MAHOMET, Ill. – The Prospect League handed out its inaugural ‘Prospect League Awards’ to recognize the best of the Prospect League off the playing field during the 2023 season, and Worthy Road Studios Ballgame Blitz Sports Network was named the Prospect League TV Broadcast of the Year award.
“We are happy with our relationship with the Rockabillys and we are very proud of our crew,” said Paul Schulze – founder and executive producer Worthy Road Studios Ballgame Blitz Sports Network, “We were surprised having the most watched game of the year and equally surprised to learn we had the second most watched game in the history of the league – probably a big achievement for Worth Road Studios.
“We had 10 cameras, slow-motion replay and we were tied into the Jumbotron … a highly professional broadcast and we’re proud how it all turned out.”
Alexander Bitterling was the lead broadcaster and Steve Beverly provided color. The producer was Summer Sturgis, and Christopher Reasons was the director.
Eric Inman was on the main camera, with Andrew Burriss on the crowd shot camera with field camera operators Zak Henson and Christian Bryson.
Gary Lockhart served as graphic producer.
The awards have been founded in conjunction with the Prospect League Fan Awards, announced in August, to recognize Prospect League organizations for the hard work put in each season. This version of the inaugural awards grants one vote to each Prospect League team for six awards: Social Media of the Year, Broadcaster of the Year, Ballpark Experience of the Year, PLTV Broadcast of the Year, Executive of the Year, and Organization of the Year.
The six awards will be individually announced on the Prospect League social media channels over the next month, culminating in the announcement of the Executive of the Year Award and Organization of the Year Award. Following the announcement of each award, a write-up of each recipient can be found below.
PLTV BROADCAST OF THE YEAR
Jackson Rockabillys
The Jackson Rockabillys have been awarded 2023 Prospect League Broadcast of the Year by league-wide vote. The Rockabillys partnered with Worthy Road Studios’ Ballgame Blitz Sports Network to broadcast all home games on Prospect League TV this past season.
In the inaugural year of Rockabillys’ baseball on PLTV, the Rockabillys put out a stellar product led by the Worthy Road Studios’ team including the most cameras featured on a Prospect League Broadcast, state-of-the-art broadcast graphics, HD visuals, instant replays, picture-in-picture displays, and so much more!
For all their hard-word the Rockabillys finished the 2023 season with one of the most watched broadcasts in the league including the second-most watched game in PLTV history on June 20th against the (Burlington, Iowa) Bees.
SOCIAL MEDIA OF THE YEAR
Illinois Valley Pistol Shrimp
The Illinois Valley Pistol Shrimp have been awarded 2023 Prospect League Social Media of the Year by league-wide vote. The Pistol Shrimp crafted an exceptional social media presence across Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, and YouTube during the 2023 season. Pistol Shrimp social media highlights included high-level game-day Instagram stories, weekly mic’d up player features, the Shrimply Good Podcast, daily player and fan photos, highlight packages, gameday and theme night graphics, and more! The Pistol Shrimp drew a social media audience of over 1.1M impressions over the past year including 8.1K followers on Facebook and over 2K followers on Twitter and Instagram.
BROADCASTER OF THE YEAR
Jacob Wise – Chillicothe Paints
“A professional, through and through,” Jacob Wise of the Chillicothe Paints has been awarded 2023 Prospect League Broadcaster of the Year by league-wide vote. The Director of Media and Broadcasting and play-by-play voice of the Chillicothe Paints, Wise just completed his 8th season with the Paints and his 14th summer broadcasting baseball. Fitted with some of the best broadcast technology you will find on a Prospect League broadcast, Wise is the solo broadcaster for every Chillicothe Paints game on Prospect League TV and Cash FM 100.9 WXIZ, the flagship radio station of the Paints. The broadcast veteran has had historic success in the Prospect League booth, Wise has been on the call for three of the last four Prospect League Championship Series, watching the Paints capture three titles including this past season.
BALLPARK EXPERIENCE OF THE YEAR
Thrillville Thrillbillies
The Thrillville Thrillbillies have been awarded 2023 Prospect League Ball Park Experience of the Year by league-wide vote. The Thrillbillies in their inaugural season created an experience for fans like no other at gorgeous Marion Stadium. Fans were captivated by interactive concourse experiences, inciting giveaways, competitive on-field activities, live interviews, a state-of-the-art video board and stadium sounds, and exciting theme nights including 80’s Night, Kids Run The Ballpark, and the Tighty Bowl. The Thrillbillies finished second in the league in total attendance (63,070) and average attendance (2,336).
(PHOTO: Paul Schulze – founder and executive producer Worthy Road Studios Ballgame Blitz Sports Network and The Ballpark at Jackson)
