Bellisario College of Communications

Four students selected for MLB.com internships

Four Penn State journalism students -- the most from any school in the country -- have gained the opportunity to cover professional baseball through a coveted summer internship with Major League Baseball (MLB).

This is the third consecutive year that students from the College of Communications have provided the most interns to MLB.com to cover teams through the program. From the summer of 2008 through this year, Penn State journalism students will have covered 18 teams. 

Students selected this year were:
-- Alex Angert of Weston, Fla., who will cover the Los Angeles Dodgers;
-- Jake Kaplan of Ardmore, Pa., who will cover the Philadelphia Phillies;
-- Joe McIntyre of Mullica Hill, N.J., who will cover the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim; and
-- Mike Still of Media, Pa., who will cover the St. Louis Cardinals.

Through the program, interns work as associate reporters and produce daily stories and videos for their assigned team. Each intern is required to work for a minimum of 10 weeks, but may have the opportunity to stay throughout the season and into the playoffs.

Kaplan, who grew up rooting for the Phillies, could not be more excited to spend a summer working at Citizens Bank Park. “I’ve been saying this is a dream internship, honestly,” Kaplan said. “Covering major league baseball is something I’d love to do full-time in the future.”

Along with his knowledge of the Phillies franchise, Kaplan said his experience working on the sports staff of The Daily Collegian for the past three years will help him succeed in this position.

“It helped me build a strong foundation, and I learned a lot that I can put to use this summer,” said Kaplan, who has completed internships at The Philadelphia Inquirer and USA Today.

Angert said he is excited to assist the Dodgers beat reporter with his day-to-day duties.

Angert served as the sports editor for The Daily Collegian during the spring semester and has experience working in a press box after covering Penn State baseball during the 2010 season. He has also covered Penn State sports for the Patriot-News in Harrisburg, Pa.

Angert said his hands-on experiences are only possible as a result of the work he has done in the classroom. Classes such as feature reporting, international reporting, in-depth reporting and sports writing have helped him to polish his skills.

"I think we’re given a lot of excellent opportunities in the College of Communications, and we get to learn from experienced professors who have already done what we’re trying to do now,” Angert said.

Although Angert is nervous about moving across the country, his excitement about the job outweighs any concerns.

“I’m excited to be working at a baseball stadium every single day,” he said. “It’s pretty surreal that I’m getting paid to do that. It’s not really work for me. I would probably pay to do this job.”

“We’re excited for the opportunity these internships provide for our students,” said Malcolm Moran, Knight Chair in Sports Journalism and Society and director of the John Curley Center for Sports Journalism. “Bill Hill of MLB.com, who oversees the selection process, has placed a great deal of faith in our students, and they have done a wonderful job representing the Curley Center.”

The John Curley Center for Sports Journalism, created in 2003, explores issues and trends in sports journalism through instruction, outreach, programming and research. The Center’s undergraduate curricular emphasis includes courses in sports writing, sports broadcasting, sports information, sports media and society, and sports and public policy, which is cross-listed with the Penn State Dickinson School of Law.

 

Last Updated May 11, 2012

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