The Missouri Valley Conference has announced that the Valparaiso University Valley on ESPN production team – led by Broadcasting & Streaming Manager Ron Blatz – has been named the league’s Production Unit of the Year for the 2022-2023 academic and athletic year.

Valpo was honored by the league office for the quality of the institutionally-produced events delivered to the ESPN3 and ESPN+ digital streaming platforms this year. Valpo was selected for the award as the strongest production team in the 12-team league.

“It means a lot to be recognized for the hard work that everyone on the ESPN Valparaiso University Production Team puts in,” Blatz said. “I’m very humbled and honored to receive this award. I can’t do it without my crew and my management team. It takes 14-17 crew members to do a production of ESPN quality. We always strive to get a great product on the air that positively represents the conference, the University and all of us personally and professionally.”

The management team that works under Blatz’s direction includes Karl Berner, Corwin Leverich, Gus Radke and Dalton Morgan. They lead a team of approximately 45 crew members. Since joining The Valley, the Valpo production unit has produced 501 total shows. Numerous student crew members from Valpo’s Communication and Visual Arts Department contribute to the team’s success.   

The production team streams home events for football, volleyball, soccer, men’s basketball, women’s basketball, baseball and softball in addition to special events including the Roger Powell Jr. introductory press conference and Valpo’s commencement ceremony.