The San Diego Padres will have a new voice leading pre- and post-game coverage on their radio flagship broadcasts this season. The team announced on Monday that Sam Levitt will be the studio hosts for Padres games on 97.3 The Fan (KWFN-FM).
“I’m incredibly excited to join 97.3 The Fan and the Padres Radio Network,” Levitt said in an official release from Audacy.
“Since I started broadcasting baseball as a college student and throughout my time in the minors, it’s remained my goal to be part of a Major League broadcast team. I’m extremely grateful to both 97.3 The Fan and the Padres organization for believing in me. I look forward to covering a team that has World Series aspirations, while interacting with San Diego’s outstanding fanbase on radio, social media and beyond.”
Jesse Agler will continue as the Padres’ lead radio play-by-play voice alongside analyst Tony Gwynn Jr. Don Orsillo and Mark Grant call the TV broadcasts for Bally Sports San Diego, and Eduardo Ortega and Carlos Hernandez call Spanish-language broadcasts on XEMO (860-AM) and Fox Deportes.
Levitt has been the play-by-play broadcaster and director of broadcasting for the Amarillo Sod Poodles, the Double-A minor league affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks. He’s worked in that role since 2019, the inaugural season for the Sod Poodles. His performance earned him Ballpark Digest’s 2021 Minor League Broadcaster of the Year award.
In addition to experience calling minor league baseball for the Corpus Christi Hooks and Gateway Grizzlies, Levitt has hosted Loyola Chicago men’s basketball pregame, halftime, and postgame coverage for Learfield IMG College. He’s also called play-by-play on Big Ten Network, NBC Sports, and ESPN+.
Levitt is also active on social media, something that’s increasingly important in engaging fans and reaching younger audiences. He currently has more than 375,000 followers on Tik Tok, most recently taking fans behind the scenes with his college basketball work during March Madness.
“We could not be prouder of Sam and all that he has done for the Sod Poodles organization,” said Amarillo team president and general manager Tony Ensor. “He has played an integral part of making the Sod Poodles one of the most recognized and highly regarded brands in all Minor League Baseball.
“We have no doubt that he will do the same for the San Diego Padres organization once again. He has helped lay the groundwork for the best broadcast in MiLB to continue here in Amarillo for years to come.”
Ian Casselberry is a sports media columnist for BSM. He has previously written and edited for Awful Announcing, The Comeback, Sports Illustrated, Yahoo Sports, MLive, Bleacher Report, and SB Nation. You can find him on Twitter @iancass or reach him by email at iancass@gmail.com.
