An Albany, New York native, Elken graduated from Syracuse University in 2010 with Bachelor of Science degrees in Broadcast Journalism and Sport Management. He was a member of both the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications and the College of Human Ecology.

While at Syracuse, Erik was a radio play-by-play announcer and sports reporter for WAER and WJPZ, covering Syracuse University Athletics and local high school sports. He was also a television anchor at CitrusTV, SU's student-run station. He held internships at SNY, WNYT-TV, and XOS Digital. Erik also spent five weeks in Vancouver his senior year, interning for NBC Olympics during the Winter Olympic Games.

"I'm really excited to be the new voice of the ValleyCats because it's a great organization, with great people, that I've seen grow from year one to what it is today. I'm excited to share my passion for broadcasting and the game of baseball with listeners in the Capital Region and beyond. I'm also looking forward to producing original content that will make for a better fan experience," says Elken.

Since graduating, Erik interned at ESPN's Bristol headquarters during the summer of 2010. He then returned to the Capital Region, joining WNYT's Rodger Wyland on all UAlbany football and men's basketball radio broadcasts as a play-by-play announcer and analyst. He also serves as a freelance play-by-play broadcaster for local Time Warner Cable Sports telecasts. Elken comes to the ValleyCats from YNN, where he served as a news assistant.

"The ValleyCats organization is very fortunate to have someone with Erik's knowledge and experience come aboard for our 10th anniversary season. He's a local guy who knows and loves sports, and we look forward to the upcoming season with Erik as the voice of the ValleyCats," said ValleyCats Media Relations Manager Chris Chenes.

All ValleyCats 38-home games will be broadcast on tcvalleycats.com. The 'Cats begin their New York-Penn League title defense on Friday, June 17 against the Vermont Lake Monsters.