The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
Blazers Announce 2018 Broadcast Schedule
1/23/2018 3:51:00 PM | Baseball
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Back for his 11th season on the call for the Blazers, UAB's long time play-by-play announcer David Crane has released the schedule of games that will air on the Blazer IMG Sports Network during the 2018 UAB baseball season.
Crane hops on the headset for the first time on March 2nd when the Blazers take on Iowa at Regions Field at 4 PM before returning for the final game of the series on March 4th at 1 PM.
He returns to the broadcast booth for consecutive in-state battles against Troy on March 13th and Alabama on March 20th with first pitch set for 6:30 PM in both matchups.
The Voice of the Blazers will be on air when the UAB opens the Conference USA home slate against LA Tech, calling the first two games of the series on March 23rd and 24th.
Crane is scheduled to be with UAB for its first three games of the season at Young Memorial Field, with the first one coming against Alabama A&M on April 4th at 6:30 PM, followed by FIU on April 6th and 7th with first pitch slated for 6:30 PM and 2 PM, respectively.
He hits the road with the Blazers for his next three calls, making trips to Tuscaloosa as UAB takes on Alabama on April 10th, traveling to the Plains of Auburn on April 17th and then making the short trek over Red Mountain for a Tuesday night battle at cross-town rival Samford on May 1st.
Crane returns to the friendly confines of Young Memorial when UAB hosts defending C-USA Regular Season Champion Southern Miss on May 4th and 5th with first pitches set for 6:30 PM and 2 PM.
In addition to the 15 regular season games, the Blazer IMG Sports Network will broadcast all of UAB's post-season games in 2018.
All games will air on WAPI-AM 1070 with pregame starting 10 minutes prior to first pitch.
A sit down with UAB play-by-play veteran, David Crane:
On your best memories from calling baseball at UAB…
DC: It is always fun to beat Alabama, which they've done fairly regularly since I have been here. Winning the Conference USA Tournament in 2012 and going to the NCAA Regional in Tallahassee was a lot of fun because you had Mississippi State, Samford and us with Florida State. We had played Samford and so it was fun having them there. For those guys, not that they do not play in big-time atmospheres a good bit, but being in Tallahassee playing Florida State is always pretty neat. Teams have made some runs in conference tournaments, made runs at regular season titles. Walk off wins are always fun. I think we beat Rice one of my first years here on a walk off and I believe it was the first time we had ever taken a series from them. There are a lot of good ones. And truthfully one of the highlights – win, lose or draw – is getting to work with Coach (Brian) Shoop because he is such a good guy and a good coach.
On your favorite Shoop memories…
DC: He is such a good person, number one, but he is also very intense and so competitive. He's going to be mad at me for saying this, but it seems like he has gotten thrown out of at least one game a year since I have been here. It always shocks me when I see him get thrown out of a game because I know it is not for anything that he has said, or the way he said it. Everybody respects him so much, so to see him get fired up and get animated is kind of fun. He is so great to work with, and, selfishly in this job, you want to call wins, but when you get to work with good people and be around people you enjoy, it makes the wins a little more special and the losses a little easier to take.
On any players that have stood out…
DC: I do not want to single anyone out because I know I will forget someone who should have been mentioned, but I would say doing this as long as I have done it, here and elsewhere, the kind of cool thing is when you are watching a pro game and you think that name sounds familiar. Then you go back and think about it, and you realize you got to call a game he played in. When you recognize names of guys that are in the big leagues now and know that you actually called some of his games whether it be for UAB or whoever UAB was playing at the time, it is fun. It's nice to see those names pop up on the big screen and on the big stage.
On what you are looking forward to about the 2018 season…
DC: One thing is we are going to able to do a few games on the radio this year, which is great, and it means I will get to call a few more games at Regions Field earlier in the season. I get to enjoy the park a little more like the team does. It is also just the fact that it is baseball and you are outside. You think about six inches of snow in December and an ice storm in January, and there will be cold days, but to be outside and know that spring is here is always a fun transition. To get through basketball season and get into baseball is fun because it is totally different than basketball and football. It is a little more relaxing and is a nice way to wrap up the broadcast season for me. With baseball, you can sit back and enjoy yourself and look forward to summer."
For more information on the UAB baseball team follow the Blazers on Twitter (@UAB_Baseball) or on Instagram (UAB_Baseball).
Crane hops on the headset for the first time on March 2nd when the Blazers take on Iowa at Regions Field at 4 PM before returning for the final game of the series on March 4th at 1 PM.
He returns to the broadcast booth for consecutive in-state battles against Troy on March 13th and Alabama on March 20th with first pitch set for 6:30 PM in both matchups.
The Voice of the Blazers will be on air when the UAB opens the Conference USA home slate against LA Tech, calling the first two games of the series on March 23rd and 24th.
Crane is scheduled to be with UAB for its first three games of the season at Young Memorial Field, with the first one coming against Alabama A&M on April 4th at 6:30 PM, followed by FIU on April 6th and 7th with first pitch slated for 6:30 PM and 2 PM, respectively.
He hits the road with the Blazers for his next three calls, making trips to Tuscaloosa as UAB takes on Alabama on April 10th, traveling to the Plains of Auburn on April 17th and then making the short trek over Red Mountain for a Tuesday night battle at cross-town rival Samford on May 1st.
Crane returns to the friendly confines of Young Memorial when UAB hosts defending C-USA Regular Season Champion Southern Miss on May 4th and 5th with first pitches set for 6:30 PM and 2 PM.
In addition to the 15 regular season games, the Blazer IMG Sports Network will broadcast all of UAB's post-season games in 2018.
All games will air on WAPI-AM 1070 with pregame starting 10 minutes prior to first pitch.
A sit down with UAB play-by-play veteran, David Crane:
On your best memories from calling baseball at UAB…
DC: It is always fun to beat Alabama, which they've done fairly regularly since I have been here. Winning the Conference USA Tournament in 2012 and going to the NCAA Regional in Tallahassee was a lot of fun because you had Mississippi State, Samford and us with Florida State. We had played Samford and so it was fun having them there. For those guys, not that they do not play in big-time atmospheres a good bit, but being in Tallahassee playing Florida State is always pretty neat. Teams have made some runs in conference tournaments, made runs at regular season titles. Walk off wins are always fun. I think we beat Rice one of my first years here on a walk off and I believe it was the first time we had ever taken a series from them. There are a lot of good ones. And truthfully one of the highlights – win, lose or draw – is getting to work with Coach (Brian) Shoop because he is such a good guy and a good coach.
On your favorite Shoop memories…
DC: He is such a good person, number one, but he is also very intense and so competitive. He's going to be mad at me for saying this, but it seems like he has gotten thrown out of at least one game a year since I have been here. It always shocks me when I see him get thrown out of a game because I know it is not for anything that he has said, or the way he said it. Everybody respects him so much, so to see him get fired up and get animated is kind of fun. He is so great to work with, and, selfishly in this job, you want to call wins, but when you get to work with good people and be around people you enjoy, it makes the wins a little more special and the losses a little easier to take.
On any players that have stood out…
DC: I do not want to single anyone out because I know I will forget someone who should have been mentioned, but I would say doing this as long as I have done it, here and elsewhere, the kind of cool thing is when you are watching a pro game and you think that name sounds familiar. Then you go back and think about it, and you realize you got to call a game he played in. When you recognize names of guys that are in the big leagues now and know that you actually called some of his games whether it be for UAB or whoever UAB was playing at the time, it is fun. It's nice to see those names pop up on the big screen and on the big stage.
On what you are looking forward to about the 2018 season…
DC: One thing is we are going to able to do a few games on the radio this year, which is great, and it means I will get to call a few more games at Regions Field earlier in the season. I get to enjoy the park a little more like the team does. It is also just the fact that it is baseball and you are outside. You think about six inches of snow in December and an ice storm in January, and there will be cold days, but to be outside and know that spring is here is always a fun transition. To get through basketball season and get into baseball is fun because it is totally different than basketball and football. It is a little more relaxing and is a nice way to wrap up the broadcast season for me. With baseball, you can sit back and enjoy yourself and look forward to summer."
For more information on the UAB baseball team follow the Blazers on Twitter (@UAB_Baseball) or on Instagram (UAB_Baseball).
UAB Baseball | The Quick Cut: at Alabama
Thursday, April 23
UAB Beach Volleyball | The Quick Cut: Blazer Beach Bash
Saturday, April 18
UAB Softball | The Quick Cut: Memphis Series
Thursday, April 09
UAB vs ECU Post Game Press Conference
Sunday, March 08
