Claire Batista is a Class A member of the PGA. She has been instructing golf since 1987 and served as the head women's golf coach at the University of Toledo for nine seasons. Claire's knowledge and ability to develop golf skills has been recognized by Golf For Women magazine. In 2002, Claire was named one of the top 50 women teaching professionals in the United States.
Claire played collegiate golf at Bowling Green State University. She competed professionally on the Florida Mini Tours where she won the 1994 Central Florida Team Championship. Claire also competed in the 1993 LPGA Jamie Farr Kroger Classic. In 2004, Claire was inducted into the Lorain County Sports Hall of Fame.
Chris Black has been a color analyst for soccer broadcasts on BCSN since the fall of 2005 after coaching soccer at Southview from 2000-04. He is currently the head coach for St. Ursula Soccer and a coach in the Olympic Soccer Development Program. Chris graduated from Southview before moving on to play soccer at Siena Heights and then attended the University of Toledo.
Kevin Brechmacher has been with BCSN since January 2006. He attended Bowling Green High School, where he played football, basketball and tennis. He later went on to graduate from Bowling Green State University and now resides in his hometown.
Bill Clark has been covering games on BCSN since 2007. In 1993, Bill started Courtside Productions and became the voice of high school football, basketball and baseball on Toledo’s WCWA-AM 1230. Since 2001, Bill has been the voice of Central Catholic Irish Football on the same radio station. Beginning with the 1998-1999 basketball season Bill began working for the Michigan Sports Network as a studio host for The University of Michigan football and basketball games airing out of the studios of WJR-AM 760 in Detroit. With WJR-760’s switch to Michigan State in 2006, Bill was hired by the Spartan Sports Network and to host the pre-game and halftime shows for all Michigan State basketball games. In 2008 Bill joined the Toledo Mud Hens radio team as the pre-game and post game host for all home games. Also starting in 2008 Bill was named as the Studio Host for UT Men’s football and basketball games on News Talk 1370 WSPD.
Tom Cole has over 20 years of broadcasting experience and has been working with BCSN since its inception. Besides providing color commentary for high school and BGSU football, Tom hosts the “Sports Rap” and co-hosts “Rant & Rage” and "The T Sports Report". With him, comes 25 years of coaching experience at the high school and collegiate levels, including stops at St. John’s Jesuit, Waite, DeVilbiss, Fremont St. Joe’s, Adrian College and the University of Michigan. During his time at Michigan, Tom worked as a quarterback’s consultant for one season under then-UM quarterbacks coach Cam Cameron and tutored Wolverines’ quarterbacks Elvis Grbac and Todd Collins. Tom graduated from St. John’s and went on to be the signal caller at Ohio Wesleyan, where he also played on the basketball team. After college, he signed with the Columbus Bucks, a minor-league football team affiliated with the Chicago Bears, where he played with BCSN’s Tom Duncan. Tom also serves as BCSN’s Community Development Coordinator.
Frank Corsoe is an award-winning sports editor for The Blade. A veteran newsman with more than 35 years in journalism, he served as sports editor for the Dayton Daily News before coming to Toledo in 2005. He spent a majority of his career in Connecticut where he was the executive sports editor of the Journal Inquirer of Manchester. Frank has been the co-host of BCSN’s “Rant & Rage” since 2007.
Matt Crandall has 13 years of broadcasting experience and has been with BCSN since 2005. Matt is a host of “Ice Check,” which earned a Gold Image Award from the Ohio Cable Telecommunication Association in 2007. In addition to his duties with BCSN, Matt is the color analyst for Toledo’s ECHL hockey team, the Walleye. Matt played hockey and graduated from Northview and then earned his degree from Lourdes College. He resides in Sylvania.
Dan Cummins is Sports Director for WTOL News 11. He anchors sports during News 11 at 6:00 and News 11 at 11:00. He also hosts the T Sports Report and Press Pass on BCSN and provides the play-by-play call for Toledo Rockets basketball on the channel. Born and raised in Peoria, Illinois, Dan says knew early on he wanted to have a career in television sports. After high school, he went to Illinois State University where he earned a BA in Mass Communication. After working as the weekend sports anchor for a station in his hometown, he went to WTOL in 1980. He began as a weekend sports anchor and sports reporter and earned a promotion to Assistant Sports Director. Then, when veteran sports anchor Orris Tabner retired in February 1996, Dan became the Sports Director.
Matt Davis: After wrapping up a 10 year career as head football coach for the Scott Bulldogs, Matt joined BCSN in August of 2008 as a co-host for "Inside the RedZone". Matt graduated from Scott High School in 1985 where he played football and basketball and went on to earn two degrees from Ohio University in Computer Science and Mathematics. Matt then continued his education at the University of the Toledo where he earned a Master’s degree in Software Engineering. His coaching experience began as an assistant coach for Leverette Jr. High and was promoted to head coach after two years, leading the team to a league championship. As the head coach at Scott High School, Matt mentored Nate Washington from the Tennessee Titans and Willis Barringer who went on the play for the University of Michigan. Matt currently resides in Toledo and teaches at Scott High School.
Jim Davis joined BCSN's team in the Spring of 2010 and brought more than three decades of tennis experience with him. After graduating from St. John's Jesuit High School as a 4-year letter winner, Jim went on to help the UT Rockets earn three MAC Championship titles. During this time, he also won the top spot in the City of Toledo Singles and Doubles tournaments and ranked #1 in the Midwest Men's Singles Section. Later, Jim achieved Master Professional status and was named the Midwest and National Professional of the Year. Currently, Jim has returned to his alma mater to coach and has led the Titans to Columbus for several Final Four appearances in the state tournament. Jim is also the owner and operator of the Shadow Valley Tennis Club and Shadow Valley at Central Tennis Club.
Christan Dhondt started at BCSN in the spring of 2007 as a color analyst for softball broadcasts. Christan graduated from Perrysburg High School, where she played softball and basketball, before joining the softball team at Central Michigan University. She now resides in Wyandotte, MI.
Tom Duncan has served two stints as a color analyst for BCSN, the first from the station’s inception until April 2005 and the second from January 2007 until present. An accomplished athlete, Tom has been inducted into the halls of fame at the University of Toledo and Bowsher High School. Tom was a defensive back and placekicker with the Rockets, and he played football, basketball and track in high school. After college, Tom went on to play minor-league football with the Columbus Bucks, where he played with BCSN’s Tom Cole, and the Connecticut Jets, which was an affiliate of the New York Jets. He currently provides color commentary for the University of Toledo football team on News Talk 1370 WSPD.
Tom Fitzgerald has nearly a decade of experience in broadcasting and has been working for BCSN since 2006. Tom is retired from LOF/Pilkington and has worked for WCWA-1230 AM the past several years on their football and boys’ and girls’ basketball broadcasts. He also served as the Whitmer boys’ tennis coach for six years before retiring in 2005. Tom graduated from Start, where he participated in football, baseball and track, and the University of Toledo. He resides in Temperance, MI.
Greg Franke has been a part of the BCSN family since the very beginning, working as the play-by-play announcer for a wrestling match that took place even before BCSN hit the airwaves. In all, Greg has over 25 years of broadcasting experience and has been a part of numerous programs BCSN has won awards for. Greg also served as an assistant hockey coach at University of Findlay from 1995-98. Greg is a graduate of Centerville High School, where he played hockey, and Bowling Green State University. He resides in Portage, Ohio.
Jay Gast is now in his third year as a color analyst for BCSN during the high school basketball season. Jay graduated from St. Patrick High School in Maysville, KY, where he played golf and basketball. He then went on to star on the University of Toledo basketball team, during which time he scored over 1,000 career points and was named all-conference and team captain his senior year. Jay resides in Perrysburg.
Nick Griffith is from San Luis Obispo, California, and comes to BCSN with a variety of tennis experiences that include broadcasting, coaching, and playing. Since 2005, he has worked as a tennis analyst on the sports radio talk show, Your Sports NightCap. As a tennis coach, Nick has worked with a number of venues including the La Jolla Beach and Tennis Club and the San Luis Obispo Golf and Country Club. Nick played tennis for San Luis Obispo High School and has won a variety of singles and doubles tournaments at the 4.5, 5.5, and open levels. He is currently a medical student at the University of Toledo.
Jim Heller joined BCSN in August 2008 as a play-play announcer. A graduate of St. Charles Prep in Columbus, Jim ran cross-country and track before attending Duquesne University with a major in journalism. After graduation Jim started his radio career at JDKA Radio in Pittsburg and had stops in Delaware, Findlay and Defiance, before ending up at Toledo’s 1370 WSPD. For the past ten years Jim has been the play-by-play radio announcer for the University of Findlay men’s basketball team and followed their road to the 2009 NCAA Championship title. He resides in Sylvania Township.
Josh Heller joined the BCSN team in the Winter of 2010 as hockey commentator. A native of Boston, MA, Josh worked as an intern with the Boston Bruins and Red Sox as well as a broadcast intern with the Pensacola Pelicans. He later became the Media Relations Manager & Broadcaster for the South Carolina Stingrays. Currently, Josh is a resident of Toledo and does home radio broadcasts for the Toledo Walleye.
Todd Hostetler has 27 years of broadcasting experience, including the last five and a half years with BCSN. From football to baseball, Todd has been a part of numerous programs BCSN has won awards for. In addition, Todd manages YES-FM and is co-host of the morning show there. He graduated from the former Bluffton College, now Bluffton University, and resides in Grand Rapids.
Bernie Huntebrinker has been with BCSN primarily as a color commentator for soccer since February 2004. Bernie has been involved with the game since 1966 as a player, coach and referee. He coached travel soccer for 13 seasons and then nine seasons at the high school level along with eight years as a referee. In college, Bernie attended the University of Toledo and played baseball and club soccer. He graduated from Bowsher High School and then UT with two degrees. Bernie resides in Sylvania Township.
Mike Jewell is in his fourth year as a color analyst with BCSN. In addition, he co-hosts BCSN’s high school football show “Inside the Redzone”. Mike has an extensive background in football, lettering at Bowsher High School where he was part of the 1979 Shoe Bowl championship team. He also played baseball. Mike went on to play one season at Brown University on the freshman team, where he was a lineman and a placekicker. His claim to fame at Brown was kicking the winning extra point against Harvard. After college, Mike began coaching at Bowsher and spent 23 years there, the last four as head coach. He also served as Bowsher’s JV baseball coach for five years in the mid-1990s. Mike resides in South Toledo.
Chelsey Jones is a Toledo native and alumna of St. Ursula Academy. During her time as an Arrow, Chelsey helped her team to four City League titles and the state crown in 2004. After winning a Gold Glove Award in high school, Chelsey went on to Kent State University where her team earned four rings for the MAC East title and were top in the MAC in 2006 & 2007. Besides providing color commentary for BCSN, Chelsey stays active in the softball community by coaching the Toledo Blues, a 14 & under team.
Stan Joplin was a two-time all-state selection in high school before moving on to play basketball for the University of Toledo from 1975-79. As a Rocket, he was twice voted second-team All-MAC and ranks among UT record holders for most career assists (428).
Joplin began a very successful coaching career as an Assistant at Kent State from 1982-84 before coming back to Toledo as an assistant from 1984-1990. After spending 6 years as an assistant at Michigan State University, Stan came back to the University of Toledo where he would serve has Head Coach for the men’s program from 1996 through the 2007-2008 season. In his 11 years as Head Coach, Joplin boasted a 192-136 overall record, three 20-win seasons, 4 MAC West Division Titles, 5 straight winning seasons (1997-2002), and 4 appearances in the NIT tournament.
Stan joined the BCSN team in the winter of 2010 as a color analyst for basketball and resides in Sylvania with his family.
Nick Kissoff has been working at BCSN as a lacrosse color analyst since May 2008. Nick graduated from St. Francis de Sales High School before earning a Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in civil engineering and a PhD in Engineering Science at the University of Toledo. He also played lacrosse with the Rockets and was the 11th Rocky the Rocket mascot in school history. Nick now resides in Ottawa Lake, Michigan.
Bruce Johnson has been a play by play announcer calling baseball and hockey games for BCSN for two years. He has an extensive baseball career dating back to his time at Clay High School where he was a two time All-GLL baseball and football player. He received a baseball scholarship from the University of Toledo where he played for four years. On top of his duties at BCSN, Bruce is the president of his own business, Varsity Gold, which does high school athletic fundraising. Bruce resides in Waterville.
Sonny Lewis has worked for BCSN as a color analyst for a multitude of sports, including volleyball, wrestling, and track. As the head volleyball coach at Owens Community College he has led the Express to several OCCAC championships and is a three-time OCCAC Coach of the Year recipient. Before that, he taught and coached volleyball and wrestling for 31 years at his alma mater, Springfield High School. While Blue Devil, Sonny excelled in wrestling and track before going on to Defiance College. He is a member of the Ohio High School Volleyball Coaches Hall of Fame and Springfield Hall of Fame. He resides in Toledo.
Gary Lindahl is a color analyst at Toledo and Flat Rock Speedways, and has been with BCSN for four years since BCSN started covering local racing. Gary attended Jackson Lumen Christi High School where he played football and basketball, and later graduated from Michigan State University with a degree in Hotel and Restaurant Management. He has been a racing announcer since 1979 and was inducted into the Michigan Motorsports Hall of Fame in 2004. Gary currently resides in Toledo.
Scott Mattera is entering his fifth year with BCSN as a color analyst for volleyball broadcasts. Scott is the head volleyball coach at Notre Dame Academy, where he’s led the Eagles to two City League titles and earned District Coach of the Year recognition. Scott graduated from Monroe High School before joining the men’s volleyball team at the University of Toledo. He now resides in Holland.
Matt Melzak has over 15 years of broadcasting experience, 6 of those with BCSN. Currently Matt is a co-host of BCSN’s award winning hockey show, Ice Check and the play by play announcer for Toledo’s ECHL hockey team, the Walleye. While serving as the play-by-play announcer for the Toledo Storm, he was selected to be the voice of the ECHL All-Star Game in Fresno, California in 2006. Matt graduated from St. Francis High School and earned a degree in communications from the University of Toledo. Matt resides in Toledo.
Steve Mix is a 13 year veteran of the NBA and a former NBA All-Star. Steve played for four teams including, Detroit, Philadelphia, Milwaukee, and the Los Angeles Lakers and had the opportunity to play along side NBA Hall of Fame members, Bob Lanier, Julius “Dr. J” Erving, Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. He also was able to play in four championship series. After retirement, Steve used his extensive knowledge of the game as a color analyst for the Philadelphia 76ers for 22 years. Steve has been inducted into several Hall of Fames, including Rogers High School, Toledo City League, University of Toledo and Mid-American Conference. In the winter of 2006, the University of Toledo honored Steve by making him the first athlete to have his number 50 retired. Steve has been with BCSN since 2007 and provides color commentary on high school basketball games.
John Orozco's extensive coaching experience prepared him for his role as color analyst for soccer and basketball at BCSN. At St. Francis de Sales High School, John served as the Head Coach of the varsity soccer team for 11 years and an Assistant Coach of the varsity basketball team for 13 years. In 2003, he took his soccer team to the state finals. John has a Bachelor’s degree in Education from Siena Heights University in his hometown, Akron, Michigan. He serves on the board for the Ohio High School Soccer Association and is a certified official for the Michigan High School Athletic Association as well.
Scott Paluch joined the BCSN team in the winter of 2009 as a color commentator for Bowling Green State University hockey broadcasts. Scott first came to Northwest Ohio from Chicago, IL in 1984 as a member of the Bowling Green State University Hockey team, where he was an All-American and All-CCHA in 1998. He then moved on to play with the St. Louis Blues Organization for 2 years before coming back to BGSU as an Assistant Coach from 1990-1994. After being an Assistant Coach at Boston College for 8 years, he found his home once again at BGSU as Head Coach from 2002-2009.
Currently, Scott is a USA Hockey Regional Manager-American Developmental Model and resides with his family in Bowling Green.
Josh Pickard is a native of Flushing, Michigan, and does color commentary for BCSN’s volleyball broadcasts. He attended college at Michigan State majoring in International Relations and was the setter for the Men’s Volleyball team, which twice finished as 5th in the nation. While at MSU, Josh also was an assistant for the Women’s Volleyball team and coached club volleyball. In 2007, he helped lead the Premier 16-1 team to a 3rd place finish at the AAU National Championships.
Josh currently coaches at the Premier Volleyball Academy and resides in Perrysburg.
Rick Poland has been with BCSN as a color analyst on football, basketball and baseball games for more than four years. Rick brings over 30 years of baseball experience as a player, coach, scout and administrator. He was an original member of the “Gomez Plate” selection committee honoring the nation’s top amateur payer. As a clinic lecturer and scout, he has represented the Cleveland Indians, New York Yankees, New York Mets and Chicago White Sox. Rick has served in various capacities with the Toledo Mud Hens, and he is a member of the Society of American Baseball Research, the Selection Board of the Ohio Baseball Hall of Fame and the Major League Baseball Players Alumni Association. He is co-author of “Building and Coaching Your Team” and author of “Baseball Parenting.” He graduated from Central Catholic High School and went on to earn his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from Bowling Green State University. Rick resides in Toledo.
Jerry Ramirez has been a color analyst at BCSN for the past four years. He graduated from Waite High School, where he participated in wrestling, soccer, and cross country, before attending the University of Toledo and Owens Community College. Jerry resides in Northwood.
Greg Reitz is a native of California, where he participated in volleyball and football at Huntington Beach High School. At California State University, he continued to play volleyball and graduated with a degree in Kinesiology. Coaching became a passion and Greg spent 3 years at the high school level, 15 coaching club volleyball, and now has over 10 years at the collegiate level including several years as an Assistant Coach at the University of Toledo. During his coaching tenure, he has had the privilege of coaching several future All-Americans at the club level, and many All-Conference players from various schools.
Starting in the Fall of 2009, BCSN was excited to have Greg and his immense knowledge of the game join our team working as a color commentator for high school and collegiate volleyball broadcasts. Currently, Greg is the Head Volleyball Coach at Lourdes College and resides in Sylvania.
Rich Sczepinski started with BCSN as a swimming color analyst in the fall of 2007. Rich also coaches with the Greater Toledo Aquatic Club and has worked with the Toledo YMCA and Findlay Area swim teams. Rich graduated from Crestwood High School outside of Cleveland, where he participated in soccer, cross country, indoor/outdoor track, and basketball. He then graduated from Hiram College, where he joined the cross country, swimming, and indoor/outdoor track teams, before earning his law degree from the University of Toledo. Rich now resides in Maumee.
Kent Smith
is an alumnus of Start High School where he participated in basketball and football. He continued his football career at Central Michigan University, where he was twice voted Offensive Player of the Year and All-MAC. After receiving his business degree from CMU, Kent went on to the NFL and spent time with the Oakland Raiders and Tennessee Titans and later played arena football for the Peoria Pirates.
Kent joined BCSN as a football color analyst in the Fall of 2009. He is currently playing in the Canadian Football League and resides in Toledo.
Jordan Strack has been with BCSN since the very beginning, moving from the production crew to announcing games and hosting shows. Jordan currently hosts “Ice Check” and co-hosts the “T Sports Report” every Friday night at 10:30pm. Jordan is also the weekend sports anchor for WTOL and spent three seasons as the sideline reporter and pre-game host for the Toledo Mud Hens. Jordan played hockey during his time at Maumee High School and graduated from Bowling Green State University. He resides in Perrysburg.
Cay Stout joined BCSN as a color analysis for swimming. Originally from Cincinnati, Ohio, Cay trained with the Cincinnati Pepsi Marlins competitive swimming program. She later earned a Bachelor’s degree of Business Administration from Indiana University. Cay was Mrs. Ohio in 2006 and is currently the spokeswoman for Buckeye CableSystem’s Home-Finder Channel 100.
Deon Thompson
serves as color analyst for high school and college basketball and is an expert of Mixed Martial Arts.
As a student of the former DeVillbiss High School, Deon’s basketball accolades include, 1st Team All-City, 1st Team All-District, and was the MVP of the District 7 All-Star game. After earning a basketball scholarship at the University of Toledo, Deon decided to finish his playing career at the Indiana University of PA where he earned a bachelor’s degree in Health, Physical Education, and Exercise Science.
Returning to Toledo, Deon was the Head Coach of both the boys and girls Varsity Basketball Teams at Maumee Valley Country Day for 12 years. In 2002, he led the boys team to a TAAC Championship, becoming the first African American Coach to accomplish such a feat.
Deon, has also won many awards in Jiu Jitsu competitions, and is currently the Head Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and Submission Wrestling Instructor for the Ohio Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Federation.
Paul Vrzal
Paul Vrzal joined BCSN as an analyst in the Spring of 2010; he is a life-long tennis player and a huge fan of the game. In high school, Paul was a state champion before going on to be an All-Conference player in college. From there, Paul coached on both the high school and collegiate level and was fortunate enough to work with two players who earned Top 10 professional rankings. He is a certified Level-1 teaching professional at Shadow Valley Racquet Club in Maumee, and in 1997 was named the Ohio Tennis Professional of the Year. Paul and his family reside in Perrysburg.
Ken Watlington is an award-winning sportscaster hailing from the Tar Heel State. Before joining BCSN in April 2007, Ken worked for 11 years at ABC-affiliate WWAY in Wilmington, N.C., as a news anchor/reporter. While there Ken received four North Carolina Associated Press awards. After making the move to Toledo, Ken took over the reigns of The Light Side and earned an Ohio Cable Television Award. In addition to producing The Light Side, Ken also produces, writes and hosts BCSN’s weekly highlight show Under the Lights and reports for Friday’s T Sports Report. A native of Plymouth, N.C., where he played varsity basketball and baseball in high school, Ken graduated with a BA in Communication Studies from the University of North Carolina Wilmington. He now resides in Springfield Township.
Ken White made the move to the United States from Cork City, Ireland upon receiving a scholarship to play NCAA Division I soccer at the University of South Florida. He was the goalkeeper on this nationally ranked team and made two NCAA tournament appearances. Ken has also spent an extensive amount of time as an assistant or head coach for multiple universities and clubs including: University of Tampa, University of South Florida, University of Southern Colorado, Bowling Green State University, New Orleans River Boat Gamblers and Colorado Springs Stampede.
Currently, Ken is a resident of Waterville and in addition to being a color commentator for BCSN, he is the Director of Coaching Education and Player Development for the Perrysburg Soccer Club. He is also a National Staff Coach and Goalkeeper Coach for the NSCAA, the Regional Director for Ohio, Kentucky, and Tennessee for the NSCAA, and conducts his own clinics and seminars for soccer clubs and associations throughout the United States.
Ben Wilcox has six years of broadcast experience, including the last four with BCSN. He attended Culver Military Academy in Indiana before moving on to the College of Wooster and Bowling Green State University. Ben played lacrosse, hockey, crew and soccer in high school and continued with his lacrosse career in college. He resides in Maumee.
Steven Wronkowicz joined BCSN in 2009 as a color analyst for racing and softball. Steven graduated from St. John’s Jesuit and later Bowling Green State University where he earned a degree in broadcast journalism. For the past ten years, Steven has hosted the On Tip Row radio program on the WCWA stations and the ABM network. Steven has additional experience in covering racing including five years as a fill-in host for the Clark & Shaw show and as a play-by-play announcer for the ARCA Re/Max Series in 2008. From 1998 to 2006 he also coached girls’ softball for summer travel teams including Team Coca-Cola, the Irish, the Magic, and the Wizards.
