Wickline, Wise earn Prospect League’s 2025 Organization Awards
The Prospect League has proudly announced the 2025 Organization Awards, recognizing the best of the Prospect League off the playing field during the 2025 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, Staff of the Year, General Manager of the Year, Stadium Experience of the Year, and Organization of the Year.
Awards were announced individually from Monday, Aug. 25 to Thursday, Aug. 28 on Prospect League social media.
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 2025 season.
This year's recipient is Chillicothe Paints Director Bryan Wickline.
Wickline currently serves as President of the Prospect League Board, assuming the role during the 2025 season. He previously served as the League's President from 2009-2014 and Commissioner from 2015-2016.
Social Media of the Year is awarded to the organization with the best social media presence, including videography and photography, during the 2025 season.
This year's recipient is the Illinois Valley Pistol Shrimp.
The Pistol Shrimp soared across social media feeds with stellar photography, outstanding short-form content, and engaging posts daily during this season.
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 2025 season.
This year's recipient is Chillicothe Paints Play-By-Play Jacob Wise.
Wise just completed his 10th season in the Paints' booth, calling games on PLN and Hank FM 100.9 WXIZ. This is the third time Wise has been honored as the League's top broadcaster.
Staff of the Year is awarded to the organization with the highest quality staff, including front office, gameday, and interns, during the 2025 season.
This year's recipient is the O'Fallon Hoots.
The Hoots' staff provided an outstanding game-day experience for fans at CarShield Field, helping the Hoots grow in overall attendance for the fourth straight season.
General Manager of the Year is awarded to a team executive with a high impact on their team and community during the 2025 season.
This year's recipient is Johnstown Mill Rats General Manager Sarah Rex.
Rex, in her second season as General Manager, has been a stabilizing force for the Mill Rats. Leading Johnstown to more than double their total attendance from under 10k in 2023 to over 19k this past season.
Stadium Experience of the Year is awarded to the organization that produced the highest quality experience at their ballpark during the 2025 season.
This year's recipient is the Dubois County Bombers at League Stadium.
Dubois County saw the highest attendance growth in the Prospect League during the 2025 season, with an additional 12k fans through the gates compared to 2024. The over 50k fans at League Stadium this season enjoyed exciting nights such as "Helicopter Cash Drop," "Bring Your Emotional Support Python," and "The Weiner Dog 500."
Organization of the Year is awarded to the organization that stood above the rest as high quality in every aspect in 2025.
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 five of six seasons. The Catfish won their second Prospect League Championship this past season in their third Championship Series appearance. They have improved their overall attendance in each of the past three seasons to over 18,500 fans this past season, not including over 3,500 fans across three playoff games.
The Prospect League is a premier, Midwestern, wood-bat collegiate summer baseball league with 18 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 1.2 million fans attended Prospect League games in the past two seasons, achieving record-breaking attendance figures in both 2023 and 2024.
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.