CMU alumnus and Voice of the Chippewas makes MLB broadcasting debut

On a day when two former Central Michigan University baseball players made history by taking the field for the Detroit Tigers, another CMU alumnus, Adam Jaksa, made a lifelong dream come true: working as a play-by-play broadcaster for a Major League Baseball team.

“It was incredible to do play-by-play for an MLB game,” said Jaksa. “My goal is to be a TV or radio MLB broadcaster someday, so to get the experience was amazing.”

Jaksa has served as the Voice of the Chippewas since late 2019, providing radio play-by-play for the football and men’s basketball teams. In 2014 (the same year that he graduated from the School of Communication, Journalism and Media), Jaksa started handling television broadcasts on ESPN3/ESPN+ for various Chippewas sports, including basketball, wrestling, volleyball and gymnastics.

In 2019, Jaksa added another radio play-by-play duty to his busy slate: joining the Lansing Lugnuts, the minor league High-A affiliate of the Athletics (formerly the Oakland Athletics).

Jaksa says every broadcasting job he has had can be traced back to his early experience behind the mic working CMU games in 2011, when he arrived on campus as a student.

“CMU prepared me for my big moment because of all the opportunities the school has given me,” Jaksa said. “Central allows students to get on the air right away and call division one games. I would not be nearly as experienced and confident in my abilities without that.”

On June 26, Jaksa and his Lugnuts broadcasting partner, Jesse Goldberg-Strassler, visited Comerica Park for the Tigers-Athletics game. The pair annually make a trip to Detroit when the A’s are in town to reconnect with former Lugnuts players and catch up with the A’s broadcasting crew.

This day was extra special because two CMU baseball alumni, Zach McKinstry and Dietrich Enns, were in the lineup for the Tigers. McKinstry, now in his third season with Detroit, started the game at third base, while Enns made his Tigers debut as a starting pitcher—his first MLB appearance in nearly four years. It marked just the second time in franchise history that two CMU alumni appeared in the same game for the Tigers.

“Having the opportunity to call the game featuring Enns’ MLB comeback and McKinstry starting was unreal,” Jaksa said.  “It was a full circle moment that you can’t imagine happening.”

During McKinstry and Enns' time with CMU Baseball, Jaksa was the team’s radio broadcaster. So, before the Tigers-A’s game, Jaksa stopped by Detroit’s clubhouse to reconnect with McKinstry and meet Enns for the first time.

“We spent time reminiscing about our days at CMU, and all took a picture together,” Jaksa said. “It was so great to see them and catch up.”

Later, while visiting former Lugnuts players in the Athletics clubhouse, the A’s Director of Broadcasting invited Jaksa and Goldberg-Strassler to join A's broadcasters Johnny Doskow and Chris Caray in the team's radio booth. After sharing the booth during the first inning, Doskow and Caray then stepped aside, handing over the call to Jaksa and Goldberg-Strassler for the second and third innings.

“The first at-bat when I started my play-by-play, Spencer Torkelson hit a home run,” Jaksa said. “There was no easing into it with a ground ball or anything, it’s crazy how that works out.”

When their time on air was over, Jaksa and Goldberg-Strassler quickly left Comerica Park and returned to Lansing to broadcast the Lugnuts game that evening. Once home, the weight of the day sank in. Jaksa said he became emotional, reflecting on all he had accomplished while also thinking about his late father, Dave, who passed away in 2021 from Lewy Body Dementia.

“I grew to love sports because of him,” Jaksa said. “While watching games together at home, he would comment on the game and then many times, a few seconds later on the TV, the broadcasters would say the exact same thing that he had said. As a young kid, it was cool for me to witness that.”

Jaksa admitted he cried for 20 minutes straight that night. The joy of calling an MLB game and the sorrow of not being able to share it with his father overwhelmed him.

“My drive to be great is solely to make him proud,” Jaksa said. “I think he would have been thrilled and loved to have listened to me call that MLB game.”

For Jaksa, the milestone was more than just a career highlight—it was a reminder of the journey that began at CMU, shaped by family, mentors and countless hours behind the mic. While his father couldn’t be there to hear his Major League debut, Jaksa says every call he makes is with his dad in mind. With his voice now echoing in the same ballpark he’s always dreamed of broadcasting in, Jaksa carries both his CMU Chippewa pride and his father’s legacy with him—fueling the passion that will continue to drive his career forward.

“I’ll always be grateful to this university,” Jaksa said. “And it will forever be the place I cherish the most.” 

Notes: Catch Adam Jaksa all season long on the Central Michigan Chippewas Sports Network—presented by Fabiano Brothers—which can be accessed on the web nationally and internationally on www.cmuchippewas.com and on the 98.5 UPS website at this link and on the Black Diamond Broadcasting app. Radio affiliates include Mount Pleasant (98.5 FM/WUPS) and Grand Rapids (1230 AM/WTKG). 

Enns was designated for assignment and then traded to the Baltimore Orioles on July 31, 2025.