New Voice of Knights to Bring Midwestern Flavor to Corvallis.

Former University of Iowa Broadcaster Alex Kuhn to Call Knights' Games in 2014

Alex Kuhn had a great example to follow as a budding play-by-play announcer while growing up in the St. Louis suburb of Wildwood, Mo.

Jack Buck was the radio voice of the St. Louis Cardinals during Kuhn's formative years. The legendary Hall of Famer made a lasting impression on Kuhn, a recent University of Iowa graduate who will broadcast all 59 Corvallis Knights' games this summer on our flagship station, KEJO-AM 1240.

"Growing up in St. Louis, Joe Buck was always a favorite for me, especially when he was still with the Cardinals," said Kuhn, who graduated this past December with a journalism degree. "Beyond that, I would always watch Sunday Night Baseball because Jon Miller was one of my favorites. On the radio side, Ted Leitner and Vin Scully are my two favorites."

Kuhn said he's always envisioned himself as an announcer but didn't get really serious about it until he transferred from Ball State to Iowa to study journalism. The campus station (KRUI-FM) broadcast Hawkeye football and basketball games, and he was hooked.

"I did a few football games and basketball games and at the end of the season I was selected to broadcast Iowa's NIT Final Four games at Madison Square Garden," he said. "After spending a week in New York, broadcasting from the most famous arena in the world, I told myself that I would do anything to make a career out of broadcasting."

In addition to play-by-play, Kuhn was an analyst and studio host for Hawkeye and Iowa City-area high school sporting events, primarily with KRUI. He wrote columns and game stories for the station's website, and also interned with KTRS radio in St. Louis in 2012.

Last summer he did play-by-play and marketing work for the Hamilton (Ohio) Joes of the Great Lakes Summer Collegiate League. He credits Hamilton general manager Darrel Grissom, host parents Larry and Carla Fiehrer, and fellow Joes' broadcaster Matt Noonan for his successful stint there.

"Before I got to Hamilton, I had never announced a single baseball game," he said. "Going in, I was very nervous announcing games, and by the end it was second nature.

"Obviously I'm still not perfect, but announcing baseball is no longer a nervous experience. I worked with one of the best young announcers in the country in Matt Noonan; he helped make the transition into announcing baseball so much easier. I would not be [coming to Corvallis] if it weren't for the Hamilton Joes."

Alex said he won't overwhelm his audience with statistics and other minutia.

"I try to convey the game within the game to the listeners, the mental and strategic aspects everyday listeners wouldn't think about when listening to a ball game," he said. "Stats are important, but I'd rather paint a picture of what is going on on the field and in the dugouts.

"I like to explore the thought processes of players and managers. After playing baseball my entire childhood, I know how mentally taxing baseball can be."

He'll arrive in Corvallis in late May or early June, in plenty of time for the Knights' June 4 season opener against the Portland Sea Dogs on Science, Engineering & Arts Day at Goss Stadium.

"I have been to every Pacific Coast state except for Oregon," he said. "I'm looking forward to exploring a part of the country I'm not overly familiar with, while announcing baseball and being with a first-class organization."

AT A GLANCE

WHO: Alex Kuhn

WHAT: New Knights' play-by-play broadcaster

HOMETOWN: Wildwood, Mo.

EDUCATION: Graduated from the University of Iowa in Dec., 2013, with a BA in journalism. Graduated from Lafayette High School, Wildwood, Mo., in 2009.

EXPERIENCE: Play-by-play announcer University of Iowa football and men's basketball, KRUI-FM, 2013; play-by-play announcer and marketing work with Hamilton Joes Baseball Club and Cindaysports.com, 2013; host talk shows, pregame shows and color analysis for Iowa football and basketball, KRUI FM, 2012-13; play-by-play announcer and color analyst, Iowa City West HS boys basketball, KRUI FM, 2012-13; sports columnist and game coverage, KRUI.com, 2012; intern/sound technician, 550 KTRS-AM, St. Louis, 2012.

QUOTE: "I try to convey the game within the game to the listeners, the mental and strategic aspects everyday listeners wouldn't think about when listening to a ball game. Stats are important, but I'd rather paint a picture of what is going on on the field and in the dugouts."