The Coastal Plain League has announced that the Tri-City Chili Peppers swept the 2022 CPL Broadcaster and Stream of the Year awards. Broadcaster Zach Surdenik (pictured left), as well as color commentator Wit Ferrell, sideline reporter Lindsey Ware and production director Sam Wolfe have been honored.
“In 2022 our production team had two goals: win 2022 Broadcaster of the Year & Stream of the Year,” said Tri-City owner Chris Martin. “Our production team spent hours fixing quality and angles of our cameras around the stadium preseason and in-season. They took it a step further by pushing the limits every game with new content and finding ways to make our quality better each game with graphics, hot-mics, instant replays, pregame and post-game interviews. I am very impressed with our team and these awards mean a lot to the entire Chili Peppers organization, fans and of course the whole broadcast team.”
A number of items go into selecting a Broadcaster of the Year, including a strong knowledge of the game, team, stadium and community. Surdenik received over a quarter of the fan vote with praise from fans referencing his research into that night’s matchup and a great job of helping fans feel like they were actually in the stands. In fact, one fan mentioned that during the Chili Peppers game on carnival night, Surdenik relayed the energy in the stadium to the point that the fan left their home and went to the stadium to catch most of the game.
“It is an amazing honor to receive this recognition for all the hours of hard work that I have put into giving the fans the best experience possible this season,” said Surdenik. “But I could not have done this without the efforts of our entire production team including Wit, Lindsey and our director, Sam, as well as the willingness of the front office to invest in our work. It was a great joy to call Chili Peppers baseball this summer.”
Although there are a number of impressive broadcasts in the CPL, the Chili Peppers stood out for their variety of camera angles, content and extra flare. Throughout the summer they added a ton of new features into the broadcast including a brand new graphics package that was modeled after professional shows including a title card, standings updates, trivia and more. Tri-City also added a feature where they placed a mic on players in the field and interviewed them live during the game. It was something that added a different feel, allowing a professional type segment to receive a summer-ball twist. They also incorporated a pregame open and postgame show that included interviews, hits from Lindsey on the sidelines, and on-field player interviews following the games.
About Coastal Plain League:
The Coastal Plain League, brought to you by FloSports, is the nation’s premier summer collegiate baseball league. Now in its 26th season in 2022, the CPL features 14 franchises playing in Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia. To date, the CPL has had nearly 1,750 alumni drafted and 157 alums make their Major League debut – including 2017 ALCS MVP, 2017 World Series champion, 2011 AL MVP and Cy Young award winner Justin Verlander, as well as 2017 NLCS MVP Chris Taylor. For more information on the Coastal Plain League, please visit the league website at www.coastalplain.com, and be sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and TikTok @CPLBaseball.