Braden Schenck balances college and the broadcast booth

On the overnight bus ride back from Birmingham, Alabama, Braden Schenck tried to get some well-earned sleep so he can be ready for class in the morning. It was April and he had just called a playoff game for the Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs. The following night, after a whole day of class, he would call the Salem RidgeYaks baseball game. 

The schedule is a gauntlet for the junior sports media and analytics major, but he’s appreciative of the real-world experience he’s getting while in school.

“The schedule definitely teaches me how to balance the school side and the work side,” Schenck said. “My mentality is that it’s only going to get easier from here. After I graduate, I’ll only have to focus on the work side of things.”

In addition to being a full-time student, Schenck is the primary play-by-play voice of both teams, calling baseball games in Salem for the RidgeYaks, the Single-A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox, and hockey games in Roanoke for the Rail Yard Dawgs, a member of the SPHL. He’s the sixth sports media and analytics student to call games for the RidgeYaks since the team’s partnership with the School of Communication was established in 2020. 

“Braden has been a fantastic representative for the School of Communication with both teams, managing to thrive in the classroom and in the broadcast booth,” said John Tedesco, director of the School of Communication.

Schenck will have called roughly 150 games combined between the two teams once Salem’s season wraps up in September. 

“It’s the repetition that makes you really good, and Braden has embraced that work ethic,” said Bill Roth, voice of Virginia Tech football and professor of practice in the school. “He’s one of the hardest working aspiring broadcasters we’ve ever had in the sports media and analytics program.”

The opportunity to get professional reps as an undergraduate has allowed Schenck to apply what he’s learning in the classroom to experiences in the industry.

“I think the professors at Virginia Tech do a really great job teaching the theory and techniques of broadcasting, but being able to go out and do it in the real world is truly amazing,” Schenck said.

Schenck appreciates the parallels between him and the players he works with on a nightly basis. Both minor league teams are made up primarily of athletes in their early 20s, so everyone is finding their footing at the start of their professional careers.

“The fact that I’m the same age as these players, I kind I have that connection with them right away,” Schenck said. “With baseball we get all of these 18- and 19-year-old kids from all around the world, and in hockey, you get guys fresh out of college in their pro career. It actually puts me in a really unique perspective and opportunity to bond with these guys at levels that I might never be able to do in the rest of my career.”

Just like the players he’s working with every night, Schenck is taking advantage of the lessons he’s learning in the minor leagues. Each game presents a new opportunity to try different things and allow him to see what works.

“The roles have definitely taught me a lot about what kind of broadcaster I want to be,” Schenck said. “It’s great training grounds to experiment with stuff and learn things along the way, but also make mistakes.”

Traveling for road games throughout the season has given Schenck the chance to bond with players and coaches. Experiencing the culture and comradery across both squads has helped him discover what type of career he’d like to have in the future.

“I think the ultimate dream is to do something that keeps you busy 12 months out of the year,” Schenck said. “I could potentially be the voice of a baseball team for nine months out of the year, but then maybe do some network hockey here and there. I think the goal was always baseball, but then I started doing hockey and realized ‘This is actually a lot of fun.’"

“But I just enjoy the travel aspect of it — being with the guys on the road, and the 24/7-esque of it, so I think that working for a team is really for me," he said. "There’s just something about traveling and being with the team for seven days a week that just gives you that certain level of confidence and enjoyment that you can’t really get when you do a game neutral.”

While being the voice of a Major League Baseball team remains Schenck’s goal, he knows everyone’s path is different and appreciates the early start to his career that these opportunities have given him.

“Everyone goes their own road,” he said. “This is kind of my road I’m following, and I’m super fortunate the start of it has been here. Hopefully this can carry some momentum into future opportunities down the road.”