Pirates On SI Welcomes Dominic Campbell
PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates have been a mainstay in my life since I started reading the local newspaper when I was a young child.
I wasn’t quite reading analysis on the team nor the recaps of the games, but rather, I was engulfed in the statistical anomalies of the sport. Batting average, RBIs, home runs, ERA, strikeouts and more.
Baseball was my first true love when it comes to sports. I quickly became obsessed with the history of the game from the dead-ball era, integration, steroids, to the modern day.
I had baseball almanacs, read any book I could on the sport. I engulfed myself in the greats of baseball, what made them so and the impact they had on generations of fans and players alike.
The Pirates served as the team I read about the most and of course, we’re my hometown team growing up in Pittsburgh.
From Honus Wagner, Pie Traynor, Bill Mazeroski, Roberto Clemente, Willie Stargell, Danny Murtaugh, Dave Parker, Barry Bonds, Jim Leyland and others. From the World Series teams of 1909, 1925, 1960, 1971 and 1979, to Forbes Park and Three Rivers Stadium, I couldn’t quite get enough of one of the most historic franchises in all of baseball.
That’s why I’m glad to announce that I’m taking over as the beat writer for Pittsburgh Pirates on SI for the 2025 season and beyond.
I’ve had the pleasure of being a fan of the Pirates for most of my life, but now, I’ll cover them as an unbiased reporter, each and every day.
My previous work in journalism surrounds covering Pitt sports. I got my start with The Pitt News, the student newspaper at the University of Pittsburgh, in January 2017 as a freshman.
I stayed on through 2020 and then after the COVID-19 pandemic stopped sports, I did other jobs before I joined on with Pittsburgh Sports Now in December 2021.
Working there allowed me opportunities covering football, men’s basketball, women’s basketball, volleyball, wrestling, men’s and women’s soccer and some baseball and lacrosse too.
I also covered Duquesne men’s basketball in the A-10 Tournament, including in 2024 when they won it all. Also did some WPIAL football and basketball coverage, plus Robert Morris too.
I joined on to Pittsburgh Panthers on SI as the beat writer for Pitt athletics back in April 2024 and I have about six-and-a-half years of sports journalism experience.
This is the first time I’ll have the privilege of covering a professional team, so I’m looking forward for the challenges and intricacies of doing so for this season.
The Pirates have had little success during my lifetime, including a North American sports record of 20 straight losing seasons, plus just three postseason appearances.
But this team is intriguing. The offense isn’t exactly postseason material, but the starting rotation, with reigning National League Rookie of the Year Paul Skenes leading the way.
I’m excited to get down to PNC Park from time-to-time and see the growth of this team. As a journalist, I won’t cheer on them to win games, but a winning team is always great to cover, especially with a rabid and desperate fan base like the Pirates have.
I’ll spend my days covering the ins-and-outs of the team going forward, shifting my responsibilities away from Pitt and to the Pirates.
Ethan Merrill is working with me right now and I’m glad to have him and his experience alongside me this season. We’ll make for a great team.
I also want to thank Noah Strackbein for giving me this opportunity and that I’ve appreciated all the help he’s given me since I joined last year.
The Pirates season starts this week with a road series vs. the Miami Marlins on March 27. I’m ready for the start and to provide great content going forward.
Some of the more interesting discussions and questions that I've had vary, but mostly have to do with whether or not this offense has what it takes to push the Pirates into postseason contention.
Can Ke'Bryan Hayes manage his back problems and have a solid season? What will Andrew McCutchen do at 38 years old? Is Tommy Pham a good anough addition in the outfield? How will Oneil Cruz do in his first sesaon in center field? Who will play first base for the Pirates?
I'm also interested in how Skenes, plus Jared Jones, Mitch Keller, Andrew Heaney and Bailey Falter do going forward. Also want to see if David Bednar returns to All-Star form and who else in the bullpen shines/struggles in 2025.
Covering Pitt for as many years as I have was a blessing. I'll still do work now and again, but my full-time responsibilities are now with the Pirates.
I'm excited for this new opportunity and will do my best to provide the best coverage of the Pirates this sesaon. Hope you'll stick around for what I have in store.
