SWB Yankees Name Broadcaster

Published on December 21, 2007 under International League (IL1)
Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees News Release


The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees announced today that Mike Vander Wood has been hired as the Director of Broadcasting and Media Relations.

Vander Wood will handle all play-by-play duties on the Yankees radio network as well as coordinating media relations activities and the speaker's bureau.

He becomes just the second regular play-by-play broadcaster in franchise history, replacing Kent Westling who held the post for 19 seasons before resigning at the end of the 2007 season.

"I am very excited about becoming a part of the Scranton/Wilkes Barre Yankees and the community," said Vander Wood. "Joining a franchise that has been able to reinvent itself and have such a dramatic increase in attendance in 2007 is a tremendous opportunity. With the history and mystique that the New York Yankees brand brings to the table, I feel that I have been able to land the top broadcasting job in Minor League Baseball."

"From a broadcasting standpoint, I am looking forward to continuing the great tradition started by Kent Westling that he carried over his 19 seasons behind the microphone. It is a humbling proposition to follow someone who is respected as he is throughout the International League and all of Minor League Baseball."

Vander Wood joins the Yankees after serving eight seasons as the voice of the Dayton Dragons, another Mandalay Baseball property. He called Dragons games on 1410 ESPN Radio WING AM and on Dragons Television.

In addition to heading up the Dragon's Speakers Bureau during the off season, he also hosted the "Dragons Locker Room" on 1410 ESPN Radio, an off season look at the Dragons as well as Major and Minor League Baseball

After graduating with a B.A. in Telecommunication from Michigan State University, he began his baseball broadcasting career with the Mobile Bay Sharks (Texas Louisiana League) in 1995 before moving to the Lansing Lugnuts (Midwest League) in 1996 and 1997 and the Madison BlackWolf (Northern League) in 1998.

He has also worked with Learfield Sports on the Michigan State University Football and Basketball Networks, the Purdue University and the University of Iowa Basketball Networks, served as the play by play voice for Michigan State and the University of Dayton Women's Basketball teams and served as co-host of the University of Dayton College Basketball Pre-game Road Show.

"Mike is a great addition to our staff and we are happy to add a fellow member of the Mandalay family," said Yankees Executive VP/COO Jeremy Ruby. "Dayton has sold out more than 500 consecutive games and he has been an important part of that success. I think our listening audience will be impressed by his knowledge of the game and his smooth delivery."

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International League Stories from December 21, 2007


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