Published on Show Me Mizzou Aug. 28, 2026
Story by Alex Schiffer, BJ ’17
Dani Wexelman’s journey from Missouri to New York and back came with a lot of curve balls.
In 2019, her job at MLB.com was eliminated just before the COVID-19 pandemic shut down the sports world. To stay afloat, she briefly waited tables while working to find her way back into sports. “I tried my best, but in the back of my mind I knew I needed to hurry to get back into sports and figure something out,” says Wexelman, BJ ’11.
In February, the Mizzou grad was named the new sideline reporter for the St. Louis Cardinals, her hometown team, after spending 15 years in New York juggling multiple gigs.
Wexelman was hired as a freelance video editor for MLB.com in 2014 (with help from Brian Mortensen, BJ ’10). The gig required her to pass a test recognizing players by their faces, along with a baseball history quiz and editing test. She became a full-time employee in 2017.
Even before the layoff, Wexelman had been building experience as a sideline reporter across multiple leagues, including working for New York’s professional rugby and lacrosse teams. “I haven’t said no in my entire life,” she says.
A job at Perfect Game, a national scouting service for top high school prospects, allowed her to build a rapport with many of baseball’s top young stars before they learned to drive. “Name a team, I’ve got a guy,” Wexelman says. “You’ve got to have a separator. Anyone can do these jobs. Anyone can talk to people. The separator is how you build and maintain your relationships.”
Those scrappy gigs led to four years with ESPN as a sideline reporter from 2022 to 2026, along with hosting roles on SiriusXM and SportsNet New York. Now she’s taken that experience, and her network, back home to cover the team that first inspired her love of the game, the Cardinals.
“It’s been incredibly rewarding and exciting to be part of an organization I grew up watching and having the opportunity to grow in my profession,” Wexelman says. “I’ve been able to be a part of an incredible broadcast crew; they make it easy to work hard.”
To read more articles like this, become a Mizzou Alumni Association member and receive MIZZOU magazine in your mailbox. Click here to join.
