The West Virginia Daily News is excited to welcome Brandon Baker to our full-time editorial team. Long-time readers and sports fans will recognize Baker, who has covered Greenbrier East High School sports for 17 years.
Baker will now be our full-time sports editor.
“We are thrilled to have a full-time sports editor on the team,” said Susan Smith-Linton, operations manager of the West Virginia Daily News. “Brandon has been an integral part of the team for many years, and we are excited to invest in more local sports coverage. It’ll be a win-win for the Daily News and for the community.”
Baker began covering sports for the Daily News in May 2006 when he was 22 years old. He has worked at City National Bank nearly 8 years as a financial services representative and a personal banker. He was located in the Kroger Branch for 7 1/2 years and moved to the downtown Lewisburg branch in October of 2022.
“My time at the bank was truly enjoyable, and I’ve never been one to like change, but I felt the opportunity to cover sports full time was too good for me to pass up,” he said.
And where do Baker’s alliances lie?
“I’m a big WVU fan, but they have frustrated me greatly in the last couple years. I no longer have favorite pro sports teams, and I find myself more just cheering for the fantasy teams I draft and whichever teams have former WVU players on their roster,” he said.
Baker’s full-time job and full-time family commitments don’t leave much time for anything else, but that is fine by him.
“My family is the most important thing to me. My mom, dad and sister are very important to me, and so is my fiancé, Josie, my daughter, Emma (age 3) and son, Brodey (age 1).
“I’m thankful for my parents for putting up with me forever, and my children have proven to be blessings more than I could have imagined. I’m still at the age, also, where if my dad can’t go somewhere, then I don’t want to go either.”
Baker credits his mom for his success in sports writing, but he can’t help but tease her when he talks about her.
“My mom was always my biggest fan, but she does not like when I go to her house and try to eat anything — even when she invites me for dinner,” Baker joked. “And Lord help everyone who goes there and tries to eat an apple.”
Baker is looking forward to telling the heartbreaking and triumphant stories that only local sports can bring.
“I look forward to bringing the community as much sports coverage as I can get. I urge anyone who ever has a potential sports story, or even an idea, to please reach out to me at brandon@wvdn.com. I am excited about this journey and hope everyone enjoys the coverage I hope to bring,” he said.
