FOR THE LOVE OF THE GAME

One of Sports’ Uncelebrated Positions: Bosque County high school baseball umpires Kuisel, Voss selected to 2024 UIL State Tournament at Dell Diamond

In the heat of the day, the Star-Spangled Banner, the Lone Star State flag and the University Interscholastic League pennants lazily unfolded on the hot breeze, setting the stage on the iconic baseball diamond.

Supporters on the first base side showing their team and school spirit in their maroon T-shirts, staved off the heat with misting hand fans under umbrellas. The opposing fans at the third base line huddled in the higher rows, sacrificing view for the shade.

On both sides, the cowbells, horns and signs were on the ready. The pre-game nerves peaked as the players saw the officials walk out onto the field. This was it. It was time to prove to themselves and their loyal supporters that the best team would prevail to capture the state championship. This was their time to shine on the biggest high school baseball stage in Texas.

Immersed as an integral part of the National Pastime, the baseball umpire has come to represent the heavy in the drama on the diamond, the villain of the play, the object of antagonism and abuse from players, coaches and spectators alike. With that said, why would anyone want that job?

For the love of the game.

Representing two of the 72 umpires selected statewide for the 2024 UIL Baseball State Tournament held June 5-7 at Dell Diamond in Round Rock and Disch-Falk Field on the campus of the University of Texas in Austin, Bosque County’s Hal Kuisel and Brett Voss were among an elite and prestigious few.

The Texas Association of Sports Officials (TASO) has 14 divisions in the state consisting of 35 high school baseball chapters with close to 4,000 registered umpires.

“My immediate response is, what are the odds?” Kuisel said. “How fortunate for Brett and I to get partnered up this season. Of course, we’ve worked together several times in the past and at least once during this past regular season. But it’s highly unlikely during the post season playoff rounds, particularly in the state tournament.”

As members of the TASO Waco Chapter, Kuisel and Voss were on a nominating list sent to the state office for selection. The two Bosque County umpires were selected along with Justin Goolsby and crew chief Caleb Overstreet of Waco to form a four-man crew to work the Class 5A State Semifinal game between defending state champion Magnolia West and Lucas Lovejoy June 6 at Dell Diamond.

“To be nominated and selected is both an honor and privilege,” Kuisel said. “What a great way to be an ambassador and represent the Waco Chapter. Personally, this is a career highlight – my first trip to the state tournament.

“Working in the state tournament is as far as we can go at the high school level. We prepare ourselves for whenever opportunity presents itself. It just happened to be my time. My experience was humbling in a good way. I simply took it all in.”

Being selected to work the state tournament for the second time in the last three seasons, Voss found the experience particularly humbling and gratifying at the same time. Not knowing when or even if he will ever return, Voss took the time to soak in the moment and the opportunity, not to mention the energy in the air.

“When you and your crew step through the gate in left field and walk onto the field, it’s quite a feeling,” Voss said. “As umpires, we are the third team on the field. And for us, it feels much like it does for the players and coaches to make it to the state tournament.”

After spending 24 years as a high school baseball, football and track coach, Voss should know. Following stints at Temple High School, Robert M. Shoemaker High School in Killeen and Hyde Park Baptist School in Austin, Voss settled in Bosque County just outside of Meridian in 2008.

When he retired from coaching in 2012, Voss became the publisher of The Clifton Record and Meridian Tribune, returning to his journalism roots that began as a sports writer for the Dallas Morning News in 1983. Since leaving the newspaper business, Voss has returned to the education field as a teacher at Clifton High School.

Following his retirement from coaching, Voss’ oldest son Jacob entered the engineering department at Baylor University in Waco. Since Jake had played high school baseball, Voss suggested umpiring as a part-time job for his son while attending college. Little did he know at the time what it would end up leading to for him.

“After his first season as an umpire, Jake said ‘Dad, you’ve got to get you some of this…it’s almost like playing the game again.’ At first, I wasn’t sure it was such a good idea. As a coach, I was really hard on umpires to say the least. But the following season, I decided to give it a try. And Jake was right. As an umpire, you are in the action, totally immersed in the game.”

After 10 years as an umpire in the Waco Chapter, Voss’ opportunity to experience a father-son, two-man umpiring crew with Jake during his first season as an umpire in 2014 remains the highlight of his career.

“Jake was definitely the best umpire on the field that day,” Voss said. “As a first-year umpire, I still had so much to learn. But I had coached Jake in baseball from the time he was big enough to pick up a ball and bat. So to walk out on the field as umpires together was really special.”

Graduating from Clifton High School in the Class of 1984, Kuisel went on to earn a Bachelor’s Degree at Texas Lutheran University in 1988 before serving in the U.S. Navy from 1989-2009. Serving in the Pacific Fleet in air traffic control, Kuisel retired as a Chief Petty Officer before earning his MBA from University of Phoenix in 2015. In addition to umpiring, Kuisel presently works for Crown Correctional Telephone & Sterling Commissary in Clifton.

Interestingly, Kuisel’s umpiring career began while serving in the Navy at Naval Air Station North Island, Coronado, California.

“I was volun-told,” Kuisel said. “My immediate supervisor happened to be the team manager of our command softball team. One night after a victory, our supervisor starts passing out cold beverages and Little League rule books to each of us. He explained to us that he had recently assumed the chief umpire position for a local little league that had zero umpires.

“With that, he explained that we were his umpires, and that the Navy is a staunch promoter of community service involvement. Of course, I gave it a try, but I nearly threw in the towel. I sure am glad that I had second thoughts and chose to continue. After all, here I am.”

With almost 30 years of umpiring experience under his belt, Kuisel has officiated every level of baseball except for the Minor Leagues and MLB. After attending the Jim Evans Academy of Professional Umpires in Tucson, AZ as a part of the Class of 2011, Kuisel most recently worked at the NCAA level in the American Southwest Conference (Div III) and the Southland Conference (Div I).

“Every baseball umpire’s journey is unique,” Kuisel said. “Mine commenced in the Summer of 1995 in San Diego, CA. And now, I can legitimately claim that I’ve officiated a contest at Dell Diamond Ballpark. But to be honest, I didn’t feel much additional big stage pressure. I’ve worked in venues of similar capacity before.”

Without a doubt, the baseball umpire continues to generally be seen in a negative light with the occupation described as “one of competitive sport’s most uncelebrated positions.” Make no mistake about it, an umpire’s job stands out as intrinsically challenging with cognitive stress resulting from being thrust in a position to make split-second decisions and calls in complex situations.

Much like Kuisel, it’s a situation Voss thoroughly enjoys experiencing as a part of every baseball game he works, and he thrives on the pressure. And with a unique perspective of being on the other side as a coach, Voss believes it has had an impact on making him a more effective umpire.

“To be honest, I know from experience what a coach needs to see and hear from an umpire,” Voss said. “As a coach, no matter how hot I might have been about a call, there were a few umpires who knew how to immediately defuse me. I’ve never forgotten them for how they handled the situation, and I try to emulate them now.

“Make no mistake about it, an umpire needs to demonstrate authority and confidence in everything he does on the baseball diamond. But that strength and conviction needs to be wrapped in humility and an approachable disposition.”

Utilizing strategies and techniques to strive toward eliminating the need for confrontation before they have an opportunity to develop, Voss takes pride in never needing to eject a coach during his 10-year TASO umpiring career. In fact, he and his longtime umpiring partner Jeff Boutwell – Voss’ crew mate at the 2022 UIL State Baseball Tournament – have a unique perspective on a job well done.

“How do Jeff and I know we’ve worked a good game?” Voss asked rhetorically. “When we can walk off the field, look at each other and say, ‘Almost like we weren’t even there.’ For us, that’s the best feeling you can have as an umpire.”

All for the love of the game.