I had to move quickly to catch them at their last practice before they left for South Carolina. My plan was to film as much B roll as possible this day since the team wouldn’t be back in town for 5 days (you can NEVER have too much B roll). I also got the chance to talk with WVU Baseball’s SID, Joe Mitchin, who let me know which players to keep my eye on, and some inside information about the tournament that weekend. After two hours of baseball practice I headed home to start writing a pre script for my story. A key factor in making sure your packages come together how you envision them, is to plan ahead.I knew it would be hard to catch an interview with Coach Mazey since the team was away, but thankfully after talking with Joe, we were able to schedule a zoom call. After I talked to Coach Mazey and watched the team’s performance at their tournamentI was able to perfect my script and I decided I needed an interview with a standout player. Freshman pitcher Chris Sleeper had started his first ever collegiate game by pitching five scoreless innings over the weekend so I immediately got in contact withJoe once again. Luckily he was able to find a time for me to come back to the Ballpark and interview Chris. I had a great time talking to Chris during our interviews. I could tell he was a bit nervous, being thrust into the limelight with this stellar career opening performance, but we took the time to chat off camera to break the ice. After setting him up to look his best with correct lighting and framing, he nailed his interview and I was able to get some great quotes. 

We also got the chance to go Live on Facebook where I made sure to use my selfie stick and make Professor Dahlia proud. This was my first time doing a live interview and it went perfectly. In addition to my package, I was also able to anchor our sports segment for the second time. After blocking my script and rehearsing it a few times, I felt confident and ready to tape the show! I really focused on keeping my energy up throughout our three hour taping window. Sports can be a positive outlet for people to enjoy during times of distress, and since the sport package ran after some serious news topics, I really wanted to bring the excitement.I am very happy to be able to highlight positivity in our community and tell the stories of our student athletes. The baseball team did great this weekend and I can’t wait to see them progress further this season.