Q&A With Bats' Play-By-Play Voice, Matt Andrews
This season he is flying solo for the first time in his Bats career and has done an exceptional job delivering the play-by-play for fans all over the Louisville area. His use of elaborate detail mixed with an animated sense of humor makes tuning in to 790WKRD on game days enjoyable for everyone. Andrews is fast becoming one of the best voices in minor league baseball and it shouldn't be long until he follows Kelch into the major league ranks. Here is a little more from the man behind the microphone.
Q: Talk a little bit about your background and where you're from?
Matt: I grew up on a farm in Bloomingburg, Ohio, in Fayette County, near Washington Court House, OH. I graduated from Miami Trace High School in 1998 and from The Ohio State University in December of 2002.
Q: When did you decide on a career in broadcasting?
Matt: I knew from a very young age, probably around 12 or 13, that sports broadcasting was the direction I wanted to go. But not until I really started doing baseball in the Frontier League in Chillicothe following my junior and senior spring quarters in college did I really know baseball was the ultimate direction I wanted to go.
Q: Talk about your path to becoming the voice of the Louisville Bats. Did you have other broadcasting jobs along the way?
Matt: I started doing high school basketball and football my freshman year of high school for the local station calling games for three area high schools. I even did this during college, and picked up some added radio responsibilities in college. The summers of 2001 and 2002 were my first two years calling baseball with the Paints in Chillicothe, and ultimately that led to the job here in Louisville.
Q: Who were your professional role models and why?
Matt: I grew up living and dying with the Reds, listening almost daily, even as a kid, and therefore Marty and Joe were the two broadcasters I idolized the most. I too grew up listening loyally to Ohio State athletic events on the radio with Terry Smith, former OSU and Columbus Clippers broadcaster and current voice of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.
Q: Anybody that knows you is aware that you are an Ohio State alumni and big Buckeye fan. Talk about the experience of broadcasting the 2002 NCAA Football National Title Game against the Miami Hurricanes.
Matt: That was something I'll never forget and truly value as long as I live. My brother played on that team, my college roommate a student manager, I had a chance to broadcast it and my entire family was in Tempe and at the game. The emotions play-to-play were indescribable, and the fact that nearly 60,000 of the 75,000 people there had scarlet and gray on made it that much sweeter. One of the top moments in my life!
Q: What is the most enjoyable aspect of being the voice of the Bats?
Matt: Being able to do something I love, while making a living yet at the same time watching a sporting event!
Q: What is a typical game day like for you?
Matt: I typically arrive mid to late morning, take care of sales responsibilities before starting to prep for the game that night. I'll get a pre-game interview after batting practice, get my lineups and game information together, and then on most nights roll with the pre-game show at 6:35.
Q: Ultimately, where do you hope to end up at the end of your career?
Matt: That's in the Good Lord's hands, but my dream is to call Major League Baseball someday.
Q: Growing up did you have a mentor? If so, how have they helped you get to where you are today?
Matt: My parents and my late aunt have always been my mentor's, always encouraging, always there for me, always helping, always cheering for my success, always there to listen.
Q: You were radio partners with Jim Kelch for several years before he was promoted to join the Cincinnati Reds this season. Talk about your experience with Jim.
Matt: He has taught me more professionally than he'll ever know. That's helped me a lot this first year flying solo. He's one of my best friends in this world. He exemplifies patience, and perseverance and his promotion to the big leagues is something we can all take a great deal from.
Q: What is your most memorable moment as a Bats radio broadcaster?
Matt: The division championships in 2003, 2008 and 2009 were pretty special but ultimately working seven great years with Jim Kelch, those years were all very memorable and special!
Q: You are also on the broadcast team for Morehead State University men's and women's basketball. Tell me a little about that.
Matt: I've always loved doing basketball. My dad was a former coach, so we were constantly at the gym and I was always around the game. Brian Hutchinson, the Director of Athletics at Morehead State called me out of nowhere a couple years ago after hearing my work on the Internet and offered me the job at MSU. The past two winters have been a lot of fun, and I'm grateful the Bats allow me to juggle both duties.
Q: Growing up just south of Columbus, OH who was your team? Reds or Indians?
Matt: The Reds, the Bengals, and whoever was playing against the Browns. Not even close.
Q: What is one interesting thing about Matt Andrews that the general public does not know?
Matt: I was diagnosed with Leukemia (CML) when I was ten. When I was 11 I had a Bone Marrow Transplant with my youngest brother Rob serving as my donor- my blood brother.