The beginning journey of a play-by-play sports radio broadcaster can be compared to rummaging through the Tupperware cabinet in someone else's kitchen. There are 25 different bowls with 32 lids stacked up and none of them seem to fit.

Like a tree thickening its armored bark, this craft takes time and experience like none other.  

Riley Ace Sauerwein is his given birth certificate name, but this 2014 River Falls High School grad goes by "Ace" and he always has. Like a urologist named Rip Tinkle, the nominative determinism theory would preclude Ace to be a riverboat gambling card player. A close second would be a radio play-by-play announcer and that's exactly what Ace does for a living, though his style isn't sour and his velvety pipes don't whine.

Ace Sauerwein is the "Voice of the Lady Griz" for the University of Montana women's basketball team and he just completed his third year in Missoula. It's been a long road and the ultimate destination is nowhere in sight. There are many bowls and even more lids in his broadcast kitchen and, for Ace Sauerwein, the combinations and descriptions are endless.

"I'm always looking to get better at weaving stories in and out of calls and always keeping my descriptions fresh," said Sauerwein. "I listen back to broadcasts and keep trying to improve."

Growing up in River Falls as a kid, he would mute the sound playing video games and call "Madden" or "The Show" games by himself. Playing baseball on the "B" team at Meyer Middle School, he was coached by a UWRF student named Steve Linzmeier who was going to school for broadcasting and called Falcon games on WRFW.

"It was Steve Linzmeier that spurred the idea that it's a legitimate career path," said Sauerwein.

He continued playing baseball his freshman year at high school, but by 10th grade his hands and feet weren't quite as fast as his wit and mouth. Baseball had passed him by, but the love of sports did not.

"You hit that right on the head," said Sauerwein.

Ace followed in the footsteps of Linzmeier and went to UW-River Falls and worked in the WRFW campus sports department calling numerous sports.

"There was an instant buzz between us and it has only flourished since then," said fellow alum, Zach Bares.

Sauerwein will be the best man in Bares' wedding this April.

Bares is the current play-by-play man for Falcon football and basketball, but it's just a part-time gig. Bares is a loan officer at Hometown Bank in Minnesota and commutes across the river for games.

"I knew it wasn't going to be the full-time set up for me," said Bares. "I have the utmost respect for Ace for grabbing that bull by the horns and taking that journey head on."

Sauerwein's journey as a play-by-play radio broadcaster meant long hours, little pay, and thousands of hours of windshield time on the road.

After a short stop in Sturgeon Bay, it was on to Oakes, N.D., covering mostly high school sports for I3G Media on a country radio station. Once again, Linzmeier was chopping down brush clearing the path for Sauerwein. Linzmeier was the "Voice of the Jamestown Jimmies" in the same town and worked for i3G Media at the time and helped Sauerwein earn the job. Linzmeier is currently the “Voice of the St. Cloud St. Huskies” and also calls St. Paul Saints games during the summer.

"Nowhere North Dakota wasn't ideal for the personal life," said Sauerwein, "but I cut my teeth and put a lot of work in and did a lot of games. It wasn't the best social setting, but I'm very grateful for it."

Sauerwein moved back to the Twin Cities working in real estate and was out of the broadcast business for a short time, but during the time out, he rediscovered his calling. Sauerwein has been the "Voice of the Lady Griz" working for Learfield Sports for the past three years. He's also the sideline reporter for football and works on numerous radio coaches' shows.

"They are crazy about their football out here," said Sauerwein via telephone. "It's an incredible fan base and that makes it really fun. My goal is to be the number one somewhere, but those jobs don't come around very often. Those guys are in the chair until they die."

Sauerwein is a Wisconsin guy through and through and his all-time favorite radio broadcasters are Matt Lepay (Wisconsin Badgers), Wayne Larrivee (Packers), and Bob Uecker (Brewers).

"I grew up listening to those three, but Ueck was the best," said Sauerwein. "When he passed, that was a tough day. A punch to the gut."

Uecker was the play-by-play man for Milwaukee Brewers baseball for 54 years, one of the longest in sports broadcast history.

Sauerwein was completing a college internship calling games for the Fond du Lac Dock Spiders in the Northwoods League (amateur baseball) and the internship required a job shadow day in Milwaukee at a Brewers’ game.

"I'm waiting where they told me to,” said Sauerwein, “and this black Corvette zooms up and parks right next to a shipping office. It's not even close to a parking spot. I was thinking, 'Who the heck is this guy?' and out steps Bob Uecker. I guess he could park anywhere he wanted to."

Uecker and Sauerwein introduced themselves and Bob invited Ace up to the booth during the game.

Sauerwein doesn't try to copy any of his microphone heroes, but he did take away one key ingredient from the legendary Bob Uecker.

"I'm just trying to be myself," said Sauerwein. “Just be yourself.”

 "Ace is always extremely prepared," said Bares. "He’s very well versed in not only his home team but all the opponents as well. Of course, you have to be good and it takes years of hard work, but for the people that make it, there is a little bit of luck involved, too."

Kind of like finding the top to a Tupperware bowl in someone else's kitchen.