Tricia Whitaker
Tricia Whitaker reports from Major League Baseball dugouts for Apple TV+'s Friday Night Baseball and spent six seasons covering the Tampa Bay Rays on television. Her work spans national broadcasts and college classrooms. Born in Bloomington, Indiana, she also lectures in sports media storytelling at Indiana University.
Early broadcasting in Green Bay and Indianapolis
Whitaker grew up in Bloomington, Indiana, watching Indiana University basketball and following the Chicago Cubs. At Indiana University, she joined the Media School and started out shooting tennis matches for student television. She quickly earned an audition for Hoosier Sports Nite. From there, she covered Hoosier football and basketball, and secured internships with the Indiana Pacers and Indianapolis station WTHR-TV. She graduated in 2012.
Her professional career started in January 2013 at ABC affiliate WBAY-TV in Green Bay, Wisconsin. She spent two seasons covering the Green Bay Packers and local prep sports. In late 2014, Whitaker returned to Indiana to join CBS affiliate WTTV and Fox affiliate WXIN in Indianapolis. The move brought her back home. Over four years there, she covered the Indianapolis 500, the Pacers, and the sudden retirement of Colts quarterback Andrew Luck.
Tampa Bay Rays and national broadcasts
In late 2018, Whitaker applied for an open sideline reporter position with the Tampa Bay Rays. After a two-month audition process, she was hired ahead of the 2019 Major League Baseball season. She spent six seasons with the team on Bally Sports Sun and Bally Sports Florida, covering regular-season games, spring training, and five consecutive postseason appearances. During the 2020 season, she covered the team's run to the World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Whitaker branched out to national baseball broadcasts in 2022, joining Apple TV+ as a sideline reporter for Friday Night Baseball. She teamed on the broadcast crew with play-by-play announcer Alex Faust and analyst Ryan Spilborghs. Outside live telecasts, she launched the podcast Sideline Stories, co-hosting alongside former Indiana basketball player Sydney Parrish.
Teaching at the Indiana University Media School
Whitaker began teaching as an adjunct instructor at Indiana University's Media School in 2016. She returned to Bloomington between baseball seasons. Balancing classroom duties with live television became a regular routine. She later became a lecturer, designing courses in sports video storytelling and digital media reporting for students entering sports journalism.
Quick facts
- Whitaker grew up in Bloomington, Indiana, as a fan of Indiana University basketball and the Chicago Cubs.
- Her first student broadcasting assignment at Indiana University was shooting a tennis match for the campus television station.
- She interned with the Indiana Pacers and Indianapolis television station WTHR-TV while attending college.
- Her first professional television position was covering the Green Bay Packers for WBAY-TV in Wisconsin starting in January 2013.
- She covered the Indianapolis Colts, Indiana Pacers, and the Indianapolis 500 while working for WTTV and WXIN from 2014 to 2018.
- She spent six seasons as the television sideline reporter for the Tampa Bay Rays on Bally Sports, covering five consecutive postseason appearances.
- In 2019, Whitaker fractured her right foot after tripping on an uneven curb following a Rays charity fashion event.
- She reported from the sidelines during the Tampa Bay Rays' run to the 2020 World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
- She joined Apple TV+ in 2022 as a national sideline reporter for Friday Night Baseball alongside Alex Faust and Ryan Spilborghs.
- Whitaker serves as a lecturer at the Indiana University Media School, teaching sports video storytelling.
- She co-hosts the sports podcast Sideline Stories with former Indiana University basketball player Sydney Parrish.
FAQs about Tricia Whitaker
Where was Tricia Whitaker born?
Tricia Whitaker was born in Bloomington, Indiana.
How tall is Tricia Whitaker?
Tricia Whitaker is 5 feet 6 inches (168 cm) tall.
Where did Tricia Whitaker go to college?
She attended Indiana University Bloomington, graduating in 2012 from the Media School.
What teams has Tricia Whitaker covered?
She covered the Green Bay Packers for WBAY-TV, the Indianapolis Colts and Indiana Pacers for WTTV and WXIN, and the Tampa Bay Rays for Bally Sports.
What does Tricia Whitaker teach at Indiana University?
She teaches courses focused on sports video storytelling and digital media reporting at the IU Media School.
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