, including two Minor League World Series. Perry also worked two years in the Dominican Winter League. Since returning to college baseball, Perry has worked in the Big Ten, Midwest Collegiate, Mid-American, Big East, Southeastern, Conference USA, Summit, GLIAC, MIAA and WHAC conferences. Perry was also involved with the AABC and the Frontier League. He worked numerous conference and league tournaments, as well as NCAA Division I Regional and Super Regional tournaments. He has umpired four Division I College World Series and was selected to work the plate in the final game in 2009. Perry has umpired internationally in the 1999 Winnipeg Pan-American Games and was assigned to umpire the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China. He has also been a Division I basketball official for 18 years, working 4 NAIA National Finals and a Division II Final tournament, along with numerous Division I and II conference tournaments.

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Mark Ditsworth

Mark has been umpiring for 33 years. He has umpired all levels of amateur baseball and has served as the Umpire-In-Chief for the MHSAA State Baseball Finals since 1993. Mark has been working college baseball since 1987 and has umpired 17 conference tournaments in the Mid-American and Big Ten Conferences. He is currently on the staffs of the Big Ten, Big East, Mid-American and Atlantic Ten conferences. Mark has been been assigned to 11 Division 1 Regionals, 8 Division 1 Super Regionals and worked the Division I College World Series in 2007 and 2010.  In 2007 Mark umpired the Connie Mack World Series in Farmington, New Mexico.  He umpired the World University Games in the Czech Republic in 2008. Mark has also worked international baseball, umpiring the 2007 World Cup in Taiwan,  the first ever World Cup of Women's Baseball in Edmonton, Canada and multiple Olympic qualifiers.  Mark also officiates Division II, III, NAIA and junior college basketball.

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Mike Duffy

Mike has been umpiring for over 20 years. He currently works college baseball primarily in the Big Ten, Mid-American, and Big East Conferences. He has umpired post season tournaments for the Big Ten, Mid-American, Big East and Midwestern Collegiate Conferences and has worked six NCAA Division I Regional Tournaments. Mike has also worked NCAA Division II, III, and JUCO Regional Tournaments. Mike has umpired three high school State Championships and currently works high school football. He retired recently after a long career as a high school basketball official.

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Jim Jackson

Jim has been umpiring for 32 years, spending the last 26 years working college baseball. He works primarily in the Big Ten, Big East and Missouri Valley Conferences and has umpired nine Big Ten Conference Tournaments and four Missouri Valley Conference Tournaments. Jim has been selected thirteen times for Division I Regional Tournaments, as well as eight Super Regional Tournaments. In 2010 Jim was selected for and worked the Division I College World Series. He also umpired the 2002 Division III World Series and numerous Division III and NAIA Regionals, as well as 15 high school Regionals and Sectionals in Indiana. In 2005 Jim worked the 36th World Cup of Baseball in the Netherlands and in 2008 umpired the Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Taiwan. Jim also officiates high school basketball and has been an Indiana State Police Officer for 31 years, currently serving as a Sergeant.

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Dan Rypma

Dan has been umpiring for over 20 years. He attended Brinkman Umpire School in 1986 and Evans Umpire Academy in 1991. Dan has worked Division I baseball and NAIA and JUCO Tournaments. He continues to work high school baseball and umpired the 2004 MHSAA State Finals. He was selected as the Crew Chief for the MHSBCA 2008 East-West High School All Star Game played at Comerica Park. Dan also officiates junior college and high school basketball and worked the high school basketball State Championship in 2003, 2007 and 2008. Dan has instructed in sports officiating classes for over ten years and currently teaches in the Health, Physical Education Department at Muskegon Community College.

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Scott Taylor

Scott began his umpiring journey working Little League games with his father Adrian in Blackwell, OK at the age of 13. He continued working all levels of youth baseball through his college years until deciding to attend the Bill Kinnamon Umpire School in 1982. Scott then began a five year minor league career that included stops in the Pioneer League, Arizona Instructional League, Florida State League and the Texas League in 1985-86 before leaving the game to begin a career in business. His collegiate career began in 1987 working in the Big 8 and Missouri Valley Conferences as well as a variety of other D2, NAIA and JUCO assignments. After taking 11 years away from umpiring, Scott returned to the game in 2006 and has since worked games in the Big 10, MAC, Summit and Horizon Leagues.  He has also worked games in the GLVC and the GLIAC and has worked several post-season assignments. These assignments include serving as the crew chief for three straight NCAA Division II Great Lakes Regional Tournaments (2006-2008) and umpiring two Division II College World Series (2007 and 2008).  Scott served as the crew chief for the 2008 series and also worked the MAC Championship tournament in 2010 and 2011. Scott now resides in Indianapolis with his wife Brenda, where he is self-employed.

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Dave Uyl

David currently umpires college baseball in the Big Ten, MAC and Missouri Valley Conferences. He previously spent ten seasons in professional baseball. David attended the Jim Evans Umpire Academy in 2000 and later served as an instructor. His career included work in the Gulf Coast, Pioneer, Midwest, California, Eastern and International Leagues. David served as a crew chief in the Eastern League, worked the plate in the league’s All-Star Game, and also worked the championship series. He was twice invited to the Arizona Fall League, which led to him working MLB Spring Training in Arizona in 2009 and 2010. David worked four seasons in AAA, serving as a crew chief for two of those years along with working the championship series. David currently officiates college and high school football as well as high school basketball. He played football and baseball at Hope College. He is employed as a financial advisor, currently residing in Chicago with his wife and two sons.

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Mark Winters

Mark Winters has been officiating since 1990. He is a graduate of the Harry Wendelstedt Umpiring School, where he finished as top student. Mark advanced to AA and AAA levels and worked as crew chief in the Pioneer League, New York Penn League, Midwest League, Carolina League, Eastern League and the Pacific Coast League and was fortunate enough to officiate playoffs and championship series in every league he worked. His professional career culminated as a AAA crew chief working the “Futures” game in Atlanta, Georgia. Mark worked spring training games for nine years. In 2003 he was asked to work the Dominican Winter League in the Dominican Republic and returned in 2004 for a second season. Also in 2004 Mark worked the plate in the Caribbean World Series. He was selected to work  the Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Cuba in 2006. He has been a clinician at basketball and baseball camps since 1992. Mark is currently working Division I Baseball in the Big 10 and Big 12 conferences, in addition to independent baseball in the Frontier League. He also referees basketball at both high school and collegiate levels.

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