PEMBERVILLE, Ohio — The Eastwood Eagles have been one of the best high school baseball teams in the area, with an impressive 21-4 overall record, and a second-place finish in the competitive Northern Buckeye Conference.
Fans have been able to watch and listen to the games online all season, thanks to Eastwood Sports Network, the student-led sports broadcasting brand created earlier this year.
On the network's YouTube channel, fans can catch the Eagles baseball team, and listen to play-by-play from Eastwood junior and founder of ESN, Daniel Ridenour.
"It was an idea of having a sports broadcasting program, something that provides a service for the Eastwood community," Ridenour said.
Back in January, Ridenour created Eastwood Sports Network with the help of several faculty members, and along with fellow students, created pre- and postgame content in addition to livestreamed events.
Ridenour said the best part of calling a game is the ability to transport listeners to the ballpark.
"Being able to create your own image, and figure out how you can paint a picture for the person that's listening to and watching the game, that's definitely a great thing," Ridenour said.
Baseball head coach Kevin Leady said the team loves the coverage Ridenour gives them and that parents and the community appreciate it, too.
"He's part of us now. He's literally part of the team," Leady said. "We have this community at home. People watch, and I'll go into school and they say 'Dan did such a good job.' Our community loves him."
Ridenour said after this season, he plans on doing even more in his senior year.
"We hope to be on radio in the next couple of years," Ridenour said. "But we're kind of looking towards the future and seeing what we can do now with every little step that needs to get done to get there."
So if you decide to catch an Eastwood game in the near future, you can expect Ridenour to be there, painting a picture just behind home plate.
Eastwood baseball's next game is Thursday when the Eagles face Coldwater in the Division III district semifinal. The game will take place at Ed Sandy Field in Elida. First pitch is scheduled for 2:00 p.m.