23-year-old umpire gets 'dream' call to Little League World Series after a decade of volunteering

A 23-year-old who has been volunteering as a Little League umpire for a decade is getting rewarded with a chance to officiate the league's World Series in Williamsport, Pennsylvania.

James Farque of Summerville, South Carolina, said he umpired his first game at age 13 after realizing he was not equipped to advance very far as a player in the sport.

'I pride myself on volunteering and giving back to the community.'

"I realized I would not excel at the high school level, so I still wanted to stay connected to the game, so I started umpiring," Farque said. "Umpired my first game [at age 13] and haven't stopped since."

He told WCIV-TV that he's proud to be called up to the Little League Baseball World Series.

"This is every Little League umpire's dream," he added. "It's a tremendous honor; there's only 20 people each year that are chosen."

His performance at four games of the contest will determine whether he gets assigned further spots. He said he is going to try not to be intimidated by the bright lights of the ESPN coverage of the event.

"That's a big aspect of everything. Big mental side of umpiring is being in the spotlight," Farque said. "Then again, it's just another baseball game. Anytime you step on the field, it's just another baseball game. Just a higher stage in front of more people."

He said that volunteering as an umpire is how he gives back to the community.

"Little League is run by volunteers. It prides itself on volunteerism," Farque added. "I pride myself on volunteering and giving back to the community."

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Farque said that he has aspirations to make it to college baseball or the major leagues, but he'll always return to the Lowcountry of South Carolina where he's from.

"I don't think I can ever hang it up. Even if I do the championship game at Williamsport, I still have this to come back to," Farque said.

"The local level is what I enjoy the most, getting to mentor these kids and the sense of community around here," he added.

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