2023 Wisconsin Umpire Association
Instructor Biographies
David Furru
After his playing days were over, and he was done coaching his boys, David decided to begin umpiring to stay involved with baseball. David began umpiring in 2002, completed WUA training in 2004, and has been a member of the WUA since 2005. David holds a Master ranking with the WIAA and has been assigned to numerous regional and sectional post-season high school baseball tournament games, being the crew chief for two sectional tournament games. Besides high school baseball, Dave has also umpired NCAA baseball, Men’s baseball in the Wisconsin State League, Land O’ Lakes League, SEWBL, and at The Rock, that include multiple assignments in their playoff and league championship games. David will occasionally find time to umpire youth baseball, including the WSYBL. David was the Umpire of The Year for the WUA in 2015. He has been a member of the WUA training staff since 2010.
Cell phone: 414-380-8551 Email: dfurru00@yahoo.com
Dan Johnson
Dan has been a member of the WUA since 2010. He is an umpire for youth, WIAA, collegiate club, minor league and adult baseball in the area. He was selected as the Rock League Baseball Umpire of the Year in 2018 and the Wisconsin Umpires Association Umpire of the Year in 2021. Dan is also the Umpire in Chief (UIC) for a select level travel baseball umpire organization that operates in Wisconsin and Illinois. He joined the WUA training staff in 2020.
Cell: 414-690-5515 Email: danericaus@hotmail.com
Brian Gibson
Brian started umpiring in 1993 and has been a member of the WUA since 1995. He is a 2000 graduate of the Harry Wendelstedt Umpire School and afterwards was offered a minor league contract in the Golf Coast League. Throughout his career as an umpire, Brian has worked baseball and fast pitch softball from Little League up to college. Brian has been selected by the WIAA to umpire several high school baseball and softball regional and sectional tournament games. Brian has served on the board for the WUA and has been on the WUA training staff since 2011.
Cell phone: 414-405-2255 Email: bjgibson76@hotmail.com
Steve Kurkowski
Steve started umpiring in 2004 with slow pitch adult softball and in 2005 began umpiring Little League baseball and youth baseball and fast pitch softball. Steve currently umpires youth baseball and softball, High School baseball, and Men’s adult baseball. He is also a volunteer umpire for Little League baseball throughout the Milwaukee County area. Steve has been selected by Little League Central Region to umpire regional baseball tournaments in 2013, 2015, 2016, and 2017 in Illinois, Indiana, and Michigan. Little League International selected Steve to umpire at the 2014 Big League Baseball World Series, Easley, SC and the 2018 Junior League Baseball World Series, Taylor, MI. Steve also umpired at the Europe and Africa Junior Baseball Regional in Kutno, Poland in 2018. Steve has been a member of the WUA since 2010, the training staff since 2015, and served as the Director of Training from 2020 to 2022. Steve is also serves as the Assistant District Administrator for Wisconsin District 6 Little League and is on their umpire training staff.
Cell phone: 414-336-0125 Email: steven.kurkowski@gmail.com
Matt Houk
Matt started umpiring in 2013 and has been a member of the WUA since then. He holds a Master ranking with the WIAA, and has been assigned to several high school regional baseball tournaments. Besides high school baseball, Matt also umpires youth baseball in the WSYBL and MAJOR YBL leagues, and men’s baseball in the Land O’ Lakes and Rock League Baseball. Matt has been a member of the WUA training staff since 2018.
Cell: 262-349-3864 Email: mhouk13@gmail.com
Brent Killackey
Brent began umpiring during his teenage years back in the 1980’s and has been a member of the WUA since 2008. Brent has been an umpire for local Little Leagues in the area, youth baseball, and high school baseball. Brent is a managing editor for Referee magazine and for the National Association of Sports Officials. A member of the training staff since 2011, Brent’s expertise in baseball rules makes him a valuable asset to our training program.
Cell: 414-750-4902 Email: bkillackey@hotmail.com
Sam King
Sam began umpiring in 2008 and has been a member of the WUA since 2009. Sam started umpiring Little League baseball, and between 2009 and 2014 Sam was selected by Little League Central Region to umpire regional baseball tournaments in Fort Wayne and Indianapolis, Indiana along with state and district baseball tournaments in the Milwaukee, WI area. Sam umpired youth baseball in the WSYBL and MAJOR leagues before moving to high school baseball and men’s baseball in the MSBL, Land O’ Lakes and Rock League baseball leagues. Sam spent 2 years umpiring baseball at the college level during the 2015 and 2016 seasons. Sam has been assigned to WIAA post-season baseball tournaments starting in 2016. He has been a member of the National Association for Sports Officials (NASO) since 2010 and was recently honored as the Umpire of the Year for Rock League Baseball for 2019. Sam has been a part of the WUA training staff since 2011.
Cell: 414-334-0581 Email: king@jdreng.com
Jon Kradecki
Jon started to umpire in 1971 doing Little League and youth baseball and softball. He began umpiring high school baseball and softball in 1999 and has been assigned to several post-season playoff games, including the summer state baseball tournament in 2013 and 2014. Little League International selected Jon as an umpire for the 2008 Little League Softball World Series in Kalamazoo, MI. In 2006 Little League Central Region selected Jon as an umpire for the Little League Baseball Central Region tournament, where his excellent skills were acknowledged when he was assigned as the plate umpire for the championship game that was televised nationally on ESPN. Jon also officiates high school football and power lifting and is a member of the Wisconsin Power lifting Hall of Fame. Jon has been a member of the WUA training staff since 2000.
Cell: 414-651-8620 Email: krodady@aol.com
Bernie Mach
Bernie started his umpiring life in slow pitch softball and youth baseball in 1986. He joined the WUA in 1996 and moved on to fast pitch softball in youth leagues, high school and college at the D2 and D3 level. Bernie has umpired in several high school regional and sectional post-season tournament games, and D3 college tournaments. Bernie was the Softball Umpire of the Year in 2008 and has since “retired” from all but WIAA high school softball. Bernie has been with the WUA training staff since 2010.
Cell: 414-530-1645 Email: Bmach84926@aol.com
Matt Mullock
Matt has been an umpire since 2000 and a member of the WUA since 2002. Matt has umpired in WIAA baseball regional and sectional post-season tournament games and currently umpires D3 college baseball and men’s baseball in the Land O’ Lakes and Rock League Baseball leagues. Matt is a member of the College Baseball Umpires Association (CBUA) and has been on the WUA training staff since 2015.
Cell: 414-915-3588 Email: baseballmanbs777@ameritech.net
Ben May
The WUA is privileged to have Ben as an instructor. Ben has been umpiring since he was a teenager where he umpired games in the Racine area until he left youth baseball to attend the Jim Evans Umpire Academy in 2003 and again 2007. Ben has been assigned to Minor League baseball games in the Gulf Coast League and New York-Penn League (2007), Midwest League (2008-09), Florida State League (2010), Eastern League (2011), International League (2012-16) and the Pacific Coast League (2017-2021). His Major League baseball experience began with his first call up to the MLB on April 17, 2014 and h umpired nearly 500 MLB regular season baseball games – including Miller Park. Ben has also umpired in the Puerto Rico League (2012), Venezuelan League (2014), and the MLB Futures Game in 2011. Ben was promoted to the MLB staff as a full-time member in 2022. Ben has worked with the Level 2 students since 2011, and works with the training class until he has to report for MLB spring training.
Paul Vanden Heuvel
Paul has been umpiring high school baseball for over 30 years and softball for over 20 years. Paul also umpires college baseball at the D3 level. He was the Commissioner of the Land O’ Lakes Western Division men’s baseball league from 2002 – 2014. Besides high school, Paul continues to umpire in the Land O’ Lakes and Rock League baseball men’s baseball leagues. Paul has been a member of the WUA since 2006 and on the training staff since 2010.
Cell: 262-488-0088 Email: pgv@att.net
Jason Werth
Jason began umpiring youth baseball in the Watertown area in 1998 and has been a member of the WUA since 2005. Jason attended the Harry Wendelstedt Umpire School in 2007 and currently umpires youth baseball in the WSYBL league, WIAA high school baseball, Men’s baseball in the Land O’ Lakes league, and D3 NCAA college baseball. Jason has been with the WUA training staff since 2010.
Cell: 920-988-6455 Email: werthj@gmail.com
Scott Masloroff
Scott began umpiring in 2007 with Franklin Little League and joined the WUA in 2013. Scott has completed the WUA Level 1 and Level 2 softball training program. In addition to Little League, Scott also umpires WIAA high school softball, NCAA D3 softball, and ASA/USA softball tournaments. In 2017 Little League International selected Scott as an umpire for the 2017 Little League Junior Softball World Series in Kirkland, WA. Scott has been on the WUA training staff since 2018 teaching softball rules. He is also a trainer for Wisconsin District 6 Little League.
Cell: 414-708-7781 Email: scott.masloroff@gmail.com