Luke Henne's Adventure to the Sports Media World

Seneca Valley Alumnus Luke Henne visited the AT&T Sports Network Studio in Pittsburgh back on February 6, 2020.

SOURCE: (Instagram, @luke_henne76)

Someday, you might be watching a Pittsburgh Pirates game on AT&T Sports Network, and hear a guy named Luke Henne announcing the play-by-play... For now, all Pirates fans will continue to listen to Greg Brown and Joe Block announce the play-by-play for Pirates games on either television or radio. As Brown and Block will continue announcing for the Pirates, Luke Henne will continue to try to get a bachelor's degree in Sports Information and Media at Duquesne University.

Luke Henne, from Cranberry Township, PA, graduated from Seneca Valley in 2019, and is considered an avid sports fan that remembers almost every sporting event that he has gone too. His family and friends will tell you that his passion for sports is very strong.

"I have loved sports from a young age," Henne said.

The fact that he started playing sports and attending sporting events at a young age helped him love sports and he still does to this day. Luke's dad has helped him love sports and sports have helped Luke get through hard times in his life.

"I started playing baseball when I was five and hockey when I was six," Henne said. "I fell in love with going to games, too. I went to my first Pirates game when I was two and my first Penguins game when I was six. My dad played college football (at Slippery Rock), so I have always grown up around a love for sports. I have also learned, over the years, that sports are almost always there for you. Obviously, that is not the case right now with the pandemic. However, in normal times, sports are there for you to pick you up when you need them the most. Sports saved me during some of the darkest moments of my life, and they really give you a reason to get up every day with pride, passion and a love for something that will never be taken away from you."

Luke has been a part of multiple sports organizations in his life and has learned what working with others is like. However, has Luke got older, a specific moment happened in his life that made him realize that he wanted to start focusing more of his goal of getting a job in the sports media business.

"I played baseball and hockey, both from a very young age. I played baseball in the in-house league for the Cranberry Township Athletic Association from 2006 to 2019. I played ice hockey from 2008-2017. I played club ice hockey for the North Pittsburgh Wildcats from 2008-2014. From 2014-2017, I played on middle school and junior varsity teams for Seneca Valley. I tried out for the 2017-2018 season, but after an unsuccessful tryout, I decided it was time to stop playing hockey and fully focus my commitment on academics," Henne said.

With Luke's love of sports and some events that have happened to him as a child, he knew that he wanted to get into the field of covering sports for a living.

"Well, I was always told I would be a great broadcaster, but I did not really buy it," Henne said. "I participated in a tryout for the Pittsburgh Penguins Jr. Announcer Program when I was nine, and I did a simulated postgame show in the ROOT Sports booth at PiratesFest when I was 11. I was still shaky as to if this what I wanted to do because I loved sports, but I was not 100% confident in my abilities. Then, thanks to my sister, I got to announce an inning of Pirates batters in the regular season finale vs the Milwaukee Brewers in 2014. To announce in front of a sold-out crowd of nearly 40,000 people made me realize that this is a pretty cool thing. When you think about opportunities like that, combined with the fact that you have people telling you how talented you are, it gives you a huge boost, and that really did it for me."

So, specific moments have helped Henne realize that he wants to get into the sports media business. But you all might be wondering what his dream job would be.

"I would love to step right into the booth at PNC Park to fill the seat of Greg Brown or Joe Block on the air for the Pittsburgh Pirates," Henne said. "Obviously, it does not work that easy. I know it is very realistic that it will take many years before I find my way into the major leagues. It's all about being patient and taking every opportunity you get. If I have to call games for 10 years in Salisbury, Maryland or Bristol, Virginia, I will be more than happy to do it if it means I get to become a Major League announcer. I just want to get in the booth and to work, doing the one thing I love...talking about baseball."

Henne is willing to trust the process and be patient in order to become an announcer for an MLB team. Now, Henne is focusing on the skills that he can improve on in his communication, writing, and other mechanics. During his time at Seneca Valley, he took some courses that helped strengthen his writing and regrets other opportunities that he could have taken to strengthen his broadcasting skills during his time in high school.

"Seneca Valley offered a video production course, in addition to having the SVTV network for morning announcements. Unfortunately, I never joined the network, putting me somewhat behind in terms of experience," Henne said. "On the writing end, I took an introduction to journalism course during my freshman year. I began writing for the Seneca Scout [Seneca Valley's newspaper] during my sophomore year and continued through my graduation. I served as the paper's junior editor in 2017-2018 and the senior editor in 2018-2019. I think it is safe to say that during my time at Seneca Valley, I emphasized my writing over my broadcasting."

Even though Henne was never a member of Seneca Valley Television, he was able to make up for it by going to a Sports Announcing and Sports Journalism camp in 2017 at Waynesburg University. Henne's experiences at the camp taught him a lot about sports media, and perhaps it taught him more than Seneca Valley Television would have ever taught him. You never know though.

"That was a great camp," Henne said. "Mr. Lanny Frattare [Former Pittsburgh Pirates Announcer and current Waynesburg University professor] is as professional and as classy as they come. Even years after I attended the camp, he stayed in contact with me to see how I was doing...I can't say enough about what a great individual he is. As for the camp, I enjoyed interviewing Mr. Frattare on the radio network and conducting an on-air report in the studio. In terms of what I learned, when recording a university advertisement with Emily Bennett (a camp counselor), she told me that I was speaking very quickly, and it made me seem like I was rushing. That was a very bad habit that I had. It still pops up at times, but I have done a lot to correct it, and I think having confidence makes you talk at a more relaxed pace, so credit to her for helping me with that flaw."

Henne, who will be a sophomore in the fall at Duquesne University, realized in his senior year of high school that he wanted to attend Duquesne as he felt attending the university would be the right situation for him to work harder to fulfill his dreams.

"I considered three schools: Duquesne University, Waynesburg University and the University of Maryland. I respected the program at Waynesburg, but the lack of proximity to a big city directed me away from there. I absolutely loved Maryland and the fact that I would be so close to D.C., but, for one, it was too far from home for me. Also, the fact that they only had a major in journalism (and no type of sports media major) made me second guess potentially going there. Then, I looked at Duquesne and they had everything. I met with Robert Healy III (the head director of the Sports Information and Media department) and I knew that is where I wanted to be. A chance to broadcast/write about Division I sports, combined with the fact that I would be living in the city (near all the stadiums and arenas) and the fact that I was still very close to home, made the decision a no-brainer for me."

As Henne is now finished with his freshman year at Duquesne, he has enjoyed the opportunities that he has had to become a better broadcaster and writer and is excited for new opportunities in the future.

"As soon as I could, I joined the Duquesne Student Television network. I conducted broadcasts and studio reports for the university's basketball team during their successful 2019-2020 season," Henne said. "I also joined The Duquesne Duke newspaper just prior to the pandemic, so I did not get the chance to write any articles. If the upcoming athletic season does take place, I have been given the opportunity to broadcast men's/women's soccer and volleyball games on ESPN+. Also, during the quarantine, I did something I should have done a long time ago in starting my own website. It has become my new favorite thing. I update it frequently with interviews from local college/professional athletes and general sports news. If you enjoy what you do, you don't work at all. For me, it doesn't even feel like work because I look forward to writing articles on a very consistent basis."

With all the opportunities and experiences that Henne has had, you could say that he has had a great start in pursuing his dream of being an MLB announcer. He's even done a great job contacting and meeting with notable people in the sports media field such as Mark Kaboly, Lanny Frattare, Paul Steigerwald, John Steigerwald, Bill Hillgrove and others. He even had lunch with current Pirates announcer Greg Brown back in January.

"I have been very fortunate to have met some very prominent people within the field, but one sticks out to me the most," Henne said. "This past January, I got in contact with Greg Brown and met him for lunch in downtown Pittsburgh. We sat and talked for nearly an hour. Having a wide network of connections, such as himself, is as important of a quality to have within this field. The main things that stuck out to me during that conversation was the blatant enthusiasm and pure love that Mr. Brown has for his job and the idea of taking any opportunity possible. When Brown started out, he served as the Pirate Parrot on some occasions. He also did work in the minor league city in Buffalo. Multiple times, he emphasized the importance of taking an opportunity wherever it presents itself. No experience in this field is a bad experience. That will always stick with me, especially coming from someone as successful as Mr. Brown."

For anyone that wants a job in the sports media business, the advice that Mr. Brown gave to Luke, is advice that can be helpful to anyone that wants to achieve in the business.

Now, with all the sporting events that Luke has ever been to, you might wonder what was the most fun sporting event that Henne ever attended.

The 2013 NL Wild Card Game [between the Cincinnati Reds and Pittsburgh Pirates] was my favorite sporting event," Henne said. "I truly don't think any game will ever top that one. I waited my whole life, through years of frustration and failure, to see the Pirates in the postseason. I couldn't focus in school that day, or at my weekly church study course earlier in the evening. I don't think I've ever seen an atmosphere as surreal as that one, and I don't think an atmosphere has ever directly correlated with the game's outcome as much as that one did. I got to the stadium at 6:15 for an 8:05 start because I wanted to soak it all in. After Marlon Byrd's home run, given the show the crowd was putting on, I felt really good. Of course, I looked down for the split second in which Johnny Cueto dropped the ball. But when I saw him pick it up and proceed to give up the homerun to Russell Martin, I don't think my jaw has ever dropped like it did in that moment. It's literally storybook type stuff. To get to spend the final inning of the victory with my parents, who had just started dating and cried themselves to sleep during Game 7 of the 1992 NLCS, was just unbelievable. I knew how much it meant to the 13-year old me, but I knew it was just as important to my parents, who had not seen a Pirates playoff game since that miserable night 21 years earlier."

Henne has gone to hundreds of sporting events since that 2013 National League Wild Card game. The more sporting events that he has gone to, it has strengthened his relationship with his family and friends. However, more recently, he has learned to balance the amount of sporting events that he attends.

"Sports are what bond my brother, Brendan, and I together more than anything. Traveling for sporting events of any kind has made our relationship as strong as any I've ever seen between two siblings, Henne said. "However, I've made mistakes with sports that have cost me. At times, I've put them over people in my life, and it's nearly cost me on many occasions. I've learned that sports, like everything in life, needs a balance. It's okay if I miss one Pirates game if it means I can make a memory elsewhere. For the most part, sports are an integral part of my bonding with anyone, but specifically family members like my brother."

The last time that Henne was at a sporting event was on March 10th when Saint Francis University faced Robert Morris University in the Northeast Conference (NEC) Men's Basketball Tournament at the UPMC Events Center in Moon Township, PA. Robert Morris would win the game by a score of 77-67 as the Colonials earned their ninth NEC title in program history. The Colonials would have played in the 2020 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball tournament if it had not been for the COVID-19 pandemic. Anyway, since that day, Henne has not been to another professional or collegiate sporting event. The next day he attends a sporting event, you could say he is going to be filled with many emotions.

"It's gonna be unreal [the next time that Henne attends a sporting event]. I don't know when it's going to be, but I'll cry like a baby," Henne said. "Sports are my DNA. The last sporting event I attended, which was Robert Morris' NEC Tournament championship on March 10, was about as good of a game as you can go out on. Obviously, I didn't know that that would be my last game for four months (and counting), but it was a very good one. In the off chance that the Pirates make the playoffs, maybe COVID-19 will clear up and Major League Baseball will allow fans for the postseason. That would be about as magical of a return to stadiums as possible. Witnessing the Pirates in the playoffs and attending my first sporting event in what would be about seven months would be something I never forget. Regardless of where it is, I will cry. Sports mean everything to me, and it's really hard to not have them around at the drop of a hat. Whenever the time comes, I'll be ready right away."

Brentaro Yamane: bkyamane@gmail.com and Twitter/Instagram @BYHilton13