Hoover to call Marlins Spring Training games, Shrimp games return to Sunny 102.3 FM in April
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp director of broadcasting and radio play-by-play broadcaster Roger Hoover will join the Miami Marlins for a fourth straight year to broadcast Spring Training games. Hoover will again be the play-by-play voice on the Jumbo Shrimp Network presented by Community First Credit Union to carry all 140 regular season contests - beginning on April 4 - and potential playoff dates on Sunny 102.3 Jacksonville Greatest Hits.
The 2018 Southern League Broadcaster of the Year, Hoover will work five audio webcasts of the Marlins' Grapefruit League games against the New York Mets (1:10 p.m. on Wednesday, February 27), Houston Astros (1:05 p.m. on Thursday, March 14), Atlanta Braves (1:05 p.m. on Friday, March 15) and St. Louis Cardinals (1:05 p.m. on both Wednesday, March 20 and Sunday, March 24). Hoover will join Kyle Sielaff of the Marlins Radio Network for the webcasts that fans can hear on www.marlins.com, www.mlb.com and the MLB At Bat app.
"I'm thrilled to head back to big league Spring Training with the Marlins," Hoover said. "I'm grateful to Kyle and the Marlins Radio Network for this opportunity, and I love being on the air when so many former Jumbo Shrimp players get their first opportunities to play in a major league game. This is an exciting time of the year and another sign that baseball is right around the corner for our fans in Jacksonville."
A native of Kingsport, Tennessee, the 2019 season will be Hoover's eighth in Jacksonville and 12th in professional baseball. The 2010 graduate of the University of Tennessee also enjoyed stops with the Tennessee Smokies (Double-A, Chicago Cubs) and Kingsport Mets (Rookie-level, New York Mets). In the baseball offseason, Hoover is in his fifth year as the radio play-by-play announcer for University of Alabama women's basketball on the Crimson Tide Sports Network. He also provides play-by-play for SEC Network+ broadcasts of a variety of SEC sports, with all broadcasts available on the ESPN app.
Sunny 102.3 Jacksonville's Greatest Hits is the flagship station for the Jumbo Shrimp Network presented by Community First Credit Union for the second straight year. Fans can also listen to free, live online broadcasts of all games on www.jaxshrimp.com and the TuneIn app. Every Jumbo Shrimp home game will also be streamed live and on-demand on MiLB.tv, a subscription-based service that includes access to game video streams from across Minor League Baseball.
Jumbo Shrimp media and public relations manager Scott Kornberg will join Hoover on the radio. The 2017 Carolina League co-Broadcaster of the Year, Kornberg will enter his first season with Jacksonville after three seasons as the lead play-by-play announcer with the Myrtle Beach Pelicans (High-A, Chicago Cubs) and five years as the football and men's basketball voice of the Western Illinois University Leathernecks.
UP NEXT: Opening Day for the Jumbo Shrimp in 2019 is Thursday, April 4, against the Jackson Generals at the Baseball Grounds Jacksonville. Season tickets, mini plans, and corporate outings are on sale now. Visit www.jaxshrimp.com or phone 904-358-2846 to secure yours today.
ABOUT THE JUMBO SHRIMP: The Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp offer affordable family fun at the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville. Their inaugural season garnered the Southern League's Don Mincher Organization of the Year, Promotional Trophy and Jimmy Bragan Executive of the Year, won by General Manager Harold Craw. To experience the excitement with the terrific value of ticket and group options, call the Jumbo Shrimp at (904) 358-2846 or visit www.jaxshrimp.com.