For the City Times

The Wisconsin Rapids Rafters announced today that they have named Tanner Burke as the new public address announcer for 2016.

Burke replaces Van Patrick Gotz, who had been the Rafters public address voice at Witter Field since the 2012 season. Gotz stepped away following the 2015 season to spend more time with his family and new business ventures he has undertaken.

A native of Buffalo, New York, Burke moved to Wisconsin to attend Marquette University in Milwaukee. After two years spent studying a variety of subjects, Burke discovered a passion for broadcasting and entertainment and transferred to Milwaukee Area Technical College. His newfound passion and ability to make people laugh has led to experiences as an actor in a number of video productions and as an on-air personality for several Milwaukee Public Television shows. He currently is employed at Fox Sports North in Milwaukee where he assists with the production of Milwaukee Brewers and other sports broadcasts.

“I’m thrilled to be a part of the Rafters organization this year,” said Burke in a statement. “I look forward to taking a similar journey that the players will be enduring, on their quest to make it to the big leagues.”

The Rafters host their season opener on Wednesday, June 1st at 7:05 pm when they take on the Green Bay Bullfrogs. Rafters single game tickets go on sale on Friday, April 22nd at 9:00am. Tickets will be available by visiting Raftersbaseball.com or calling the Rafters ticket office at 715-424-5400.