Sheridan becomes first female broadcaster at Lynchburg

(February 14, 2020) Maura Sheridan is making history. Sheridan has joined the Lynchburg Hillcats as Director of Broadcasting and Media Relations. She will be the first female broadcaster in Hillcats history.

Sheridan, who joined STAA in 2018, spent the past year doing play-by-play for the Fayetteville Woodpeckers. She also gained play-by-play experience with University of Vermont women’s basketball, ACC Network Extra, and WAER at Syracuse University.

Once Sheridan applied for the Lynchburg job, things moved forwardly quickly. She heard back from Hillcats’ president Chris Jones within and hour of applying, and the job was hers just two days later. “After talking to [Chris] and other people in the Lynchburg organization it was clear that we were on the same page and had the same goals for the Hillcats’ future,” Sheridan says.

Sheridan’s time with Fayetteville acquainted her with the Carolina League and its people. She’s certain that helped her secure the position with the Hillcats. “I’ve been lucky enough to interact with some really humble and genuinely supportive people. They vouched for me and kept me going when it seemed unlikely I’d get a shot at a lead broadcasting position in baseball. It turns out networking is really just honest friendships built while talking about movies and eating ballpark nachos.”

But Fayetteville provided Sheridan with far more than connections. Her time there was her first year in professional baseball. By the end of the year she had called multiple games on her own, including the division title game. She says, “I walked into that job easily intimidated and not the most confident of a baseball broadcaster. I still have a ton to learn, but the growth was so evident from the first game to the last. Maybe the most important lesson I learned is to enjoy the moment and let yourself breathe every now and then.”

Sheridan credits multiple mentors with impacting her career so far.

She received a lot of encouragement from the people at ACC Network, especially from Syracuse University Football and Basketball Voice Matt Park. He helped Sheridan secure the UVM women’s basketball position. “Getting that gig also opened so many doors for me including a chance at the Fayetteville job.”

Sheridan has also learned a lot by listening to the games of some of her WAER classmates. In addition, she’s felt mentored from afar by the female broadcasters in Minor League Baseball. Their encouraging texts and broadcasting skills have pushed Sheridan to grow. “They inspire me to keep fighting in a so-called man’s world.”

(Visit Maura’s website).