MARSHALL, Texas – Given a humbling award for the third time from the American Southwest Conference, East Texas Baptist University has been named the Sports Information Department of the Year, selected by the league's Directors of Sports Information for its athletics media efforts throughout the 2022-23 sports season. ETBU is the first program to earn the award three times all coming under Assistant Athletic Director for Communications Adam P. Ledyard's guidance.
 
"This is such a humbling award to receive from my peers in the ASC," said Ledyard. "There are no words when given such an honor and I thank all of my peers I work with for this award. God has blessed me in my time at ETBU sending the right people at the right time to help me on my staff since I have been at ETBU. HE has truly blessed this department and my staff. I could not do this without Him and the staff He has given me. This past year, my graduate assistants did a phenomenal job of promoting ETBU through social, game days, creative videos, and travel. We also could not do all of this without our support from administration in Vice President of Student Engagement and Athletics Ryan Erwin and ETBU President Dr. J. Blair Blackburn. They believe in and support what we do as a department and I am very thankful for that."
 
The Tigers' 2022-23 staff included Ledyard with Graduate Assistants Peyton Thibault, Jordan Wommack, and Victoria (Savage) Wiggins, Sha'maal Parrish (first semester) along with 20+ student workers. These student workers helped with social media, photography, live streaming, broadcasting, statistics, graphics, and creative videos.   
 
In addition to providing coverage for 16 sponsored sports by the American Southwest Conference and seven additional programs through the ETBU Athletics Department, Ledyard's staff hosted the 2023 ASC Baseball Championship, 2023 NCAA Division III Baseball Marshall, Texas, Regional and Super Regional, and the NCAA Division III Marshall, Texas Softball Regional and National Championship Tournament. ETBU also hosted the 2023 ASC Men's Golf Championship in Alexandria, La., and a first-round Men's Basketball Championship Tournament game.
 
"We are proud and grateful to Adam Ledyard and the entire Athletic Communications staff to be named the 2023 ASC Sports information Staff of the Year," Erwin stated. "This honor is a testament to what the ETBU coaches, staff, and student-athletes recognize on a regular basis about their commitment to excellence and the tireless work ethic from our Athletic Communications Department.  Congratulations to Adam and the staff on a very deserving award and for continuing to raise the bar in the promotion of our student-athletes, Tiger Athletics, and ETBU as a whole. Day in and day out, Adam and his staff exhibit dedication, work long hours, many nights and weekends, which all assist in helping grow and promote all 23 ETBU athletic teams and over 650 student-athletes.  To be recognized for these efforts from the fellow members of the ASC, confirms that their work does not go unnoticed," Vice President for Student Engagement and Athletics Ryan Erwin said."
 
The East Texas Baptist staff also received ASC Sports Information Department of the Year honors in 2019-20 and 2013-14. Both staffs were led by Ledyard. He recently earned a College Sports Communicators (CSC) Fred Stabley, Jr. Writing Contest award as one of the top writers for his story in District 6.
 
Ledyard is entering his 12th year at East Texas Baptist in 2023-24 and has served in the athletic communications industry for 22 years. He also earned the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference (CCAC) SID of the Year award in 2011-12 while at Judson University (NAIA) in Elgin, Ill. He is a part of the CSC Planning Committee for the yearly convention, helps with select CSC panels as a host/speaker, and is a CSC mentor.