Indiana Native Becomes New Voice of the Atlanta Braves
When you think of famous people from Evansville, the first name you likely think of is Don Mattingly. As a matter of fact, Evansville is the birthplace of a few athletes who have gone on to have notable careers in the world of sports. There's Calbert Cheney who played for Indiana before a career in the NBA. Andy Benes went to Central High School and played for the University of Evansville before playing for a few Major League Baseball teams over the course of a 14-year career. And of course, there's Lilly King. The Reitz graduate went on to become an Olympic gold medal swimmer. There are several others as well, but there's another Evansville native who has gone on to do big things in the sports world too. You may not recognize his name or face, but there's a good chance you know his voice.
The Man Behind the Voice
Brandon Gaudin was born and raised in Evansville. The 39-year-old graduated from Harrison High School and on Thursday was named the new voice of the Atlanta Braves.
In a statement on the team's website announcing his hire, Brandon said the Braves were his favorite team growing up and to be the one calling their games for the foreseeable future "is the realization of a childhood dream."
Brandon Gaudin's Impressive Resume
Following his graduation from Harrison, Gaudin attended Butler University in Indianapolis. After college, he called games for the Orem Owls in Orem, Utah, an affiliate team of the Los Angles Angels. He left the Owls, and broadcasting, for a short time to start up MediaOne Management with two people from ESPN and one from MSNBC. But, the allure of calling games was too strong and he returned home to Evansville where he served as the voice of the University of Evansville Aces. He would eventually return to his alma mater to call games before leaving to be the voice of Georgia Tech athletics. From there he landed a job with the Big Ten Network where he called college games and also did some work on Fox, the parent company of the Big Ten Network.
He's in the Game
For many people, specifically gamers, Brandon is likely most recognized as the voice of the wildly successful Madden NFL franchise produced by EA Sports, a job he's held since taking over for Jim Nantz from CBS Sports in 2017. Here's a look at how he and his partner, Charles Davis go about recording their lines.
Gaudin will make his debut as the new voice of the Braves on March 30th when the team opens the 2023 season on the road against American League East division rival, the Washington Nationals.
[Source: Atlanta Braves on Facebook / Atlanta Braves]