Last week, Noah Katz ’26 threw out the first pitch at a Worcester Red Sox game.
As tosses go, it was a good one from the former high school varsity third baseman. But it wasn’t his most memorable pitch in recent weeks.
On April 8, Katz delivered the winning idea at the second annual WooTank Intercollegiate Showdown, earning the top prize of $3,750 to invest in his business, The Umpire Channel. Katz launched the media platform several years ago to give people an insider’s look into the world of sports officiating and raise awareness of the profession’s challenges and opportunities. The Umpire Channel has grown exponentially, boasting 315,000 followers and more than 300 million views across social media platforms.
Katz competed against WooTank contestants from Holy Cross, WPI, and Nichols College. In all, $15,000 was awarded for six startups founded by student entrepreneurs, who pitched their enterprises to three Central Massachusetts business leaders, acting as judges. Modeled after the popular “Shark Tank” TV show, the WooTank event was held at the Off the Rails restaurant in downtown Worcester as part of Startup Week Worcester. Clark junior William Brothers also was recognized for his start-up venture, No Hour Vintage, a brand and design studio producing clothing from upcycled materials.
This was the second year that Clark took the top WooTank prize. Last year, $4,000 was awarded to Sophie Lee ’26, owner of Sophremacy, which sells gothic and punk-inspired jewelry and accessories.
Katz outlined his business model for the judges, leading them through the creation and evolution of The Umpire Channel over the last few years.
“It was a great experience,” says Katz. “I was able to make some excellent connections.” Throwing out the first pitch at the WooSox game was another perk of finishing first in the competition.
Katz intends to use his prize winnings to invest in new equipment that will help him to continue to produce and refine his content. When it comes to editing videos, he’s largely self-taught. “I learned through YouTube tutorials,” he laughs.
It’s going to be a busy summer for the marketing major. Katz will be umpiring games across the country for the Savannah Bananas baseball team, including at Yankee Stadium in New York, Camden Yards in Baltimore, Petco Park in San Diego, and PNC Park in Pittsburgh, as well as in NFL stadiums in Nashville and Charlotte. He’ll also be filming at the Little League World Series, at some Major League Baseball games, and, likely, at the U.S. Open Tennis Championships in late August.
As if that isn’t enough, Katz is scheduled to deliver the keynote speech at the National Federation of High Schools Association in Chicago in late June. The federation is a national organization that develops rules for various sports and activities, provides educational resources, and promotes sportsmanship and student well-being.
As for The Umpire Channel?
“In the last few months, it’s been generating enough to be a full-time job,” Katz says. “I’ll continue to work on it through senior year.”