University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Louisiana Baseball ESPN+ Broadcasts Produced Entirely by University Students
5/9/2022 3:20:00 PM | Athletics
LAFAYETTE – When the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns Baseball team took on UT Arlington Saturday and Sunday in the final two games of their Sun Belt Conference series, it was with a unique crew handling the ESPN+ broadcast.
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For the first time since the University and the Sun Belt inaugurated ESPN+ broadcasts of several Ragin' Cajuns sports, the two weekend games were produced by University undergraduate students.
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"This is what we do this for," said Louisiana Director of Broadcast Services Joel Billeaud. "Our goal has always been to produce a high-quality television production for as many Louisiana Athletics games and events as possible. But we also want to provide our students with the skills and the expertise and the experience they need to be future leaders in the sports broadcasting industry."
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All facets of the broadcasts, from the production in Louisiana's broadcast trailer to the camera work to the on-air talent, was manned exclusively by students. Many of them have staffed a wide assortment of Ragin' Cajuns games in what was their weekend positions, but in the past it has always been with full-time Athletics staff and other contracted assistants making up part of the crew.
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The Sun Belt Conference has had a significant relationship with ESPN since the founding of both entitles, and that was enhanced in recent years with the advent of the ESPN+ platform where universities were charged with packaging broadcasts of events with the assistance of the Sun Belt. All schools in the league take part in those efforts and are required to broadcast all home football and men's and women's basketball games along with a number of other events.
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Louisiana has taken that package and expanded it, producing a significant number of volleyball and soccer events in the fall and far more than conference minimums in the spring for baseball and softball, along with producing the Louisiana Classics golf tournament and the upcoming Sun Belt Outdoor Track & Field Championships. In all, Louisiana Broadcast Services will produce approximately 70 events during the 2021-22 athletic year.
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The Sun Belt's recent athletic success has been visible to a larger audience than ever over the past two years. The conference had a 135 percent increase in TV viewership during the 2020 and 2021 football seasons with seven conference games surpassing one million viewers.
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Below are the students who produced both games for Louisiana Baseball:
           Producer: Jordan Ponzio (graduating senior)
           Director: Nathan Schenck
           Play-by-Play Announcer: Blake Purser
           Color/Analyst: Blaise Breaux (graduating senior)
           Replay Operator: Ben Schafer
           Camera Operator: Brian M. Jeanpierre
           Engineer: Brennan Butcher
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For the first time since the University and the Sun Belt inaugurated ESPN+ broadcasts of several Ragin' Cajuns sports, the two weekend games were produced by University undergraduate students.
Â
"This is what we do this for," said Louisiana Director of Broadcast Services Joel Billeaud. "Our goal has always been to produce a high-quality television production for as many Louisiana Athletics games and events as possible. But we also want to provide our students with the skills and the expertise and the experience they need to be future leaders in the sports broadcasting industry."
Â
All facets of the broadcasts, from the production in Louisiana's broadcast trailer to the camera work to the on-air talent, was manned exclusively by students. Many of them have staffed a wide assortment of Ragin' Cajuns games in what was their weekend positions, but in the past it has always been with full-time Athletics staff and other contracted assistants making up part of the crew.
Â
The Sun Belt Conference has had a significant relationship with ESPN since the founding of both entitles, and that was enhanced in recent years with the advent of the ESPN+ platform where universities were charged with packaging broadcasts of events with the assistance of the Sun Belt. All schools in the league take part in those efforts and are required to broadcast all home football and men's and women's basketball games along with a number of other events.
Â
Louisiana has taken that package and expanded it, producing a significant number of volleyball and soccer events in the fall and far more than conference minimums in the spring for baseball and softball, along with producing the Louisiana Classics golf tournament and the upcoming Sun Belt Outdoor Track & Field Championships. In all, Louisiana Broadcast Services will produce approximately 70 events during the 2021-22 athletic year.
Â
The Sun Belt's recent athletic success has been visible to a larger audience than ever over the past two years. The conference had a 135 percent increase in TV viewership during the 2020 and 2021 football seasons with seven conference games surpassing one million viewers.
Â
Below are the students who produced both games for Louisiana Baseball:
           Producer: Jordan Ponzio (graduating senior)
           Director: Nathan Schenck
           Play-by-Play Announcer: Blake Purser
           Color/Analyst: Blaise Breaux (graduating senior)
           Replay Operator: Ben Schafer
           Camera Operator: Brian M. Jeanpierre
           Engineer: Brennan Butcher
Fans are encouraged to stay engaged with the Ragin' Cajuns by downloading the #GeauxCajuns app. Click here for iOS/Apple platforms and here for Android platforms.
Follow the Ragin' Cajuns on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram (@RaginCajuns) to stay up-to-date on all within Louisiana Athletics.
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