Quentin Motte with MLB umpire Hunter Wendelstedt, after being named Top Returning Student

Eleven umpires from the Northwoods League’s 2017 crew and one from the 2016 crew were selected to attend Minor League baseball’s Advanced Course following the conclusion of umpire school earlier this month. The top graduates from the Harry Wendelstedt School and the MiLB Umpire Training Academy are invited to attend the MiLB Advanced Course from which any open Minor League umpire positions are filled. During the 2017 season, 37 Northwoods League umpire alumni were actively working in the Minor Leagues.

The following are the umpires that were selected to the MiLB Advanced Course:

Joe Belangia

Larry Dillman (2016)

Dan Glidewell

Kenny Jackson

Patrick Jeter

Ethan McCranie

Connor McKenna

Quentin Motte

Austin Nelson

Steven Rios

Paul Roemer

J.T. Shaw

Another 2017 alum, Michael Chukerman, was hired by the NCAA and has worked games in 9 conferences this Spring, including the CCAA and PacWest, earning an assignment to work a post-season conference tournament.

The Northwoods League is the proven leader in the development of elite college baseball players. Entering its 25th anniversary season, the Northwoods League is the largest organized baseball league in the world with 20 teams, drawing significantly more fans, in a friendly ballpark experience, than any league of its kind. A valuable training ground for coaches, umpires and front office staff, more than 185 Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including three-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer (WAS), two-time World Series Champions Ben Zobrist (CHC) and Brandon Crawford (SFG) and MLB All-Stars Chris Sale (BOS), Jordan Zimmermann (DET) and Curtis Granderson (TOR). All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League website. For more information, visit www.northwoodsleague.com or download the Northwoods League Mobile App on the Apple App Store or on Google Play.