Melanie Lynne Newman (born May 27, 1991) is an American radio and television play-by-play broadcaster for the Baltimore Orioles of Major League Baseball (MLB) and previously did national Friday Night Baseball broadcasts on Apple TV+. She is the first woman to be a play-by-play announcer for the Orioles and one of only four female play-by-play broadcasters active in MLB.
Career
Newman began her broadcasting career while as a student at Troy University,[2] where she majored in broadcast journalism.[3] She was the play-by-play announcer for Troy's volleyball team, as well as calling baseball and softball games as a student.[3] She graduated in 2013.[3]
She called games in Minor League Baseball for several years, including at High-A and Double-A.[4] Newman worked as a sideline reporter for Fox Sports Southwest and served as play-by-play announcer for the Frisco RoughRiders.[5] In 2019, she joined Suzie Cool as part of the first all-female broadcast team in professional baseball when she served as play-by-play broadcaster for the Salem Red Sox.[6]
In 2020, the Orioles announced that Newman had joined their broadcast team.[7] The COVID-19 pandemic delayed the start of the MLB season, and so she made her debut on August 4, 2020, becoming the first woman to ever call a regular-season Orioles game when she was part of the radio broadcast team.[8] Newman also served as a sideline reporter and a studio host for Orioles' television broadcasts.[9] On July 20, 2021, Newman was the play-by-play announcer as part of the first all-female broadcast team, who called the Baltimore Orioles vs. Tampa Bay Rays game for YouTube.[10]
On September 29, 2021, Newman teamed with Jessica Mendoza to call a game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres for ESPN.[11] It marked the first time that an all-female broadcast team called a nationally televised Major League Baseball game.
