We have personnel news to report from the Kenosha Kingfish (summer collegiate; Northwoods League) and the Victoria HarbourCats (summer collegiate; West Coast League).
In Kenosha, radio broadcaster Robert Sherman is returning for his second season.
Sherman is finishing up his sophomore year at DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana. He is a member of the Media Fellows Honors Program and is a Communication Major with a Minor in Economics.
In the second year of the franchise, Sherman was behind the mic for all 76 Kenosha Kingfish regular season and post-season games, and had the honor of calling the first ever Kenosha Kingfish Northwoods League Title.
At DePauw, Sherman is Sports Director of the campus radio station, WGRE 91.5, and is lead play-by-play announcer for football, basketball, baseball, softball, and lacrosse. He is also the news and sports anchor at the campus television station, D3TV, and will be taking the fall semester off to serve as a news intern at a network level television station.
Sherman has a strong broadcasting track record in the state of Indiana. The college sophomore is a five-time award-winning broadcaster, and his distinctions include the award for “Best Play-By-Play” by the Indiana Associated Press.
Kingfish PA announcer and Milwaukee Admirals broadcaster Aaron Sims says: “Robert Sherman is one of the finest young announcers I’ve heard. His work ethic, knowledge and communicative abilities are all terrific. I am excited to hear Robert’s work again and I marvel at what the future holds for this talented broadcaster.” CBS Sports broadcaster, Jim Nantz, has praised Sherman as well, referring to him as “the consummate anchor” and “a future-broadcasting star.”
Sherman is excited to return to his duties for the 2016 summer and have the opportunity to broadcast the All-Star Game in Kenosha this July.
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In Victoria, the HarbourCats have named Jonathan Hodgson as their new broadcaster. He will be heard during all online broadcasts during the upcoming season.
HarbourCats online broadcasts will return this season, with all 27 regular season West Coast League home games plus three exhibition games and a BCPBL showcase game at Royal Athletic Park streamed live on harbourcats.com with high definition video production, and Hodgson providing play-by-play commentary.
“I am extremely excited to be named ‘Voice of the HarbourCats,” said Hodgson. “I would like to thank Jim Swanson, our ownership group and the entire organization for presenting me the opportunity to represent the HarbourCats in this platform. I am excited to immerse myself into the West Coast League, which has a reputation as a very high caliber of baseball, and bring our broadcast viewers along for the exciting ride of the HarbourCats season.”
Hodgson, a native of Okotoks, AB now living in Cobble Hill, BC, joined the HarbourCats in December as Baseball and Communications Advisor. He has taken a leading role in official team communications and website content, while also working alongside managing partner Jim Swanson in an advisory capacity for a wide range of areas, including baseball operations with head coach Graig Merritt.
Hodgson brings a wealth of experience to the organization and an impressive baseball resume. The 24-year-old was previously the broadcast voice of the summer-collegiate Okotoks Dawgs for eight seasons, from 2008-15. During those years he also produced all written content for the team’s website and helped manage their social media platforms.
Among Hodgson’s mentors are Jerry Howarth, who is in his 36th season as radio play-by-play broadcaster for the Blue Jays, and Bob Elliott, recipient of the 2012 J.G. Taylor Spink Award for contributions to baseball writing presented by the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY. Jonathan has written for the Canadian Baseball Network, founded and led by Elliott, since 2009. In that time, Hodgson has also completed multiple assignments for the Toronto Blue Jays, and has had his writing published by Sportsnet.ca including his February feature on Victoria’s baseball history.
The Okotoks Dawgs, who compete in the Western Major Baseball League, are one of the leading franchises in summer-collegiate baseball, annually posting attendance figures in the top-five in North America. Hodgson observed the growth of that franchise and believes that the same levels of success are very possible in Victoria.
“I have been blown away by this organization from day one,” Hodgson said. “There is an outstanding people-first culture here that helps create an extremely enjoyable atmosphere and brings out the best in all of us. Victoria has an unquestionable passion for baseball, and this organization is relentless in their pursuit of excellence in everything they do, so I see this as a perfect situation. The people of Victoria can be perfectly confident that the HarbourCats are and will be relentless in their efforts to represent the community in the best way possible.”