Josh Koebert, ’12 Scored a Winning Internship with the Sanford Mainers Baseball Team
07/28/2011 6:54 PM
“Call it success”
By Josh Koebert ’12, sports communication
As a sports broadcaster I’ve always told myself to go wherever there is a job available.
This summer that mantra has taken me to southern Maine.
This spring I was named director of broadcasting and media relations for the Sanford Mainers of the New England Collegiate Baseball League. I later found out I have Bradley to thank for the job, as Bradley graduate Brian Bedo ’07 held the same position in 2008 and left the team with a positive impression of BU. When it came down to the finalists for the position the Mainers’ experience with the former Brave and their faith in the abilities of Bradley students was a deciding factor in my selection.
With job in hand I left my home in Milwaukee, Wis., and drove 20 hours across the country to Sanford, Maine, in early June.
In my position with the team I carry out a number of duties, including writing and designing a team media guide and writing a press release following every one of the Mainers’ 42 games for distribution to local and publication on the team website. I also handle all media requests, arranging interviews with players and coaches for the press.
The biggest part of my job, however, is working from behind a microphone. I work as a play-by-play analyst and color commentator for every game Sanford plays, at home and on the road. For home games I perform play-by-play duties for the first and last three innings, and color commentary for the middle three, with my counterpart from whichever team the Mainers are playing performing the opposite task. On the road that pattern is reversed, giving me equal time to hone my broadcasting skills in both roles.
The NECBL has teams located in every state in New England, and every team plays every other team at least twice, once at home and once on the road. This has given me the chance to travel all over the region and experience many different ballparks. Players in the NECBL come from all levels of college and from all over the country (including Bradley pitcher Jacob Booden, who plays for the Vermont Mountaineers), exposing me to talented ballplayers from all across the United States.
One of the memories that will stay with me from the summer was my time at Boston’s historic Fenway Park. A team composed of the NECBL’s top prospects played an exhibition in Fenway against Team USA; the country’s top collegiate baseball players. While I was not selected to broadcast the game, I was given a press pass to cover it for the Mainers website.
My press access allowed me to walk down on the field to take pictures and interview players. I was able to walk the entirety of the warning track during batting practice and even got my picture taken in front of the Green Monster before retreating to a luxury suite to cover the game.
The experience at Fenway was unforgettable, especially for my first time in the cathedral of baseball. I have also met many people with intense passion for college baseball, watched many talented baseball players play, worked with many talented young broadcasters, and covered many exciting baseball games since arriving in Maine.
Those factors have all made my time in New England a tremendous experience, and one I would recommend to any aspiring broadcaster, no matter how far he/she has to travel to get there.