Prospect League announces 2026 Organization Awards; Paints win Team Staff of the Year
The Prospect League proudly announces the 2026 Organization Awards, recognizing the best of the Prospect League off the playing field during the 2026 season.
The Organization Awards recognize Prospect League organizations for their hard work as seen by their peers. The awards grant one vote to each Prospect League organization for seven awards: Team Director of the Year, Social Media of the Year, Broadcaster of the Year, Team Staff of the Year, General Manager of the Year, Stadium Experience of the Year, and Organization of the Year.
Organization of the Year
Organization of the Year is awarded to the organization that stood above the rest as high quality in every aspect during the 2026 season.
This year's recipient is the Cape Catfish.
The Catfish joined the Prospect League in 2019, and have qualified for the Prospect League Playoffs in six of seven seasons. The Catfish won their third Prospect League Championship this past season in their fourth Championship Series appearance. They have improved their overall attendance in each of the past four seasons, improving from over 22k last season to over 25k this season.
Stadium Experience of the Year
Stadium Experience of the Year is awarded to the organization that produced the highest-quality experience at their ballpark during the 2026 season.
This year's recipient is the Lafayette Aviators at Loeb Stadium.
The home of the 2026 Prospect League All-Star Game, the Lafayette Aviators at Loeb Stadium, were host to over 36,000 fans this season. Aviators fans enjoyed exciting theme nights, giveaways, promotions, and a first-rate stadium experience at Loeb Stadium.
Team Staff of the Year
Team Staff of the Year is awarded to the organization with the highest-quality team staff, including front office, gameday and interns, during the 2026 season.
This year's recipient is the Chillicothe Paints.
The Paints' staff has provided world-class support to its fans since being a charter member of the Prospect League in 2009. In 2026, the team once again provided an excellent game-day experience at VA Memorial Stadium with another class of outstanding interns, seasonal staff and front office leadership.
Broadcaster of the Year
Broadcaster of the Year is awarded to the broadcaster with the highest overall performance on the Prospect League Network and their team's radio broadcasts during the 2026 season.
This year's recipient is Cape Catfish Play-By-Play Rusty Hendricks.
Hendricks is the Director of Sports and Talk Programming at River Radio, which broadcasts Cape Catfish games on SEMO ESPN. He serves as the play-by-play voice for all Catfish home games on the Prosepct League Network and SEMO ESPN. This is the first time Hendricks has been honored as the League's top broadcaster.
General Manager of the Year
General Manager of the Year is awarded to a team executive with a high impact on their team and community during the 2026 season.
This year's recipient is Clinton LumberKings General Manager Nate Vander Bleek.
Named General Manager during the 2023-2024 offseason, Vander Bleek just completed his third season leading the LumberKings. The organization has never finished outside the top two in total attendance since joining the League in 2021 and is back at the top, finishing with a league-best 73,619 total attendance in 2026.
Social Media of the Year
Social Media of the Year is awarded to the organization with the best social media presence, including videography and photography, during the 2026 season.
This year's recipient is the Kokomo Creek Chubs.
The Kokomo Creek Chubs exploded digitally in their inaugural season. With a social media presence anchored by stellar photography, graphic design, short-form videos, and engaging posts, the Creek Chubs racked up over 9,800 followers across the three major platforms in just one season.
Team Director of the Year
Team Director of the Year is awarded to the member of the Prospect League Board of Directors who had the highest impact on the league before and during the 2026 season.
This year's recipient is Cape Catfish Director Glenn Campbell.
Campbell currently serves as President and Director of Baseball Operations for the Cape Catfish, as well as the Catfish's Director on the Prospect League Board. He joined the Cape Catfish in the fall of 2022 and has overseen impressive organizational growth while also being a driving force in League operations.
About the Prospect League
The Prospect League is a premier, Midwestern, wood-bat collegiate summer baseball league with 20 teams spanning Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Missouri, Ohio, Tennessee, and Pennsylvania. The League provides college players with a professional setting, featuring excellent competition and high-quality facilities. More than 1.8 million fans attended Prospect League games in the past three seasons, shattering multiple attendance records.
Formerly known as the Central Illinois Collegiate League (1963-2008), the Prospect League boasts over 60 years of tradition as one of the nation's original and most recognizable summer leagues. Its distinguished history includes Hall of Famers, NCAA and World Series Champions, over 200 Major League Baseball alumni, and more than 800 professional players worldwide. For more information, visit prospectleague.com and follow @prospectleague on social media.