MOREHEAD, Ky. - One of the tricks to getting a mid-major media relations department such as Morehead State's to function efficiently is to get more out of less.

No way can the Eagles match staffs with the largest in-state schools. Kentucky has a media relations staff of 18, including four in creative services and three in strategic communications. Louisville has eight in sports information, four in design/photography and two in video.

Morehead State athletic media relations consists of director Nick Evans, assistant director Matt Schabert and graduate assistant Connor Link.

So some of its responsibilities are placed in the hands of interns Brayleigh Hensley and Ryan Frye.

Evans sees it as a win-win situation.

"It's almost like we have a five-person staff," he said. "You're getting close to the number of staff (members) that you have at some of these high-level schools that have got six or seven SIDs (sports information directors)."

And the interns gain valuable training and on-the-job experience.

"Any student at Morehead State is eligible to be an intern with our athletic media relations department," Evans said. "For those interested in working in the sporting industry after they're done with their college careers, this is a way to get a head start. It's really tough to get a job in sports if you go all four years without doing an internship somewhere. Why not take advantage of one that is on campus?

"We're going to teach you how to write stories, how to do stats, how to do social media, a little bit of graphic design and just everything that is entailed in working in an athletic media relations department."

There are limited opportunities to get paid. Most interns begin work for free. Those that excel have a chance to get work-study status, a stipend or even scholarship money.

Hensley, a senior sport management major, is preparing for her fourth year in media relations.

She was a football statistician during her days at Belfry High School. Her athletic director there inquired to former MSU department head Matt Segal and Schabert about an internship, and Hensley took things from there.

She's still close to football, but "since I've been working in the media relations office, volleyball has been my favorite sport to work with."

"Game-day-wise, I'm the lead statistician for men's basketball and I help with stats for softball. I'm also, for the last semester, the contact for cross country and track and field."

All that experience, she hopes, will help her land a job after graduation. Her dream post would be to join the media relations staff at the University of Tennessee. Despite growing up along the Kentucky-West Virginia border, the Vols have always been her big-college team.

Frye, a sport management graduate student from Winchester, is interning with the Lexington Legends baseball club this summer. Come August, he'll start his second year with MSU's media relations department.

In his first year, Frye worked with beach volleyball. He did double duty during the baseball season, serving as team manager and calling the radio play-by-play for 59 games.

"I was a little more reserved in the past," Frye said. "Just working with different coaches and everyone, from the athletes to Matt and all that, I've become more open. Writing's a lot better. Communication's better – especially doing radio with baseball, too, it's really helped that."

Frye even had one baseball call that went viral, at least in the region. MSU's Niko Hulsizer, one off the national lead for home runs at the time, cracked a grand slam during the Eagles' 12-6 Ohio Valley Conference Tournament victory over Murray State. The ballpark at Oxford, Ala., had a hook-and-ladder fire truck stationed beyond the left-field wall, displaying an American flag from the top of the ladder.

When Hulsizer homered, the Oxford Fire Department pumper truck was in the vicinity and on the move. The homer cleared the ladder track, but not the pumper.

"That one's well out of here," Frye said in recreating his call. "That's a grand slam for Niko Hulsizer. I think he just hit the fire truck!"

Evans is finishing up his second year at Morehead State. He interned with the Legends and the Louisville Bats before taking a full-time position with the latter.

Now, he hopes that on-the-job experience will pay off for Hensley and Frye once they graduate.

"It's something that I've always enjoyed, kind of just mentoring students," Evans said. "And I'll put them to work because, if they're going to show me that they can do the job, there's no better way to get ready than to actually do the work. Then, when you get a full-time job, you've been there, done that. I felt like (being an intern) helped me get ready for my full-time jobs and I want to do the exact same for the people working for us."