Marauders Hire Broadcaster for Upcoming Season

Thomas Zinzarella is well-qualified to broadcast Bradenton Marauders’ games this season. Just as ball players work to improve their game in the minor leagues to advance to the next level on their way to the major leagues, so do broadcasters.

One glance at Zinzarella’s LinkedIn account makes clear that the Connecticut native is ready to deliver all the swings and pitchers made during the Pittsburgh Pirates’ Single-A affiliate’s 2024 season.

The Biloxi Shuckers of the Double-A Southern League, the New York Yankees’ High-A club Hudson Valley (NY) Renegades last season, and Billings (MT) Mustangs of the then unaffiliated Pioneer League in 2021 have all been stops along Zinzarella’s journey, which he hopes delivers an MLB gig someday.

Baseball and radio have always gone hand in hand when it comes to Zinzarella’s choice of following a ball game.

“I grew up to be a Boston Red Sox fan. David Ortiz, Dustin Pedroia, these were my favorites. Joe Mauer was my idol,” Zinzarella said recently before a Pirates’ spring training game at LECOM Park. “I loved to listen to Joe Castiglione call Red Sox games on WEEI 850 AM.”

Growing up in an area where Red Sox, Yankees, and New York Mets’ broadcasts were available, Zinzarella was never short on material to learn by for him to pursue the career he’s always wanted. From the age of six, when he was listening to baseball on the radio with his grandmother, Zinzarella was working on his game by osmosis.

When it comes to the Pirates organization, going back several years, when Russell Martin, Neil Walker, Jason Kendall, and a young Andrew McCutchen were commanding headlines in Pittsburgh sports media, Zinzarella keenly studied their performances.

With his excitement about following players and teams through box scores and game highlights and his can-do attitude about learning all that he could about the Florida State League prior to the Marauders’ home opener on Friday, April 5, at 6:05 PM with the Clearwater Threshers, Zinzarella has proven just how serious he is about a career as a baseball broadcaster by accepting the announcing position with Billings.

The Pioneer League offers an exhausting travel schedule. From Wednesday through Sunday, road trips for the Mustangs took Zinzarella and the team bus on incredibly long trips. When visiting the Boise (ID) Hawks, that took 615 miles – one way. A road trip with the Ogden (UT) Raptors meant a 1,000-mile round-trip ride.

Also, the 2021 season for Zinzarella required, when the team was bussing it to play the Grand Junction (CO) Jackalopes at Suplizio Field, 10 hours there and 10 hours back to Billings.

This is called paying your dues in the industry. Learning from being on the road, working at different levels of baseball organizations, plus taking what he’s learned in sports media at Providence College, Zinzarella clearly has the chops to be a real good baseball buddy to the Bradenton faithful.

Along with being the public’s eyes and ears to the Marauders, Zinzarella will also be responsible for the team’s media relations requests. Game notes, press releases, when the club has news to report, Zinzarella will be the conduit for the public.

On the job in Bradenton since February 1, Zinzarella has acclimated himself to all corners of LECOM Park; press box, clubhouse, concession stands, and the layout of seating. The new guy in town for the Marauders is quickly becoming one of the locals.