How this UGA grad and Bethlehem resident became the Atlanta Braves next PA announcer

Kevin Kraus's reaction became viral.

When he was told that he will be the next Atlanta Braves PA announcer through a Zoom meeting with pitcher Spencer Strider and radio announcer Ben Ingram, Kraus's emotions couldn't be contained.

"When he came on," Kraus recalled over the weekend, "I about lost it."

Kraus, a Bethlehem resident and UGA grad, was one of three finalists to replace longtime PA announcer Casey Motter, who passed away last summer.

Kraus and Sam Franco, who does PA for UGA events, split time as the PA announcer in his absence.

Georgia Football:White House decision reached on visit with President Biden

Bill Shanks: The Atlanta Braves better never let Max Fried get away

The MLB organization had auditions for more than 500 hopefuls during the offseason and narrowed its list to 12 candidates. It then announced its final three candidates just over a week ago.

The Braves wanted to surprise Kraus, so they set up an interview last week to 'go over some final details.'

When Kraus connected to the Zoom meeting, it was Ingram on his screen rather than a Braves official.

"He was like, we want you to read another name, and I’m just like, ‘Are you kidding me? I’ve read so much stuff,'" Kraus said with a laugh. "How much more do you need to know? They said to read Spencer, and It was kind of cool, because I hadn’t announced him since he changed his number (to 99 from 65), so I got to announce him with his new number. When I look back now, there was a small part of me that was like, ‘Oh, this is it. This is happening.’ But the majority of me was like, ‘what is going on?’"

Kraus put a hand over his face as tears welled up in his eyes. "You're going to make me ugly cry in my office," Kraus said to Ingram. The Twitter video has been viewed nearly 250,000 times.

Kraus was the PA voice of the Gwinnett Stripers, the Braves triple-A affiliate, for 10 years and became friends with Motter, who was the Braves PA announcer since 2007. When asked to fill in last year after Motter's passing, Kraus had mixed emotions.

"They were very exciting, but I definitely felt like I was a visitor in someone else’s house," he said. "Casey was a big-time mentor and friend of mine. When I was doing Braves games because he wasn’t here anymore, it was definitely something surreal where I definitely felt like I was in a place that I was just visiting. It didn’t dawn on me that I could make this thing a reality until the offseason started."

PA Announcer Top 12 Finalist | 02/13/2023

Kraus grew up a lifelong Braves fan in Snellville and called his first sporting event, a women's soccer game in 2007, while a sophomore at Georgia College and State University in Milledgeville. He transferred to UGA and was freshly graduated when he began working for the then-Gwinnett Braves in 2013.

Kraus is a season-ticket holder for UGA football games, and has relished in the Bulldogs back-to-back national titles. He, like many other fans, was elated when in 2021 when the Braves and UGA were champions.

"Life is not much better right now, and 2021 had to be the pinnacle for Georgia sports fans," Kraus said. "The Braves win the World Series. The Dawgs beat Alabama to win the national championship, I mean, I’m trying to think of a more exhilarating two or three months, and I can’t think of many others."

Kraus is also the PA announcer for Rugby ATL, which plays its games at Silverbacks Park near 'Spaghetti Junction' in Northeast Atlanta. He believes he can announce half of its games this season while doing a complete Braves home schedule. The Braves' home opener is against the Padres on April 6.

"A big goal of mine is to honor Casey by making him proud," Kraus said. "He always did such a great job and that’s something that I want to keep going. When people come to Braves games, I want them to hear me and think, oh, I can hear Casey in him. There are not many bigger compliments than that."

This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: Kevin Kraus becomes Atlanta Braves newest PA Announcer