Eli Gold named Jacksonville State baseball play-by-play broadcaster

After his departure from Alabama’s Crimson Tide Sports Network, Eli Gold is gearing up to take another college broadcasting job. He will call baseball games on TV for Jacksonville State, he told AL.com’s Mark Heim.

Gold and Alabama parted ways last month, and he recently accepted a job with the Nashville Kats in the Arena Football League. The Kats will play 10 regular-season games this year with five home games at Municipal Auditorium in Nashville. Their season opener versus the Minnesota Myth is slated for Saturday, April 27th.

He’ll stay busy, though, as he adds baseball play-by-play duties at Jacksonville State to his repertoire, as well.

“I’m looking forward to it,” Gold told AL.com. “I’ve known the people at JSU for many years. I’m looking forward to working with (athletic director) Greg Seitz. They’ve made some very nice strides here recently, winning a bowl game last year and so on.”

More on Eli Gold’s departure from Alabama

Last month, Gold said CTSN decided not to renew his contract after 35 years as Alabama’s play-by-play announcer, and he made it clear he wasn’t planning on retiring. The move also wasn’t related to his prior health issues. He notably missed the 2022 season while undergoing treatment for cancer.

“Well, the university has chosen not to bring me back,” Gold told AL.com. “This is not, with a capital N-O-T, not at all health related. I am very healthy. Everything is wonderful. I am healthy as a horse.”

Chris Stewart – the voice of Alabama men’s basketball – will succeed Gold in the football booth. He previously handled football play-by-play duties in 2022 and hosted Hey Coach and The Nick Saban Show every Thursday night as Gold underwent treatment for cancer. In 2023, Stewart did road games while Gold was behind the microphone for home games.

Stewart’s first broadcast will be the A-Day Spring Game, although Gold said the initial plan was for him to do that game before assessing his contract situation. Instead, the university decided to move on now.

“Eli has been an invaluable member of our broadcast team,” Jim Carabin, Vice President and General Manager of the Crimson Tide Sports Network, said in a statement regarding Gold’s departure. “We are grateful for his years of service and wish him all the best in this next chapter. CTSN is fortunate to have someone as part of our existing broadcast team in Chris to step up and seamlessly transition into this role.”