Kevin Kraus, former Gwinnett Stripers Public Address Announcer, is the next ‘Voice of the Braves.’

According to a release from the team on Friday, Kraus was selected from a field of nearly 500 applicants in a process that began in October.

Braves pitcher Spencer Strider and Braves Radio Network Announcer Ben Ingram surprised Kraus with the news during a video call this week.

“It’s a dream come true,” Kraus said when he was told he would be the Braves’ new Public Address (PA) Announcer.

For the last ten years, Kraus has served as the PA Announcer for the Braves’ Triple-A affiliate, the Gwinnett Stripers.

Kraus graduated from the University of Georgia in 2011. Since then, Kraus has worked in the “metro Atlanta sports community in various PA Announcer roles including at Mercedes-Benz Stadium for the Atlanta Falcons and Atlanta United, the Atlanta Gladiators, and the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl,” the Braves explained in their release. Most recently, the Bethlehem, Georgia native was the voice of Rugby ATL.

The search for to find the new Braves PA announcer included online and in-person auditions, the team said in their release. “Last week, Braves fans voted for their favorite PA Announcer finalist, which counted as one of eight total votes on the Braves PA Selection Committee,” the team added.

According to The Atlanta Journal Constitution, Casey Motter, the team’s PA announcer since 2017, died last year at the age of 53.

Kraus will assume his new role officially on Thursday, April 6, during the Braves’ home opener against the San Diego Padres at 7:20 p.m.

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