• Ricky Bottalico, who brings 12 years of Major League baseball experience to the booth, is expected to join the broadcasts in a limited role.

Originally signed by the Phillies as an amateur free agent in 1991, Bottalico made his Major League debut in 1994. He was named a National League All-Star in 1996 after posting 34 saves and a 3.19 ERA in 61 appearances.

The native of New Britain, Conn., was traded from Philadelphia to St. Louis in 1998 and also pitched for Kansas City, Arizona, New York Mets and Milwaukee before concluding his playing career in 2005. In 562 career appearances, the right-hander notched 116 saves and a 3.99 ERA.

Bottalico began his broadcasting career in 2007, having served as an analyst for Comcast SportsNet on the Phillies pre- and post-game shows the past two seasons.

• Steve Degler joins the IronPigs TV Network as a color commentator following a 17-year stint as a radio broadcaster for the Reading Phillies. Formerly the most tenured broadcaster in the Eastern League, Degler also hosted Phillies pre-game and post-game duties on various occasions in 1999 and handled select play-by-play responsibilities in 2000.

Familiar to many Lehigh Valley residents for his television play-by-play duties for Lehigh University athletics, Degler is a graduate of Kutztown University -- where he also played baseball for the Golden Bears.

• Troy Hein will handle play-by-play duties on all Saturday broadcasts and select other games which also air on WFMZ 69. The Portola, Calif., native has a diverse television and play-by-play background.

He joined the station as sports director in 2000 after working as an anchor and reporter at KLTV in Tyler, Texas. Hein also hosts and produces "The Big Ticket," WFMZ's high school football show that airs every Friday night during the season.

• Meredith Marakovits returns to the broadcast team as an on-field reporter for the IronPigs Television Network. Marakovits also has worked as a sideline reporter for both the Reading Phillies and Lehigh Valley Outlawz (Continental Indoor Football League) on 2 Sports. She is a morning show co-host and update anchor on Sports Radio 950 AM in Philadelphia.

A graduate of La Salle University, Marakovits has also done production work for NBC's Sunday Night Football and Fox's NFL and Major League Baseball coverage.

• Matt Provence embarks on his 13th season in minor league baseball following stints with the Norwich Navigators (1997), Lynchburg Hillcats (1998-2004) and Daytona Cubs (2005-2006). The New Jersey native will continue to serve as the "Voice of the IronPigs" on the IronPigs Radio Network while maintaining an on-air presence on all TV broadcasts.

In addition to calling more than 1,200 minor league baseball games, the 34-year-old also has handled high school and college sporting events in Virginia and Florida. In 2001, Provence represented the Carolina League as a broadcaster for the California/Carolina League All-Star game in Stockton, Calif., in 2001.

The James Madison (Va.) University graduate began his broadcasting career interning for the New York Yankees Radio team in 1995.

• Jon Schaeffer will continue to handle radio pre- and post-game show duties and radio play-by-play of the middle innings on all IronPigs home games and select road games. The 2009 season will be the seventh for Schaeffer in professional baseball after beginning his broadcasting career with Lynchburg in 2003.

A native of nearby Lower Merion, Pa., Schaeffer also handled play-by-play duties for Lincoln University football and New Jersey Institute of Technology men's and women's basketball this off-season. Schaeffer is a 2002 graduate of Penn State University with a degree in broadcast journalism.

• Mike Zambelli, a well-known sportscaster in the Lehigh Valley, will handle the majority of play-by-play duties on the IronPigs Television Network. A veteran of more than 20 years at 2 Sports, he also has served as the station's sports director since 1994.

As part of Service Electric's local sports coverage, Zambelli has done play-by-play for the Reading Phillies, Allentown Ambassadors, Lehigh University football and basketball and hundreds of other sporting events on the high school level. Zambelli also serves as the host of Sports Scene on 2 Sports.

STUDIO HOSTS

• Newcomer Tim Murray enters his first season with the IronPigs and will compliment returnee Tommy Viola and handle on-air and off-air responsibilities as a studio host during all IronPigs home games broadcast on the IronPigs Radio Network. Murray is completing his degree at Muhlenberg College, where he is a senior captain of the Mules' basketball team.

• Tommy Viola returns to host studio coverage of all road games along the IronPigs Radio Network -- working as a producer, engineer and providing on-air studio analysis. Viola, who also is the IronPigs media relations assistant, is a 2003 graduate of Penn State University.