Mankato and Kenosha announcers take home honors

Rochester, Minn. – The Northwoods League has announced that Mitchell Speltz, of the Mankato MoonDogs, and Matt Sosler of the Kenosha Kingfish, have been named the 2021 Northwoods League TV Announcers of the Year.

“We’re happy to recognize Mitchell and Matt as this year’s recipients of the TV Announcers of the Year award. Both Mitchell and Matt announced their teams’ games in a positive, informative, enjoyable, and professional manner. They did an excellent job and should be proud of their performance. Congratulations to both Mitchell and Matt and their respective organizations, the Mankato MoonDogs and the Kenosha Kingfish,” said Northwoods League, Great Plains Division President Glen Showalter.

In 2021, the Northwoods League was able to offer all of its’ games Free to view for the public. Fans could watch on their tv’s at home on Over-The-Top applications Apple TV, Android TV, Amazon Fire TV Stick, as well as ROKU which was added to the options in 2021. In addition, fans could watch Northwoods League games on any of their mobile devices or computers, and in fact there were over 800,000 views streamed to mobile devices or computers totaling more than 2.4 million minutes of viewing during the summer months from Memorial Day to mid-August.

“Many of the team webcasting crew members are coming to the Northwoods League while they are in excellent college broadcasting programs. They come to the Northwoods League because it is regarded as one of the best summer sports developmental opportunities for students pursuing careers in sports broadcasting and broadcasting in general. Mitchell and Matt are examples of the talented individuals that work in the Northwoods League Webcasting operation during the summer months. Congratulations to both of them for a job well done,” said Northwoods League Executive Producer, George Giles.

The Northwoods League webcasting operation strives to continuously improve the quality of its’ broadcast content and a part of that effort in recent years has been transitioning from simulcast audio operations to tv announcers for the game productions. All Northwoods League teams now have dedicated TV announcers for the game day productions, in addition to producers and camera operators and all the broadcast quality equipment that have been a valuable part of the four-camera high definition webcasting stream of each Northwoods League game for years.

“I am honored to receive the Northwoods League broadcaster of the year award. I would like to thank Kingfish GM Ryne Goralski for bringing me into the Kingfish organization and giving me the opportunity to broadcast for an outstanding organization,” said Kingfish announcer Matt Sosler. “I would also like to thank my entire production and press box crew for which this wouldn’t be possible without them as well as the rest of the front office, players, coaching staff and especially the fans both at the ballpark and tuning in at home who made every game and every broadcast a pleasure in 2021.”

“Matt understands the importance of research, dedication and hard work in the announcer booth,” said Northwoods League Executive Producer Joe LaBarbera. “He is always preparing for a ball game and remains committed to excellence. He knows that opportunities to announce in the Northwoods League are special. He’s accurate, fun and good at announcing. His integrity in the announcer booth is unparalleled, making him an excellent candidate for opportunities when he is ready to move on from the Kenosha Kingfish.”

“Mitch has been a quality broadcaster in this league for a number of years now,” said MoonDogs General Manager Tyler Kuch. “He is someone who possesses plenty of talent and skill, but also has a fantastic work ethic, and the broadcast noticeably benefits from it.  Having him return to Mankato for the 2021 season was a huge win for us, and the MoonDogs could not be happier to see him succeed.”

“Mitchell is one of the hardest working announcers you will ever meet,” said Labarbera. “Mankato is fortunate to have him. He comes to the ballpark prepared and immerses himself in the Northwoods League culture. He takes full advantage of the opportunities the Northwoods League has put in front him, which include preparing him for the next level of his announcing career. You’ll see Mitchell moving up the sports announcing ladder pretty quickly, should he choose to further pursue it.”

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The Northwoods League is the proven leader in the development of elite college baseball players. Having completed its’ 28th season, the Northwoods League is the largest organized baseball league in the world with 22 teams, drawing significantly more fans, in a friendly ballpark experience, than any league of its kind. A valuable training ground for coaches, umpires and front office staff, over 270 Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including three-time All-Star and 2016 Roberto Clemente Award winner Curtis Granderson, three-time Cy Young Award winner and World Series Champion Max Scherzer (NYM), two-time World Series Champions Ben Zobrist and Brandon Crawford (SFG) and World Series Champion Chris Sale (BOS). As well as 2019 Rookie of the Year and 2019/2021 Home Run Derby Champion Pete Alonso (NYM) and 2021 All-Star, MLB Gold Glove winner and 2019 Second Team All-MLB shortstop Marcus Semien (TEX). All league games are viewable live for FREE via the Northwoods League website at watchnwl.com. For more information, visit www.northwoodsleague.com or download the Northwoods League Mobile App on the Apple App Store or on Google Play.