Pac-12 Network had no announcers for baseball game’s final innings

UPDATE: The game’s announcer, Brian Webber, detailed what happened. He noted that he made Easter travel plans thinking he’d have an analyst for the game, which ended up not being the case. While Webber took “full responsibility” for the mistake, he said, “Given that tomorrow is the most important day of the year in my Faith, I was unwilling to miss my flight today and miss the chance to attend a sunrise Easter service with my Family.”

The entirety of his statement can be seen on Twitter/X.

Arizona defeated UCLA in a thrilling college baseball game on Saturday, winning 10-9 in 12 innings on a two-run homer from Mason White. Those with access to the Pac-12 Network might have seen that game — even if no announcers seemed to be on hand for the ending.

As the game went into the tenth inning, Eric Sondheimer of the Los Angeles Times noted that the announce booth seemed to be empty.

“On the Pac-12 network, for the UCLA vs. Arizona baseball game, the announcers have either left the booth for a hot dog in the 10th inning or their microphones don’t work,” Sondheimer tweeted. “It’s a mystery. Only crowd noise.”

This was not a temporary matter, either. It persisted as the two teams continued deeper into extra innings.

It continued through the end of the game and broadcast. There was no call to Smith’s game-winning two-run home run — only sounds made by people in the stadium. When the broadcast ended, there was music and a replay of Smith’s home run and shots of him rounding the bases. But again, nobody was there to sign off.

There was an announcer in the booth when UCLA tied the game in the ninth inning.

There’s definitely a nice element to hearing nothing but the sounds of the stadium. Still, it’s a little strange to have a game without an announcer for multiple innings without any explanation.

[Eric Sondheimer on Twitter/X, Photo Credit: Pac-12 Network]