A’s fans returning to the Oakland Coliseum this season will be greeted by a new, but somewhat familiar voice.
Amelia Schimmel, a 33-year-old Oakland native who grew up a devout A’s fan, will become the team’s third PA announcer in their 53-year history, the A’s announced Tuesday.
Schimmel will replace longtime A’s PA announcer Dick Callahan, who died in January after 15 seasons as the team’s voice at the ballpark. She’ll join the Giants’ Renel Brooks-Moon to give Bay Area baseball fans an all-female PA duo.
Schimmel actually has already done the job. She filled in as the A’s guest PA announcer during last year’s shortened season when Callahan opted out for health reasons. But, since no fans were allowed at the ballpark, Schimmel’s voice was only heard by fans during TV and radio broadcasts.
Now she’s already counting the days until Opening Night on April 1, when the A’s face the Astros at the Coliseum.
“I am an Oakland A through and through, so this is the greatest honor of my career,” Schimmel said in a statement. “As an Oakland native, I spent many nights at the Coliseum with my family. I never thought in my wildest dreams that I would become the PA announcer for my favorite team. I am truly thankful for this opportunity and cannot wait for Opening Day.”
But she also took time to pay homage to her predecessor.
“I’m also eternally grateful to the late Dick Callahan, who was a great mentor to me over the last three years. Nobody will replace Dick, but I hope to make him proud as I sit behind the mic each night.”
In welcoming Schimmel, A’s president Dave Kaval also paid tribute to Callahan, who died eight months after the A’s original PA announcer Roy Steele passed away.
“We were fortunate to have the warm and welcoming voice of Dick Callahan echo throughout the Coliseum for 15 years. Dick was a friend to everyone he crossed paths with and beloved by A’s fans,” Kaval said. “Dick was also a great mentor and teacher to those who worked alongside him on a nightly basis, including Amelia. We know that she will continue his legacy, and we are excited for her to become the first female voice of the Athletics.”
As an A’s employee since 2017, Schimmel won’t need many introductions to those at ballpark. For the past four years, Schimmel served as the A’s executive producer of ballpark entertainment — she oversaw the in-game entertainment as well as all video production.
Before joining the A’s, Schimmel spent eight years with MLB Network as an editor and segment producer, where she earned six Emmy Awards.
Schimmel, who lives in Oakland, was a softball star at College Prep High in Oakland and went on to play four years of collegiate softball at Brandeis University in Massachusetts. Her Bay Area love even extends to her two cats, named “Catrick” (after the Sharks’ Patrick Marleau) and “Rollie” (after A’s Hall of Fame reliever Rollie Fingers).
