For a generation of sports fans across the South, the radio voices of the Atlanta Braves became part of everyday life.
Long road trips. Summer nights. Static-filled broadcasts drifting through small towns across Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia. One of those voices belongs to a Mississippi native who grew up listening to the same broadcasts he eventually joined.
During an appearance on Talk of Champions, Ben Ingram reflected on his path from Mississippi kid with a cassette recorder to lead radio voice of the Braves, while also diving into Ole Miss football, Lane Kiffin and the culture of Southern sports broadcasting.
From Mississippi to the Major Leagues
Ingram’s story is not the traditional broadcasting path.
He didn’t come through Syracuse. He didn’t follow the typical pipeline many national broadcasters travel.
Instead, he came from Meridian, Mississippi, grew up in the Madison area and graduated from Mississippi College after discovering an opportunity to immediately call live games on campus radio.
“I wanted a place where I could broadcast right away,” Ingram said. “And Mississippi College gave me that chance.”
By his sophomore year, he was already calling football, basketball and baseball games. That early experience became the foundation for everything that followed. After stops with the Jackson Senators and the Mississippi Braves, Ingram eventually joined the Braves organization full-time, first in pregame and postgame roles before moving into play-by-play duties. Now in his 16th season with Atlanta, he still considers Mississippi home.
“Mississippi’s a massive part of my story and my life,” Ingram said.
The Day He Called His First Braves Game
One of the most memorable stories from the conversation centered around Ingram’s first opportunity to call a Braves game in the major leagues.
It happened unexpectedly in 2011 when Atlanta’s lead broadcaster became ill before a game against the St. Louis Cardinals. Ingram was suddenly thrust into the booth. The first batter he ever called in the majors?
Albert Pujols, but the moment that stayed with him most came just before first pitch the next day, when legendary Cardinals broadcaster Mike Shannon walked into the booth.
“Just to let you know, you deserve to be here and you earned this,” Shannon told him.
Ingram said the moment erased all of his nerves.
“That meant a ton to me,” Ingram said.
Carrying Braves Broadcasting History Forward
For Ingram, broadcasting Braves baseball is bigger than simply calling games. It’s preserving a tradition. He now occupies the same broadcasting lineage once held by names like Skip Caray, Pete Van Wieren and Ernie Johnson Sr.. Inside the Braves radio booth, placards honoring former broadcasters line the walls, a daily reminder of the responsibility attached to the role.
“We have the biggest radio network in professional sports,” Ingram said. “That means a lot to people.”
The connection to history matters deeply to him. Especially working alongside longtime analyst Joe Simpson, who serves as a living bridge between generations of Braves baseball.
“I love the fact that there’s a link there with Joe,” Ingram said.
Ole Miss Football, Lane Kiffin and the 2026 Rebels
Despite his Major League Baseball responsibilities, Ingram remains heavily invested in Ole Miss athletics, and like many Rebels fans, he had strong opinions about Lane Kiffin’s continued comments regarding Ole Miss after leaving for LSU.
“I just think he’s a complete clown,” Ingram said bluntly.
He questioned the contradiction between Kiffin saying LSU gave him a better path to a national championship while simultaneously claiming Ole Miss would have won the title had he coached the Rebels through the playoff.
“It doesn’t make any sense,” Ingram said. “It’s a bunch of nonsense from a childish individual.”
Ingram also made it clear he believes Ole Miss remains a serious national contender under Pete Golding.
His biggest reason? Quarterback Trinidad Chambliss.
“When you’ve got a quarterback who’s done it before, that matters,” Ingram said.
He predicted Ole Miss would win at least 10 games in 2026 and called Chambliss one of the top Heisman Trophy candidates entering the season.
