University of Dayton graduate Emily Szink believes she has what it takes to be a representative in the Major League Baseball Fan Cave.

Szink, who graduated from UD last year, is currently the Dayton's CW Network Star and has interviewed many celebrities such as Martin Sheen, Emilio Estevez, singer Christina Perri and the pop group Carolina Liar. She also has worked as a reporter with the Dayton Dragons, the minor league baseball affiliate for the Cincinnati Reds, at Fifth Third Field while working with the CW.

Now, she said she's busy trying to become a member of the MLB Fan Cave.

MLB created the Fan Cave competition during the 2011 baseball season. The winner, Mike O'Hara, was chosen to watch every regular season and postseason MLB game with a friend, and to post their experiences on social media sites and appearances on MLB TV.

The actual Fan Cave is a state-of-the-art studio suited with 15 flat screen televisions, including three 60-inch screens, according to the MLB website. Players and celebrities are known for stopping by and doing interviews or filming comedic videos.

Szink is the only finalist representing the Cincinnati Reds, so she said she hopes other cities' finalists will knock each other out.

"It's good for me because I already work with a television station, so I have been able to get my name out there," she said. "Some of the other contestants have been a little nervous to be on live TV, and I haven't had to contact anybody yet about getting my name out there and getting the votes, which has been great. The Cincinnati Reds office has been nothing but wonderful for me. They have set up tons of radio interviews and written blogs about me so they've been great too."

In order to become the CW Star last year, Szink had to network through Facebook, Twitter and blogs in order to receive votes for two months. For the Fan Cave competition, Szink is working to get votes to make the top 30.

Ultimately, Szink said she wants to be a sports reporter, and working with the CW is helping her make that goal a reality.

"Every time there was a major event with the Dragons, I got to cover it," she said. "For example, when the Dragons broke the attendance record for consecutive sellouts [815], I was the one who covered that.

At the CW, Szink said she has been all over the city, mainly reporting on new businesses in Dayton owned by locals or by people from the surrounding areas. She said she usually pitches an idea for a report, and nine times out of 10, she's allowed to do it. She has done everything from furniture store promotions to new restaurant openings, including FUSIAN on Brown Street.

Roy Flynn, the adviser for Flyer TV and Flyer Radio, said Szink produced and hosted her own show while she was at UD, and that she was a great student.

"She really lights up when she's on camera, and she's very enthusiastic, and I think that has suited her very well while she has been with the CW and hopefully with Major League Baseball," he said. "I really hope she gets enough votes and she does really well with it."

Szink said she credits everything she has done to her experiences with Flyer TV.

"I think he [Flynn] is the reason I am where I am today," she said. "Because of how he coached me while I was at Dayton, I am able to do well at my job. If I didn't have Roy as a professor and I came right into this job, I wouldn't have been able to teach myself everything and improve without his help."

To vote for Szink, go to http://www.MLBFanCave.com, find her audition video and click the vote button. Voting for the Fan Cave competition ends Wednesday, Feb. 22.