YSU baseball hits the airwaves

baseball 4-30

During a home game against Valpariso at Eastwood Field, Devin Higgins steps up to bat. Photo by Ron Stevens/YSU Sports Information.

Clear Channel Radio Youngstown and Youngstown State University have agreed upon a pact for 1390 WNIO’s The Sports Animal to broadcast the last three men’s baseball games.

The games will be broadcast from Friday through Sunday. In this series, the Penguins (13-30) will host the Wright State University Raiders (18-18) at Eastwood Field.

Mark French, the brand manager for 1390 WNIO, said YSU and WNIO’s partnership was an easy one.

“We like doing play-by-play on the radio. Baseball sounds good on the radio, and Zach Humphries does a nice job on the mic,” French said.

This isn’t the first time that the men’s baseball team has been featured on the radio, as WNIO broadcasted games in 2004. That was the season that the men’s baseball team had a winning record, but also won the Horizon League championship and played in two NCAA tournament games.

Trevor Parks, YSU’s sports information director, said the broadcasts are a great way to update people on YSU’s baseball program. “I had to drive from Eastwood Field back to Stambaugh Stadium for the spring game. I turned 1390 on and listened the entire drive back. I loved it,” Parks said.

The Penguins have had a pretty rough season so far, only winning 13 of their 43 games. However, WNIO felt that YSU baseball deserves to get recognition.

“We hope to let listeners know there are other talented athletes in team sports at YSU beyond the usual football and basketball,” French said.

The agreement has allowed new baseball coach Steve Gillispie to get his team out there.

“We have a very good product, and exposing it to baseball fans and potential student-athletes is absolutely a positive thing for us,” Gillispie said.

Jim Campbell, WNIO’s sports director and account executive, said WNIO wanted to originally broadcast all YSU baseball games this season.

“That was our original plans; however, with the lack of time, to put everything in place forced us to cut that plan back dramatically,” Campbell said.

Parks said the early season weather challenges and a longer than normal basketball season were also factors for the delayed agreement.

“If any of the broadcasts would spur a fan to come to Eastwood Field for a game in person, then we feel we have begun the process to developing a lifelong Penguin baseball fan,” Gillespie said.