A Broadcasting Pipeline

A mask sat between me and my headset. My legs trembled under the table. Somehow, I managed to say out loud that the Trinity Tigers were hosting the Austin College Kangaroos.

Nerves were at an all-time high as I made my play-by-play broadcasting debut for Tiger Network in April 2021. However, I quickly realized after one inning that I had been doing this–talking about baseball–my entire life. The only difference? Now, people were listening. What I didn’t realize was how much my life had just changed.

I went on to broadcast more than 150 games across baseball, basketball, football, and volleyball at Trinity University, and along the way, I discovered a new passion. I fell in love with being on air and having a new way to tell stories just as I had enjoyed doing as a writer for many years prior.

Fast-forward to the present day, and I am the broadcast engineer for the San Antonio Missions, the Double-A affiliate of the San Diego Padres. I produce every game and travel with the team, jumping on air for both play-by-play and color commentary. As I sit in broadcasting booths across the Texas League, from Wichita, Kansas, to Corpus Christi, Texas, I still feel like I’m in the Tiger Network control room in Calgaard Gym.

Learning in Real-Time

Each step I took at Trinity built upon the last. I spent two years as the sports editor for the Trinitonian after working as a kid reporter for Sports Illustrated Kids in high school. As I finished high school and entered college, I began to have an inkling that I wanted a different side of journalism.

At the same time that I was with the Trinitonian, I started doing video interviews with Tiger Network to venture out in front of the camera. Josh Moczygemba ’05, executive producer of Tiger Network, gave me opportunities to interview athletes and coaches during my first month on campus, allowing me to get immediate practice.

After fall sports were postponed in 2020 due to COVID-19, all 18 intercollegiate teams at Trinity were scheduled to compete in the spring. That meant all hands on deck at Tiger Network to cover nonstop action. Understanding my desire to try new things and my love for baseball while also needing help with a packed schedule, Moczygemba asked me to jump on air for my first Tiger Baseball game.

Despite my familiarity with other realms of sports journalism, broadcasting was still ultimately new to me. Thankfully, Trinity encourages experiential learning, and Tiger Network was at the heart of that for me and so many other Trinity students.

It’s not that Tiger Network is allowing students to wing it. Instead, Tiger Network encourages exploration while still requiring preparation. Have you ever operated a camera? How about you shadow another student during a game and try it yourself? Don’t know what live production looks like? Sit in the control room for a few games to pick up roles like replay and graphics.

And for someone like me, having never broadcast a game? Watch someone like Ryan Figert ’22 do it. Be alongside him while he does play-by-play before feeling comfortable enough to do it yourself.

Track Record of Success

From having detailed notes ready for air to scheduling conversations with coaches ahead of games, Figert helped show me what was possible as a student broadcaster. Now, Figert is the social media coordinator for FC Dallas of Major League Soccer, where he has also taken over play-by-play for several games on the radio for the highest level of professional soccer in the United States.

Just like I had Figert in front of me, he had others in front of him. Callum Squires ’16, one of Tiger Network’s first talents, just landed a new role as an account executive for SRK Strategies, a public relations firm with various sports media and broadcasting clients. Before that, Squires served as the assistant director of Communications and Broadcasting for the Southland Conference, and he has earned several professional broadcasting roles for the Dallas Cup and ESPN+ college soccer.

And then there’s Chris Garagiola ’15, who helped Moczygemba get Tiger Network off the ground in 2015. Garagiola is now the radio play-by-play broadcaster for Major League Baseball’s Arizona Diamondbacks. Last October, Garagiola got to call the Diamondbacks’ trip to the World Series.

Having multiple alumni working at the professional level in broadcasting while barely a decade old showcases Moczygemba and Tiger Network’s impact. As Tiger Network has grown, there is now more staff help from the likes of the remarkable Ryan Sedillo and Mason McLerran, and Taylor Stakes before them. The staff bring their expertise to students, guiding them to learn and grow in real time.

There are not only consistent opportunities for students but also access to incredible equipment. From the get-go, those involved with Tiger Network work with gear they will see in the workforce. It takes little time for a casual fan to watch a game on Tiger Network and notice the quality is elite among Division III competition while often rivaling higher-level broadcasts as well.

The Growth Continues

Without Tiger Network, I would not be where I am today. I am honored to join those before me as the latest Tiger Network broadcaster in the pros, and I know I won’t be the last. I smile every time I turn on Tiger Network to hear Reed Rosales ’25: the expert cameraman turned broadcaster, or Cole Isaacson ’27, who I still remember showing the Tiger Network control room before he decided to commit to Trinity.

And remember, there’s no action captured without cameras. Adam Mann ’24 would do anything necessary to get the best shot, including standing on the Calgaard Gym roof to film Trinity Baseball games. He has spent the last two summers as a camera operator for the Sugar Land Space Cowboys, a Triple-A affiliate of the Houston Astros, and he’s headed to Texas A&M University for a master’s degree, where he hopes to join 12th Man Productions to continue his sports media experience.

What Moczygemba has built is nothing short of remarkable. Despite no official broadcasting curriculum, Trinity is home to a burgeoning broadcasting pipeline because Tiger Network has proven that there’s no better way to learn than by doing. As Tiger Network enters its second decade, I’m excited to tune in for what’s next.