The Former Student-Athlete Is the Voice of the Cardinals
For Alex Baker, the path toward a career behind the microphone actually started with the written word and an unlikely assist from a television sitcom.
Long before Baker envisioned himself calling college sporting events, he wanted to become a sports journalist. The inspiration came from “Everybody Loves Raymond”, his favorite television show, and its main character, Ray Barone, a sports columnist.
Baker loved sports, considered writing one of his strengths in school, and saw a career that could combine the two. It seemed like the perfect fit.
Baker was also extremely athletic and that background began at Shadyside, where baseball was the only sport he played competitively. He was a four-year letterman and earned Mid-Ohio Valley League All-League honors in 2021.
His signature accomplishment came April 10, 2021. Facing Frontier, Baker threw the first and still the only perfect game in Shadyside baseball history. He needed just 37 pitches to accomplish it.
Even while playing baseball, broadcasting was already becoming part of Baker’s life. He handled basketball play-by-play and worked as a football statistician alongside lifelong friend Ryan Zumpano.
Then, during his senior year at Shadyside High School, Baker discovered another way to tell the stories of sports.
His school figured out a way to broadcast basketball games on YouTube, and Baker jumped behind the microphone. He called 20 of the team’s 21 boys and girls basketball games that season. A new passion was born.
“I found a new love,” Baker said. “Though, there is a lot of journalism-like work that goes into broadcasting, so I’m kind of getting the best of both worlds.”
Baker initially enrolled at Marshall University, attracted by its journalism and broadcasting history. After one semester, however, he realized it wasn’t the right fit and decided to transfer.
West Liberty University offered the broadcasting program Baker was looking for, but another relationship was simultaneously developing just a few miles away.
Before Baker officially transferred, former baseball coach and then-Wheeling University assistant athletic director Zac Schnegg gave him an opportunity to call seven Wheeling basketball games while Baker was home on breaks.
Those seven broadcasts ultimately became something much bigger.
Baker developed a relationship with Wheeling’s Zack Zeigler, and even after Schnegg left the university, Baker continued calling Cardinal athletic events. Today, Baker is one of Zeigler’s graduate assistants and helps oversee all aspects of Wheeling University’s athletic broadcasts.
Zeigler, also is known as “Ziggy”, had this to say about Alex:
“From the moment Alex stepped on campus, his passion for broadcasting took center stage. He has brought life to so many Cardinal moments, and his passion and enthusiasm shine through with every call. He works relentlessly off camera to ensure that he is prepared and that hard work has taken him and will take him miles in this business. I don’t know a harder working broadcaster in the MEC, and we are lucky to have him as the voice of the Cardinals.”
When the time came to pursue a master’s degree, Baker didn’t spend much time considering other destinations.
“The old saying ‘It feels like a family’ isn’t a cliche here, it’s the truth,” Baker said. “Every time I walk through the doors of the Alma Grace McDonough Center, I’m greeted by a smile and a quick conversation by students or staff members.”
Making His Mark
That sense of community has become an important part of Baker’s experience at Wheeling – both on and off the microphone.
Today, Baker calls football, volleyball, basketball, baseball, softball and lacrosse. Volleyball and lacrosse presented the biggest learning curves because he hadn’t been around those sports nearly as much growing up.
Instead of trying to master them overnight, Baker learned the fundamentals, studied terminology and rules, watched national broadcasts, and sought information from coaches and athletes.
Only then did he trust himself.
His first volleyball assignment provided quite the introduction. It was head Wheeling Volleyball coach, Christy Benner’s, 700th career victory at Wheeling.
“Talk about pressure to not sound like it was my first time announcing volleyball,” Baker said.
Now entering his third year calling volleyball and lacrosse during the 2026-27 athletic year, Baker still studies his work. He listens to feedback and rewatches broadcasts, looking for areas where he can improve.
“The more you do it, the better you get,” Baker said.
Wheeling University Head Basketball Coach Chris Richardson also commented about Alex’s work, how much he prepares, and how often he critiques himself.
“For starters, I worked in journalism for five years during college so I have a different perspective on the work and preparation that goes into broadcasting than a lot of coaches. The thing I’ve always appreciated about Alex is he always comes in prepared for our games.
“When he comes by to talk the day before or two days before a game, he’s organized with good questions that he’s clearly put some thought into,” he said. “He’s not afraid to ask difficult questions either, which I appreciate. Occasionally, I’ll hear him work in something that we discussed and it just drives home what I said and for our games, he’s extremely prepared. That makes the broadcast better.”
Alex can tell you the full story, but April 16, 2024, is a broadcast he will never forget.
Wheeling and West Liberty were playing the first game of a softball doubleheader at the J.B. Chambers I-470 Complex. The game was tied 3-3 after seven innings before West Liberty moved ahead 4-3 in the eighth.
That’s when Madison Kay stepped to the plate for Wheeling. Kay launched an opposite-field home run, giving Baker an opportunity to deliver a line that remains his personal favorite.
“They say every kiss begins with Kay … well, Madison just kissed that one goodbye.”
The Cardinals weren’t finished. Maria Clark doubled with two outs, Kelsi Green entered as a pinch runner and freshman Grace Mummery drove a ball to center field that got past the outfielder. Green raced home with the winning run as Wheeling celebrated a walk-off victory.
More than two years later, Baker can still picture every detail.
“I can still see Kelsi cross the plate and the dugout erupt and swarm Grace at first,” he said. “I can see it all, clear as day.”
An Athlete’s Perspective
Baker’s work at Wheeling has expanded beyond simply describing what happens on the field or court.
Recognizing the importance of social media and personal branding in sports media, he created “Player Pop-Ins”, a short-form interview series designed to introduce Wheeling student-athletes as people rather than simply players.
The concept developed from Baker’s interest in ESPN’s in-game baseball player conversations. Unable to replicate that exact concept in college athletics, he eventually developed his own idea.
Episodes generally run three to five minutes and feature four base questions, along with spontaneous follow-ups. Baker intentionally tries to avoid focusing heavily on sports.
As a former athlete, he remembers interviews where seemingly everything centered on baseball. He knew there was more to him than the sport he played, and he believes the same is true for Wheeling’s student-athletes.
The goal is to create laughs, bring back memories, and strengthen the sense of community surrounding Cardinal athletics.
And Baker doesn’t measure success through an analytics page.
“I don’t care how many views, likes, reposts or shares I get,” Baker said. “I only care that my guests enjoyed the product I put out. If so, that episode served its purpose.”
For Baker, hearing an athlete talk about how much they enjoyed appearing on the show means more than a view count ever could.
“THAT is the real reward, not the amount of likes or views.”
Baker has also created “Mic Mates”, which allows him to interview other broadcasters and exchange ideas about preparation, techniques and the industry. He hopes the series can eventually expand to include professionals from throughout sports media.
Baker doesn’t pretend to know exactly where broadcasting will take him. Eventually, he would like to reach the Division I level, with the ultimate dream of becoming a Major League Baseball or NBA broadcaster.
For now, though, Baker is focused on where he is rather than where he might be next. He trusts that the right opportunity will arrive at the right time.
And when the bittersweet day eventually comes for Baker to leave Wheeling University, perhaps his biggest measure of success won’t be a job title, a viral clip, or a line on his resume.
It will be whether people notice that familiar voice is missing.
“I hope when a parent or fan turns on a basketball game and hears a different voice they think to themself, ‘Where’d Alex go? Why isn’t he announcing the game tonight?'”
For someone who originally planned to tell sports stories with a pen, leaving people missing the sound of his voice would be a fitting legacy.
