Umpire Profile
Josh Cooper
By Gary Reals
It has been a long & twisty journey that’s brought Josh Cooper to us here at MAC-NV. His trek has been punctuated by flashes of hope, dashed by bouts of disappointment and finally a joyous landing on solid ground.
Josh first began to dabble; umpiring Little League and Babe Ruth down in St. Mary’s County, MD back in 2010. Blues, 15 years later in January, 2025, Cooper at long last arrived at MAC. Quite soon a genuine cavalcade of eyeballs took note of that arrival.
But first brothers, after all that time and tribulation, it is so absolutely uncanny, so other-worldly, so totally unlike Josh Cooper: he ended up arriving somewhat late for his first game! More on that later. But first, let’s return to his long delayed splash…
Get to Wilmington!
In January, 2025, Josh heeded the call to get his butt to a 3-man camp. As soon as he signed up and started preparing to depart for a “so-so” camp at Elon, NC, Cooper was advised to call John Porter right away. “He told me to cancel Elon and go to UNC-Wilmington instead.”
He says John told him “…we call this our concierge camp.” Josh remembered Porter had advised him several months earlier “We’ve got to get some eyes on you. We’ve got to get you in front of some MAC guys.” So, after re-directing his trip and arriving at UNC-Wilmington, Cooper learned “I’m one of 6 guys!” And just who were some of those six? Well, Anthony Mayer, Andy Simons and Tom Russo were. Cooper recalls “…it was intimately humbling. They were far more advanced than me.”
Says Anthony Mayer, “It was more of a surprise to him than to anyone else. He thought he was out of place, but actually he fit right in.” Josh has come to grasp that “John Porter was testing me to see how I would respond. He threw me through the ringer.” Concludes Anthony Mayer, “He was awesome! A 100% improvement from beginning to end of the camp…not so much in his performance but he became more comfortable and less nervous.” Cooper totally agrees with that assessment, “At first, I was underwater trying to stay afloat. And I ended up learning a ton.” And Blues, Josh Cooper has been off to the races ever since!
Be Calm!
His 1st game assignment with MAC was a JUCO doubleheader in March 2025 at Chesapeake College on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. His partner: Michael Chmar. A couple of weeks out, Josh contacted Michael to gently advise him this was going to be his very first college game. It led to a long phone chat. Michael reassured Josh, “The one thing you need to do: Be calm. Don’t fear the unknown.” During that pre-game conversation, Cooper says Michael was “…intense and passionate. He tried to figure me out.” Chmar quickly deduced, “I knew he knew the rules and all that stuff. I just needed him to be calm.” Yes, be calm Josh!
Uh Oh!
And then that long-awaited game day arrived. As he set out from home in St. Mary’s for Chesapeake College and the game for which he had prepped for 15 years, Josh suddenly realized he was running late! Frantically he called Chmar to advise he may not arrive much before 11:30PM for the 12:00PM start of the 1st game. He apologized profusely, “I still don’t know how it happened.”
Michael assured Josh, “It’s gonna be okay. We did the pre-game by phone on his way to the field.” Needless to say, Chmar took the plate in the 1st game, “I told him I’m gonna have your back. He did a great job.”
Year-Ender
After that hiccup, the 2025 season proceeded flawlessly. And at the end-of- the-year MAC Banquet, Cooper received the Commissioners Award from John Porter who had told him just months earlier, “We’ve gotta get some eyes on you!”
Good call, Boss! Several months and many observations later, Porter concludes “He has my attitude. He’s in it to help others. He’s a role model and an example that everyone would want to follow.“
But getting back to Josh Cooper’s journey, let us be reminded that it’s been a painfully daunting one. He spent his childhood in Knoxville & Nashville and earned an engineering degree from the University of Tennessee. Permit me to interject right here: John Porter says Josh “…is not your typical umpire. He’s very, very, very smart.” Certainly John knows the rest of us are very, very smart.
Arrival, Departure, Re-Arrival
Back in 2008, both Josh and new bride Adrianne landed civilian positions at US Naval Air Station Pax River in southern Maryland. A couple of years later they moved back to Tennessee in 2010. And then in 2012, they got their same jobs back, same home and returned to St. Mary’s County. Josh works as a flight test engineer, making sure that “between acquisition and being put out on line, new aircraft and new systems are proper and functional” for the US Navy and Marine Corps.
It didn’t take long for the Coopers to settle and re-settle into their lives in southern Maryland. In doing so, it became abundantly clear “we had lots of spare time and we started playing some sports.” (Josh & Adrianne’s 2 sons would follow a few years later.)
The Jaunt
Blues, indulge me please, I’m switching to some bullet points now as there are more than just a few stops and burps along Josh’s arduous jaunt.
- Spring ’09—he visited the website for St. Mary’s Little League (“thought I might like umpiring”)
- Jan ’10—started umping LL (“didn’t know what I was doing but loved it”)
- 2011—joined Knoxville Umpire Association
- 2012—worked his 1st high school games in TN
- April ’12—returned Pax River/ joined Southern District Ump Association
- 2013—1st full season SD– JV & Varsity (“loved it…got me hooked”)
- 2013-17—frustrated, SD offered no training/ “we learned by osmosis”
- 2017— “I started hearing about MAC….got in touch w/Ken Crouse”
BINGO! - 2018—finally some ump training: attended Crouse’s 1st year camp
- Spring ’19—spent training/testing Lakehurst Naval Air Station, NJ—missed entire Spring season of baseball
- Winter 2020—duty on a Naval Aircraft carrier. Upon return, Covid pandemic. No umping entire year
- 2021-’23—coached his sons, Jaxson & Knox’s, Babe Ruth teams in So Md. Dad fell out of MAC
- 2024—went back to MAC website/attended 2-man United/MAC summer camp in south Philadelphia
Let’s put the bullet points away now, Blues. Josh Cooper, at long last, is rolling. At the Philly camp, “…the training changed my life!” When he got home Cooper “…realized I still needed to get established with MAC. I told John Porter now I’m ready.” Alas, the Fall of 2024 began as a major disappointment. One assignment with Andy Simons was a rainout. Another MSBL game with Dwain Montgomery was a team no-show. Forlorn near the end of 2024, “I thought to myself: now what?”
More Eyes
Well, “what” turned out to be a surprise 2-man camp in Fairfax added to the late Fall schedule. And that’s where more eyes were added to the observation perch with sights set on Josh Cooper. Chris Segal, Tom Honec, Rob Porter and Jim Clayton were among the brain trust. Josh says, “It was a whirlwind. A great camp that couldn’t have gone any better.”
2025 got off to that unexpected bumpy start when Brother Cooper was re-directed from Elon to Wilmington where MAC eyes were waiting to see him, undoubtedly with a dose of anticipation. One coach on each of the 6 students. As Anthony Mayer recalls, “There was a microscope on every move he took.” From beginning to end of the camp, Anthony says Josh improved “100-percent” as he got those nerves calmed and collected.
Calm and Busy
Finally, Josh Cooper had been seen. Now, he was not only a known commodity, but a highly regarded one. In 2025 he became a busy MAC umpire with some highly touted assignments: roughly 30 varsity games; worked the plate at SMAC’s High School Championship; at Capital One the Potomac League’s championship game working the plate alongside Jerry Park and Mitch Evans; some Cal Ripken games; and not one but two 3-man camps.
And then brothers, there was that Annual Banquet last December. Such an appropriate end of the year in the life of Josh Cooper. Truth be told, he had no plans to attend the bash just a mere 100 mile round-trip from St. Mary’s, MD. But son Knox had to attend a rehearsal in Takoma Park that afternoon…”and since I was already up here, I decided to go, not expecting any recognition whatsoever.” Of course, when the recipients of John Porter’s annual Commissioners Award were announced, Cooper was one of the three. His young son Knox just happened to be on hand for the big moment. Says Dad, “It was a nice surprise indeed.” Says the Commish: “He is well deserving of the award. I think he is the real deal.”
Bring it On!
So currently in these first weeks of 2026, here’s what Josh Cooper has on his plate thus far: 10 Division-III college games, 20 JUCO, 30 varsity high school, he’s the newly appointed Secretary for MAC-NV; serves on the Association’s Rules Committee including authorship of the newly established weekly Rules Quiz to help all of us prep for the annual VHSL umpire exam, and of course, not one but two 3-man training camps, including a return to “concierge” UNC Wilmington ala 2025. Full circle in one year, eh!
Looking ahead to all of it, Josh Cooper pronounces, “I’m very excited. I’m less anxious. I’m more comfortable. I’ll do my best.”
Blues, the final word comes from John Porter who recently kidded Josh: “I told Anthony Mayer he’s your clone.”