Terps In The Booth: How Maryland Broadcasters Are Taking Over The Minors

With long bus rides, unglamorous meals, and hours upon hours of working, minor league baseball players have to scratch and claw every day to make their dreams come true. 

The University of Maryland has put a number of ballplayers into the minor leagues with the latest being pitcher Sean Burke and shortstop Benjamin Cowles. Not only has Maryland become a place that sends players to the next level, but it starts student broadcasters on their careers too. 

If you tune into select games on the radio, you’ll be able to hear a number of former Terps calling minor league baseball games at all three levels of the minor leagues. 

“It really is crazy that there’s so many of us in the minors right now,” Jake Eisenberg, play-by-play broadcaster for the Omaha Storm Chasers and 2017 graduate of the University of Maryland said. “We’ve all worked insanely hard and it all really started when we were at Maryland.”

Including Eisenberg, there are currently six former Terps that are broadcasting minor league baseball games. John Vittas for the Fort Myers Mighty Mussels, Josh Maurer for the Worcester Red Sox, Justin Gallanty for the Memphis Redbirds, and Scott Kornberg and Matt Present both of the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp are all proudly representing their alma mater. 

Just a few short years ago, there weren’t many Maryland play-by-play broadcasters to look up to so as the elder statesmen of the group, Josh Maurer knew that if he wanted to live his dream that he would have to help blaze that trail. 

“Maryland obviously has an amazing journalism program but play-by-play was never really at the forefront of it,” Maurer said. “I just loved sports and calling the games so that’s why I got heavily involved with WMUC.”

Maurer was a staple at the student-run radio station WMUC where he was the Sports Director and play-by-play man for sports like football, basketball, and of course, baseball. 

The radio station thrived under Maurer and through their sports radio programs they would lay the groundwork for the next generation of Maryland broadcasters.

After Maurer came Scott Kornberg, a 2013 graduate. Like Maurer, Kornberg wanted to follow his passion of being a play-by-play man and did so by taking up the mantle of WMUC Sports Director.  

“When I was at Maryland I really felt like I was being pushed in a good way,” Kornberg said. “It really felt like it was a competitive way to be the best product possible. I knew what I wanted to do and that was to be on the radio. They helped me accomplish that.”

When Kornberg was a senior in college, he met a freshman that was also looking to break into the business: Matt Present. 

Even though the two shared only one year together, Present left an indelible mark on Kornberg and when a position in Jacksonville opened up, Kornberg knew he had to get his man. 

“I got to see his work ethic close up,” Kornberg said. “We really became friends and stayed in touch for all those years and it really was a no-brainer to bring him here.”

Much like when Maurer left, Kornberg leaving Maryland left a noticeable void in the broadcasting community. In stepped not only Eisenberg and Present but also John Vittas.

The trio of Eisenberg, Present, and Vittas not only filled the void but they broke the mold. 

The three of them worked together at WMUC and while they loved their time there, they all wanted something more and something baseball-specific. 

It was there that they created the Maryland Baseball Network, the now flagship radio network for the Maryland baseball team. 

Vittas led the charge in building the Maryland Baseball Network and knew that if it were to be successful, he needed both Eisenberg and Present on his team. 

“Matt and Jake just really caught my eye when we were all doing games at WMUC,” Vittas said. “I knew they would be the best option for this baseball program and I knew it would be best if we were the ones working together.”

As one of the founding fathers, John had an up-close and personal relationship with the Maryland baseball team. He would ride on the bus with the team and had unprecedented access. 

With Jake and Matt now on board, they knew they could expand into a website and have a social media presence, not only enhancing their brand but also that of Maryland baseball. 

The rise of Maryland Baseball Network also coincided with one of the greatest runs in program history where the Terps knocked off #1 UCLA and advanced to the Super Regional in the 2015 NCAA Tournament.

Even in its infancy, Maryland Baseball Network was there every step of the way.

Maryland Baseball Network had the on-air talent but still lacked the funds necessary to work to the best of their abilities. Thankfully for them, Terrapin fans from all over helped them out. 

“Some of our biggest supporters and donors have been Maryland baseball parents,” Vittas said. “Say we have a game in Iowa and they couldn’t go, they’d be listening to us. The entire program from the athletic department to the coaches to the players, their parents and the fans.”

After Vittas graduated in 2015, the duties fell to Eisenberg and Present and the pair knew that they had to keep the magic going. Not only did they keep the network afloat, but they were even able to hire more writers for their website. 

Even with Vittas gone, Maryland Baseball Network was able to continue thriving. 

When Eisenberg and Present both graduated shortly thereafter, they left the program in the hands of Justin Gallanty, a decision that was crucial in the continuation of the network. 

“Those guys really established a great foundation that I was able to just kind of step in,” Gallanty said. “It was already something that was established and that I could come in and just take over but there really weren’t any big changes to make. I just took it and ran with it.”

All of the broadcasters credit their schooling at the Phillip Merrill College of Journalism, believing it allowed them to be the kind of journalist that they wanted to be. 

Maryland has always had a strong national presence when it comes to credible journalists but outside of ESPN’s Scott Van Pelt, sports broadcasting wasn’t something the school was known for. 

That narrative is now changing because of the influx of Terps in the minor league booths.

“It’s just really, really cool to see,” Kornberg said. “For Maryland to have this kind of representation just speaks volumes to the school and to all of us. We’ve worked hard for this.”

Even though they didn’t all go to school together at the same time, the broadcasters have all become closer due to their shared love of baseball. 

They communicate almost daily in a group text message where they can give updates on each other, the team they are calling, or just any life advice in general. 

“We talk about everything,” Eisenberg said. “

The path these broadcasters have paved has laid the groundwork for the next generation of Maryland students to come in and either create something special of their own. 

For John Vittas — the architect of the Maryland Baseball Network — he has already gotten an idea of just how influential his creation was.

“During a game I had a kid, about 13 or so years old come up to me and tell me he wanted to be a sports broadcaster,” Vittas said. “He was listing off all these east coast schools and he brought up Maryland.”

When Vittas asked what the kid knew about Maryland, the kid gave an answer that stunned him.

“Maryland has an awesome thing called the Maryland Baseball Network!,” the teen said. “It’s where students get to cover the team and call the games.”

With his network being recognized and even prioritized when it comes to high schoolers picking a college, Vittas and his fellow broadcasters can’t help but feel pride. 

“The fact that as a high school kid he knew about it and wanted to be a part of it really hits home,” Vittas said. “That gave me chills.”