— Walking into State Mutual Stadium for the first time as a 13-year-old, a wideeyed Ben Poplin never imagined he’d be back in the same ballpark as an adult, living out his dream as the voice of the Rome Braves.
A baseball-loving Atlanta Braves fan, Poplin grew up in West Rome and attended Rome High. He was the typical hometown kid growing up: listening to Skip Caray’s eccentric voice over the Braves’ broadcasts, watching the Atlanta-based team play on television and playing little league baseball.
While he enjoyed playing the game, Poplin developed a passion for the commentary alongside baseball at a young age.
“After elementary school every day, I would get a plastic pipe and a ball and play in the backyard of my grandmother’s house. That’s when I started to commentate my own games,” Poplin said.
Those cherished afternoons in the sweltering sun were only the start of Poplin’s push to develop his own voice.
“I listened to the (Atlanta) Braves broadcast every single night and would watch it on TBS,” Poplin continued. “It got to the point where I was watching it on TV and I would say things before the broadcasters would said it themselves.”
Poplin continued crafting what would eventually be his profession from the friendly confines of his home. He recalled playing video games and listening to Vin Scully, or watching games and hearing guys like Pete van Wieren describe contests with incredible detail.
Before it became a job, Poplin remembers just having fun with it, imitating those famous voices and eventually muting the television, opting to entertain whoever would listen as he called the games himself.
As he pushed through a quick four years at Rome High, Poplin developed his own voice, not necessarily vocally, but on paper.
“In high school, I figured out I could write,” Poplin explained. “Coach Kevin Strickland helped me develop my writing style. Once I got to college, I figured I’d try my hand at journalism and I’d try to parlay it into a broadcasting career. Everything took off from there.”
After starting at Georgia State, Poplin transferred to Kennesaw State, where he took a chance and responded to a school-wide email asking for a play-by-play commentator for some of the school’s athletic events.
“That’s when I realized it was my break and my opportunity to get into broadcasting,” he said. “I called a couple baseball games, got into some basketball when that (season) came around. They asked me back the next year and they gave me a job covering six sports during that three-year time frame.”
After graduating from Kennesaw State, Poplin’s career would come full-circle.
He pulled together a demo from games he called in college and sent it to the owner of 95.7 the Ridge and WLAQ 1410, Randy Davis, in an effort to fill a suddenly vacant radio position calling the Rome Braves’ games.
After going through the interviewing process, Poplin’s hard work throughout college finally paid off, culminating in him landing his first professional job in his hometown.
In a short two years, he’s gotten the full big-league experience. From calling a couple innings with Bob Costas in South Carolina to being the voice behind a no-hitter, a seven-RBI game and many other milestones, Poplin’s career continues to swing upward.
Despite those achievements, he’s always aiming to get better.
“The big thing is to keep improving, listen to myself, get more experience, talk to the guys throughout the league and get their feedback to see how I can improve,” Poplin said.
“The main goal is to put the best possible product on the air every night. Wherever I am, that’s always the main goal.”
While he holds future aspirations of getting to Atlanta and sitting in the same seat the legendary Caray once did, Poplin continues to cherish the time he has here in Rome.
“It’s amazing, going to a park where I grew up and watching the Rome Braves,” he said.
“It’s a dream come true.”