(February 16, 2018) Friday night “Kids Run the Bases” promotions were neighborhood traditions for Connor Onion growing up near Geneva, IL. The first minor league baseball game he attended was the 2000 Midwest League All-Star game in Geneva, featuring Albert Pujols and Adam Dunn. Now, the same ballpark Onion frequented as a kid has become his office. Onion is the new Broadcasting/Media Relations Assistant for the Kane County Cougars.
“Ultimately, having a knowledge of the organization helped during the application process,” Onion smiles.
Onion spent most of last season as the No. 2 with Quad Cities. He left in mid-August to prepare for a new job as the volleyball and women’s basketball voice at Southern Illinois University. His busy schedule nearly convinced Onion not to apply for Kane County. “I didn’t think I would be able to balance my work at SIU with a full season of Minor League Baseball. Eventually I decided the worst thing Kane County could tell me was no,’ so I applied.
“Fortunately – with help from both [Cougars Broadcaster and fellow STAA member] Joe Brand and Mike Reis [his boss at SIU] – the schedules align to where I’ll be able to be the Cougars #2 this summer and continue calling games at SIU.”
Being a frequent childhood visitor to baseball in Geneva isn’t Onion’s only tie to the Cougars. “In college, when I decided to get into broadcasting, I listened to Joe Brand and Wayne Randazzo when I was home for the summer. A chance to work with Joe sealed the deal for me. He’s extremely talented on the air and someone I’ve enjoyed being around off the air. He’ll challenge me to become a better broadcaster.”
Onion is a 2017 graduate of Ball State University. He’s been an STAA member since 2016.
“STAA’s job leads have had the biggest impact on my career to this point. There are blind spots within the job market that can be hard to keep up with, but STAA seems to always be on top of the latest job openings. Without STAA, I probably would not have been aware of the openings in Quad Cities and Kane County.”
(Visit Connor’s website).