Jake Lyman was named the voice of Virginia Tech women's basketball and baseball on Thursday, the school announced.
Lyman, a 2022 graduate of Tech's School of Communication, served as the voice of Vanderbilt women's basketball for the last four years. He fills the role previously held by Evan Hughes, who was elevated to the Hokies' director of broadcasting on Aug. 13.
"It means the world to return home to Virginia Tech as the voice of women's basketball and baseball," Lyman told Tech Sideline. "I have been a Hokie my entire life, but these two programs specifically played such a big role in my career. I really started as a broadcaster calling games in Cassell Coliseum and at English Field, so this is really a full-circle moment for me."
In his new role as the assistant director of broadcasting, Lyman will call all Tech women's basketball and baseball games. He'll also host Hokie Sports Insider, an all-encompassing podcast on the Virginia Tech Sports Network that features interviews with coaches and student-athletes. He'll broadcast select ACC Network Extra events, too.
"Jake Lyman is the epitome of what it means to be a Hokie, and we could not be more thrilled to bring him back to Virginia Tech," Hughes told Tech Sideline.
"From an on-air standpoint, he is as detailed as they come. He has an incredible ability to foster relationships, and that's been evident everywhere he's been, most recently at Vanderbilt. He's a total team player and can wear every hat. I cannot be any more excited for him, [his wife] Taitumn and both of their families."
Over four years in Nashville, Lyman was behind the mic for a Commodores team that reached new heights under head coach Shea Ralph. After a 12-19 (3-13 SEC) season in 2022-23, Vanderbilt made three consecutive NCAA Tournaments — spearheaded by two-time All-American Mikayla Blakes — and was 74-26 (30-18). In March, it advanced to the Sweet Sixteen for the first time in 17 years.
In addition to other Vanderbilt Sports Network duties, Lyman hosted a live sports-talk show, Next Man Up, on 102.5 The Game since August 2025. Throughout the three-hour show — 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. CT, Monday through Friday — he collaborated with a different co-host each day of the week to discuss local sports, including the Tennessee Titans and the Nashville Predators.
He also called select games for the Nashville Sounds, the Milwaukee Brewers' Triple-A affiliate, along with Middle Tennessee State, SEC Network+ and high school football for Friday Night Rivals on MyTV30.
"I'm so thankful for my time in Nashville," Lyman said. "I was able to work with a first-class program at Vanderbilt, improve as a broadcaster and learn so much about the world of college athletics. I also was able to expand my skills as a broadcaster.
"I never imagined being a sports-talk radio host, but had the opportunity to host a show for three hours every day, which has really prepared me for some of the roles I'll take on in Blacksburg."
Like Hughes, Lyman was part of the pipeline from Virginia Tech's Sports Media & Analytics program to the St. Cloud Rox, a collegiate summer league team in the Northwoods League. As the organization's director of broadcasting in 2021 and 2022, he called 145 games on the radio while running social media and handling other media relations tasks.
In his time at Virginia Tech, Lyman was a Swiss Army knife. He called games for ACC Network Extra and 3304 Sports, the latter of which he helped found — and was the organization's second sports director.
He also played an integral role at Tech Sideline. The Aldie, Va., native wrote about Hokies football, men's basketball, women's basketball, wrestling, Olympic Sports and transcribed Tech Talk Live before becoming the host of the TSL Podcast.
From 2019 to 2022, he hosted 54 episodes, from wrestling head coach Tony Robie (episode 90) to football's season-opening win over North Carolina in 2021 (episode 188) and men's basketball winning the 2022 ACC Tournament (episode 229).
In 2021-22, he was the very first winner of the Tech Sideline Endowed Scholarship for Sports Journalism in Virginia Tech's School of Communication.
Jake and his wife, Taitumn — a 2021 graduate of Virginia Tech's Pamplin College of Business — will reside in Blacksburg.
Lyman joins a Virginia Tech Sports Network team that includes Bill Roth, in his 32nd season as the voice of Hokies football and a professor of practice in the School of Communication; Mike Burnop, a Hall of Fame tight end at Tech who is in his 44th season as the football and men's basketball analyst; and Hughes, who called Hokies women's basketball and baseball for the last five years.
"I remember sitting with Jake and visiting with him when he was in high school in Northern Virginia," Roth told Tech Sideline. "Talking about SMA and the opportunities that we had here. His dad [Tim] had gone here, but Jake could've gone to any school he wanted to, and he believed in what we were trying to build with SMA.
"Came in and made a great mark around our coaches as a student here, and the people at Vanderbilt loved him when he got that chance. Proud of him, and I'm really excited for him and Taitumn that they're going to come home."
Note from Tech Sideline Founder and General Manager Will Stewart:
We are so proud and pleased that Jake Lyman is returning to Blacksburg and taking on this role for Virginia Tech.
In his years with us at Tech Sideline, Jake was a true professional with a calm, positive demeanor, and he handled every task we gave him, from spending hours transcribing Tech Talk Live radio shows to hosting podcasts, even on short notice, with grace.
Jake has a broad base and a ton of experience calling various sports, and Hokie fans are going to love hearing Jake call Virginia Tech games. They're also going to love having him as part of Blacksburg and the surrounding community.
We here at Tech Sideline, and fans all across Hokie Nation, extend a warm welcome back to Jake and his wife, Taitumn.
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