Бен Эванс стал лучшим комментатором года в лиге Coastal Plain League

FOREST CITY — Forest City Owl broadcaster Ben Evans was recently named Coastal Plain League Broadcaster of the Year. Evans was selected via fan vote and beat out 14 other broadcasters for the honor. “I’m truly blessed,” Evans said. “This award is something tangible I have for all the hard work I have put in over the summer. I view this award and the summer in Forest City as a starting point for my career in broadcasting.” Evans said he chose to come to Forest City because the Owls offered a unique opportunity for broadcasters. “Believe it or not, some teams in the CPL don’t send their broadcasters on the road,” Evans said. “As a broadcaster, you want to call as many games as possible. Forest City was always an attractive destination because it gave me a chance to flex my broadcasting muscles every day. That was the deciding factor for me coming to the Owls.” Evans admits coming to a small town like Forest City was a bit of an adjustment. “I grew up in a big city, Birmingham, Al., and Forest City is such a small town,” he said. “But one thing became very clear from the first day: Folks in Forest City love baseball. It was an absolute pleasure to get to the office at 10 a.m., do prep work for the game, go grab lunch and talk to the locals about the game and then go to the ballpark and call the game. The best part was you got to get up and do it again the next day. It was a grind, but I think it’s the grind that I miss the most.” While calling the games, Evans employed his own style he developed from listening to Auburn broadcaster Rod Bramblett. “I grew up listening to him,” Evans said. “I model my call after his. Unfortunately, Rod passed away in 2019 before I got a chance to meet him, but this is a small way to honor his legacy. I started by doing play-by-play for Madden video games. I guess you could say my career has been a blooming flower ever since.” Evans adds that he tries to stay on an even keel while calling a game. “I try to keep things as professional as I can,” Evans said. “You owe that to the listeners. You can’t be a Debbie Downer or a Suzie Sunshine all the time. It was tempting at times because we (Forest City) struggled at the beginning of the year and then got hot at the end. It was a roller coaster of a season.” Evans says his favorite memory of the season was the Owls dramatic 3-2 win over Asheboro in the playoffs to keep the season alive. “It was such a good game,” he said. “It felt like every pitch mattered and it meant I got to spend another week or so in Forest City. It was great.” Now that the sophomore is back at Auburn, Evans is getting ready to call Tiger football games for the student radio station. He is majoring in broadcast journalism with an emphasis in sports production. “My long-term goal is to broadcast and stay in this business as long as I can. I view my time in Forest City as the starting point of my career and what a great place to start. The community has welcomed me with open arms and I am forever grateful. Thank you. I will never forget my summer in Forest City.”