Athletics is an important part of Mercer — it has several Division One sports teams, including football, basketball, lacrosse, golf and soccer. For fans who can’t make it to the games, several of these sports are broadcasted on Entertainment and Sports Programming Network Plus through a partnership with ESPN3 and Mercer Athletics.
ESPN3 has partnered with Mercer since 2014. They began only covering football and men’s and women’s basketball games, but have since expanded to include men’s and women’s soccer, volleyball, baseball, softball and men’s and women’s lacrosse.
A new director and graduate assistant have joined the staff for the 2019-2020 school year. Benjamin Murray has been the director of Mercer ESPN3 since July.
“I basically just oversee the day-to-day stuff, and put the crews together, and make sure the equipment is all good,” Murray said. “I’m really the only full-time person… it’s basically all students.”
Murray is originally from outside of Chicago, Illinois, and graduated from West Virginia University with a Bachelor’s in broadcast journalism. While at WVU, Murray worked at the student radio station and covered many game days and handled video board, camera and streaming responsibilities. He recently obtained his master’s degree from the University of Cincinnati, where he was a graduate assistant for their digital media and marketing department.
“We have a lot of students who are willing to help and a lot of students who are (really) good at what they do,” Murray said. “Especially this (past) football game, they all did a really good job… any student who wants to participate and help out can do it.”
Clare Reverri is a junior journalism major, and she’s been working with ESPN since she was a freshman.
“Last semester, we were without a boss, so Ben is literally a lifesaver,” Reverri said. “There is a lot to learn about the program and broadcast in general, and Ben is working really hard and learning a lot … he is a great boss, and I am so grateful we have him.”
Select games are available to watch on ESPN3, ESPN+ and on the SoCon digital network.
Samantha Homcy ‘23 is a junior at Mercer majoring in journalism and criminal justice. She has been working at The Cluster since her freshman year and served as Social Media Co-Manager during the spring 2021 semester. She is currently a practicum intern with WMAZ-TV. In her free time she enjoys music, community service, watching TV and finding new ways to get involved on Mercer’s campus.
