PENSACOLA, Fla. — When Bill Vikara received the call inviting him back to umpire the Little League World Series, he joined an elite group — only a select few umpires nationwide earn the rare honor of working youth baseball's prestigious tournament twice.

This opportunity would be his second in three years.

The event is the pinnacle of youth baseball. The tournament for 10-12-year-olds features 10 teams from the U.S. and 10 teams from around the world. Games will be broadcast on ESPN from Aug. 13-24.

Bill, a principal technical services specialist at the Gulf Clean Energy Center in Pensacola, received the notice on that January day when Pensacola was receiving 10 inches of snow.

 “I get this phone call from the director of umpire development for the Little League, and I thought, ‘Man, I’ve got to answer this'" said Bill. “When he said I was going back to Williamsport, I said, ‘Holy cow.’ So, I was speechless.”

That same phone call brought more good news for the family. The director also told Bill’s wife, Jessi, that she was going to be an umpire in the Little League Softball World Series, which is being played Aug. 3-10.

When Bill worked his first Little League World Series in 2022, it was one-and-done for umpires. But the following year, league officials decided to start inviting back umpires who had previously worked the tournament.

“It's an amazing experience,” Bill said, “but doing it the first time was pretty intimidating, so I can see the value a returning umpire will bring to the crews.”

He said in addition to returning umpires, each crew will also have a crew chief who understands the dynamics of the tournament and can help calm the crew down during the more intense times. They can work together to help the crews handle some of the “non-baseball” details like communication with members of the international teams who don’t know English, the pomp and circumstance of the event, the thousands of fans and the television coverage.

He has rocketed up the umpiring ladder for youth baseball since he started a little more than 10 years ago. Last year, he received the 2024 Golden Mask Award, presented to the top umpire in the Southeast Region.

Now, he’s headed to the ultimate assignment as an umpire in youth baseball.

“I’m excited. I’m more ready than I’ve ever been for a tournament,” Bill said. “It was a surprise to get called back, but I know what to expect.”