Williamsport Crosscutters broadcaster Ian Catherine calls the game between the Cutters and Scrappers of the at Bowman Field. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette

To many, the play-by-play broadcaster is one of the fabrics of baseball. From the greats at the Major League level to the stalwarts in the press box of a local ballclub, the voice of a team can provide an air of familiarity in a world that grows more unfamiliar by the day.

For fans of the Williamsport Crosscutters their voice — as familiar and bombastic as it was when he started over a decade ago — can always be seen on the left side of the press box at Bowman Field before, during, and after Cutter fixtures.

But even if you haven’t seen him, you most certainly have heard him. Just before the starting lineup gets announced this season at Bowman, a MLB Draft League promo concludes with an emphatic saying: “The Williamsport Crosscutters are the 2024 MLB Draft League Champions.”

That voice is one Ian Catherine, who’s irreplaceable inflection and passion gets heard for Cutters fans before every home game..

And so it was Catherine who, when the final pitch was thrown to clinch the 2024 title, spoke the unforgettable words as Williamsport lifted their first banner of the MLB Draft League era.

“It’s surreal,” admitted Catherine. “To know the passion that our fans have and this city has for the game of baseball, to finally be able to hang a banner and the cumulative success … it was awesome. And to have a little piece of it as a broadcaster was what made it even better.”

Before the champagne was popped and the banner was brandished, Catherine was just a Little League player when the inspiration of talking on the air came about.

“I remember when I was playing in Newberry Little League, my dad and I were working on the field and he made a comment: ‘You know you can get paid to talk about sports,'” remembered Catherine. “I was just flabbergasted by that, I was like ‘You got to be kidding me?’ Right then and there I started to pursue it.”

And that is how Catherine received his first gig, doing a public address announcing for Newberry Little League.

In the meantime, Catherine would hold Bowman Field close to his heart. With poor Internet access in his home, the voice of the Cutters would be found spending his summers at the ballpark, with his first job in college being a beer vendor for the stadium.

In the following years and with the tutelage of some of the best announcers in the area, Catherine has built a reputation as the sports guy for all things Williamsport. From his association with Backyard Broadcasting to doing athletics for Lycoming College, it would be harder not to hear Catherine’s voice if you are a sports fan in the area.

But walking into his room at Bowman Field and hearing his excitement and nuance on the Cutters, and it is clear that Bowman seems to be his favorite. If not his expressions then his set up, whether it be the notebook’s worth of notes for the day, the baseball to his right that reads his famous phrase “That ball is Lum-ber-jacked,” or the countless talking points surrounding his set up, might give it away.

That is because Catherine represents everything that makes baseball play-by-play special: It is not the milquetoast action but the environment and community that makes the sport unique from all others.

And Catherine, who’s been the voice of the Cutters since 2013, has had a front row seat to it all perched in the press box.

“I’ve watched families grow up from up here,” chuckled Catherine. “They probably have no idea who I am and I don’t know who they are, but I’ve watched them every summer. These things progress, and it is awesome.”

What stands out most in hearing Catherine’s play-by-play style is his polished approach to the action. Even though Catherine is part of a video broadcast, his broadcasting is practically in a radio format with details such as approaches to the ball, styles of the pitch, and overall step by step process being portrayed by Catherine despite it being a visual show.

“My dad talked about being a baseball broadcaster, especially on the radio side, you are painting a picture … you are trying to be as descriptive as possible, but in flow with it. So I’ve taken that to heart,” Catherine said. “With the added portion of video, I know you don’t have to be descriptive as more people can see it, but I still like to, just for my own sake, be descriptive. … I like to add that radio aspect to the video broadcast as well. It keeps it fresh. Keeps it lively.”

From the ticker tapes of 2024, the same will not hold true in their title defense. With two games left in the season, Williamsport failed to clinch a spot in Thursday’s MLB Draft League championship. It will be the second time in three years that Williamsport fails to finish above .500.

And yet, for Monday’s Labor Day game in which many including Catherine have off from their day jobs, the voice of the Cutters can be seen hours before first pitch tuning up notes and getting another broadcast set up.

Even if the game can be seen by some as meaningless, that couldn’t be further from the truth for Catherine.

“These guys are auditioning for potentially another job next year,” discussed Catherine. “They are trying to get a contract for affiliated ball over the winter, maybe a contract for independent ball for next year … so I stay enthusiastic and passionate about what they are doing.”

Catherine will conclude another year as the voice of the Crosscutters on Wednesday, with Williamsport hosting the State College Spikes for the final two games of the season before eyeing on 2026.

But best believe, whether it is for the first game of the season or the last, Crosscutter fans can take solace in the fact that Catherine will be there to narrate every twist and turn that the next season has to offer.

“There are so many ways to watch the game of baseball,” concluded Catherine. “There is a lot of content out there. But to have a sole voice, a familiar voice with a particular team, it helps extremely well.”