Ronnie Rantz -Owner
Phone: 225-802-6040
Email: ronnie@brrougarou.com
Ronnie Rantz, a former LSU baseball pitcher and longtime sports broadcaster, was announced as the new owner of the Baton Rouge Rougaroo in March 2022.
“We are excited to announce the new ownership and plan to bring exciting baseball to the greater Baton Rouge community and beyond”, said Rantz upon his announcement as Rougaroo owner. “Baton Rouge is a huge baseball town, and we look forward to providing the entire community with an exciting, family fun brand of baseball and entertainment.”
The Alexandria native has served as the chief executive officer and president of the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame Foundation since September 2016.
Rantz, a left-handed pitcher on LSU’s 1991 and 1993 national championship baseball teams, was a standout athlete at Holy Savior Menard High School in the late 1980s. Among his personal highlights with the Tigers, he made the 1992 All-Southeastern Conference Tournament team.
After coach Skip Bertman’s Tigers won the 1993 College World Series, Rantz pitched professionally in the San Diego Padres and Milwaukee Brewers minor league organizations.
After an arm injury curtailed his playing career, Rantz moved into broadcasting as a sports radio personality in Baton Rouge. He is perhaps best known statewide and beyond for his role, beginning in 1998, as producer and color analyst for Jumbo Sports Network television broadcasts of LSU baseball.
Rantz has served as a color analyst for football, basketball and baseball telecasts for several regional networks covering games involving teams from the Southeastern Conference, the Sun Belt Conference, the Southland Conference, the Southwestern Athletic Conference, and high school contests. He was producer and host from 1999-2004 for PREP TV!, a 30-minute regular magazine-style show focusing on state prep sports.
The Denham Springs resident has extensive experience in event management, including spending over a year in 2001-02 as general manager of the Lafayette Roughnecks Af2 arena league professional football team.
He has been engaged in marketing and fundraising activities related to high school and college sports, and the healthcare industry, along with an association with L’Auberge Baton Rouge Casino.
Among his charitable activities are working with fundraising events, such as golf tournaments, to support the National Kidney Foundation of Louisiana, and the Wally Pontiff Jr. Foundation. Rantz has generated over $5 million in sports marketing sponsorships in the past 20 years.