Evan Hughes, the host of the Tech Sideline Podcast and an integral part of the organization’s operation for three years, has accepted a job as the Voice of Virginia Tech women’s basketball and baseball.
Hughes joined Tech Sideline in August of 2018 and hosted 144 episodes of the TSL Podcast, from Episode 40: "The Relaunch" to Episode 184 with Virginia Tech football head coach Justin Fuente. Hughes led insightful conversations about Hokies football's overtime win over UVa, Mekhi Lewis's National Championship, Tech basketball's run to the Sweet 16, the epic six-overtime win over UNC and all topics in between.
The Rockville, Va. native graduated from Virginia Tech’s School of Communications in May with a B.A. in Multimedia Journalism. Hughes also won the 2021 Jim Nantz Award in May, an accolade presented to the top collegiate broadcaster in the country by the Sportscasters Talent Agency of America.
As a student, Hughes was essential in founding 3304 Sports, the multimedia online platform for student sports journalism at Virginia Tech. He was the organization’s Sports Director for two years and provided students with countless of broadcasting and writing opportunities.
As a freshman in 2018, Hughes was the Voice of Tech softball, which included hosting a monthly Tech Softball Podcast with then-head coach Scott Thomas. He's continued hosting that podcast with current head coach Pete D’Amour over the past few years. In addition to those responsibilities, Hughes broadcasted games on ACC Network Extra as a play-by-play voice and as a sideline reporter.
Away from Blacksburg, Hughes was the Voice of the St. Cloud Rox in St. Cloud, Minn. for three seasons, where he was named the 2018 Northwoods League Broadcaster of the Year. He called 186 games in his time as a Minnesota resident.
In his new role as the Assistant Director of Broadcast Services at Virginia Tech, Hughes will call all women’s basketball and baseball games while continuing to broadcast events on ACC Network Extra. He will also host Hokie Sports Insider, a Virginia Tech Sports Network podcast that will focus on all Tech sports. He will be joined weekly by Hokies coaches and student-athletes. The podcast will be available for download on Wednesdays.
"I'd like to thank Will and Chris for giving me so many opportunities at Tech Sideline over the years," Hughes said. "I am not the broadcaster I am today if it weren't for my time at Tech Sideline. I can't wait to continue to listen to the podcast and I can't thank the Tech Sideline fanbase enough for supporting the podcast like they have over the past few years."
Note from Tech Sideline founder Will Stewart:
It’s a bittersweet day here at Tech Sideline. We are beyond excited for Evan Hughes, who has the talent and has worked hard to develop himself and earn this opportunity. He’s going to do a great job, and we are thrilled that he is staying here in the Virginia Tech community. But we’re losing our podcast host, an immense talent who helped grow the Tech Sideline Podcast into what it is today.
Evan will not just succeed in this new role, he will thrive. Yes, Evan is a talented play-by-play announcer, but he’s also a great person, a continual fount of energy and positivity that benefits any place he chooses to call home. We’ve always thought that being a play-by-play guy who jets in, calls a game, and then jets out – while Evan would be good at that – isn’t where his true value lies. His true value lies in what he brings to a community over time, in the relationships he builds, and the effect he has on people.
It begins with Evan’s parents, his mother Lynne and his father Kelly. They run Comfort Zone Camp, a nonprofit bereavement organization that transforms the lives of children who have experienced the death of a significant person in their life. Evan grew up watching Lynne and Kelly help others, and he grew up watching them make a difference in the lives of many. So for Evan, it comes naturally to be out front and be a positive force in the world.
It’s those qualities that will make him great at this new opportunity he’s earned. We’ll miss him at Tech Sideline, but he has left us in much better shape than he found us, and that’s all you can ask.
Virginia Tech is allowing Evan to do one more podcast with us, and we have scheduled it for the morning of Tuesday, August 3rd, at 9:30 AM. We won’t just be saying goodbye to Evan; we’ll also be saying farewell to our long-time producer (and someone I know well), Malcolm Stewart. Watch it live on our YouTube channel, and we’ll see you then!