By Ben Gellman, Broadcast Assistant

 

Hey Crawdads fans!  My name is Ben Gellman, and I’m the new Broadcast Assistant with Hickory!  I just wanted to give you all a chance to get to know me as I begin blogging about the Crawdads for the 2011 season.

 

I grew up a fan of minor league baseball in Columbus, Ohio, as I attended my first Columbus Clippers game at three weeks old.  I’ve been a fan of the game ever since, and I’m very excited for my first full season in professional baseball.  I broadcasted basketball and baseball at Division III Brandeis University as an undergraduate student from 2004 through 2008.  I was also fortunate enough to be a web intern with the sports department of the Boston Globe while I was there.  I pursued my master’s degree in broadcast journalism at Syracuse University, and interned with the Syracuse Crunch of the American Hockey League.

 

I moved down to North Carolina in 2009 to be near my girlfriend (now fiancee), and worked for a year as a news/sports anchor-reporter at 1360 WCHL in Chapel Hill.  I did my first-ever football broadcasts in Chapel Hill, and reported on UNC athletics.  I can’t wait to spend the 2011 Crawdads season with you!