2009 National CPL All-Star Team Announced

RALEIGH, N.C. - The Coastal Plain League announced today the roster for the 2009 National CPL All-Star Team. The Coastal Plain League’s 11th annual All-Star Game will be played at Buck Hardee Field in Wilmington, N.C. on Tuesday, July 21st.

The National Team features players from 11 CPL clubs (Edenton, Florence, Forest City, Gastonia, Martinsville, Outer Banks, Peninsula, Petersburg, Thomasville, Wilmington and Wilson), with the players being selected by head coaches and media representatives from all clubs. The National roster is comprised of 27 players, highlighted by nine Player of the Week selections: first baseman Phil Cerreto (Week 1), shortstops Ronnie Shaban (Week 1) and Tyler Stubblefield (Week 5), outfielders Randolph Oduber (Week 4) and Stewart Ijames (Week 5), as well as pitchers Trent Howard (Week 1), John Taylor (Week 2), Bryan Breedlove (Week 4) and Trent Rothlin (Week 4 & 6).

Furthermore, Gastonia’s Byron McKoy, Edenton’s Adam De La Garza, and Petersburg’s Jerry Battipaglia were also selected as All-Stars for the National team, but will not be able to attend due to injury and have been replaced on the roster.

The Wilmington Sharks, in conjunction with the Coastal Plain League, will host the All-Star Game and festivities beginning on Monday, July 20th and running thru Tuesday, July 21st. Game time is set for 7:05 p.m. on July 21st.

Below is the complete roster for the National CPL All-Star Team (starters are shown with an asterisk (*)).


Pos. Name Team Ht. Wt. Yr. School Hometown
C Donnie Corsner* Outer Banks 6-4 185 So. Old Dominion Virginia Beach, Va.
C Tyler Smith Martinsville 6-0 185 So. Mount Olive Kinston, N.C.

1B Phil Cerreto* Martinsville 6-1 200 Jr. Longwood Midlothian, Va.
1B Josh Whitaker Outer Banks 6-2 230 So. Kennesaw State Augusta, Ga.

2B Matthew Hamlet* Gastonia 6-0 170 So. Boston College Chesapeake, Va.
2B Gerard Hall Edenton 5-9 165 Jr. Old Dominion Washington, D.C.

3B Greyson Schram* Gastonia 6-0 190 Jr. Concord Denver, N.C.
3B Derek Spencer Outer Banks 6-1 185 Jr. Bowling Green Oregon, Ohio

SS Ronnie Shaban* Petersburg 6-1 195 Fr. Virginia Tech Moseley, Va.
SS Tyler Stubblefield Outer Banks 5-11 185 Jr. Kennesaw State Woodstock, Ga.

OF Dylan Petrich* Outer Banks 6-3 190 Jr. Texas A&M Wichita, Kan.
OF Bobby Leeper* Wilson 6-1 175 Jr. UNC-Wilmington Raleigh, N.C.
OF Randolph Oduber* Gastonia 6-2 200 Fr. W. Oklahoma State Paradera, Aruba
OF Sam DiMatteo Florence 5-11 175 Jr. California of Pa. Center Township, Pa.
OF Will Lamb Peninsula 6-4 170 Fr. Clemson Seaford, Va.
OF Wade Moore Forest City 6-0 202 Jr. NC State Cleveland, N.C.
OF Billy Barber Peninsula 6-5 230 So. Richmond Fredericksburg, Va.
OF Stewart Ijames Thomasville 6-1 205 RS-So. Louisville Owensboro, Ky.
#OF Byron McKoy Gastonia 5-9 184 So. Temple Charlotte, N.C.
#OF Adam De La Garza Edenton 5-8 180 Jr. Sam Houston State Red Oak, Texas

RHP John Taylor* Florence 5-10 165 Jr. South Carolina Florence, S.C.
RHP Trent Rothlin Martinsville 6-2 190 So. Mississippi Hickory, N.C.
RHP Daniel Cropper Wilmington 6-4 190 RS-So. UNC-Wilmington Snow Hill, Md.
RHP Stephen McCray Florence 6-3 230 Jr. Tennessee Lilburn, Ga.
RHP Jason Sullivan Wilson 6-1 205 Jr. Western Carolina Shelbyville, Ill.
RHP Bryan Breedlove Forest City 6-1 185 Jr. Lynchburg College Suffolk, Va.
LHP Adam Kolarek Outer Banks 6-2 215 So. Maryland Baltimore, Md.
RHP Ben Booker Gastonia 6-2 175 So. East Tennessee State Knoxville, Tenn.
LHP Trent Howard Wilson 6-2 185 Fr. Central Michigan Hammond, Ind.
#RHP Jerry Battipaglia Petersburg 6-6 230 Fr. Villanova Katonah, N.Y.

# - injured but honored as an All-Star

The Coastal Plain League is the nation’s hottest summer collegiate baseball league, now in its 13th season. Featuring 14 teams playing in North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia, the CPL gives college players the chance to refine their skills with wooden bats during the summer months. Players are housed with local host families for the summer and past experiences have been very positive for both players and hosts. For more information on the Coastal Plain League, please visit the league website at www.coastalplain.com.

2009 Coastal Plain League All-Star Coaches Announced

RALEIGH, N.C. – The Coastal Plain League announced today the 2009 All-Star Game head coaches and assistant coaches. For the third straight year, the CPL All-Star Game will feature all 14 CPL head coaches.

For the first time, Forest City’s Matt Hayes, the assistant head coach of last year’s American Team, will take the helm of the American CPL All-Star team. Hayes’ associate head coach will be Darrell Handelsman of Fayetteville. Serving as the assistant coaches for the American squad will be Hank Morgan (Peninsula), Tim Murray (Asheboro), Ray Greene (Thomasville), Lee Gronkiewicz (Columbia) and Steve Leake (Petersburg).

The National CPL All-Stars will be led by Outer Banks’ Jeff Wicker. Wicker will have Wilson’s Jeff Steele as his associate head coach, while their assistant coaches will be Wes Davis (Florence), Jake Tenhouse (Wilmington), Eli Benefield (Gastonia), Marty Smith (Edenton) and Barry Powell (Martinsville).

Hayes led the Owls to the West Division first half championship as well as claiming the title of best first half finish in the league’s 13 year history after posting a 24-3 record. Handelsman guided the SwampDogs to a 16-10 start for the 2009 season earning them the South Division first half championship.

Meanwhile, Wicker led his team, the Daredevils, to a 19-9 record and the North Division first half crown. Steele’s Tobs went 17-11 in the first half, a record that was second in the South, and the next highest winning percentage of the remaining teams.
The 2009 Coastal Plain League All-Star Festivities will feature several attractions during the two days. During Fan Fest on Monday, July 20, fans can look forward to the All-Star Home Run Derby, while on Tuesday, July 21, the main attraction will be the 2009 CPL All-Star Game. Both will be held at the home of the Wilmington Sharks, Buck Hardee Field in Wilmington, N.C. For ticket information, please call the Sharks at (910) 343-5621 or visit them on the web at www.wilmingtonsharks.com.

The Coastal Plain League is the nation’s hottest summer collegiate baseball league, now in its 13th season. Featuring 14 teams playing in North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia, the CPL gives college players the chance to refine their skills with wooden bats during the summer months. Players are housed with local host families for the summer and past experiences have been very positive for both players and hosts. For more information on the Coastal Plain League, please visit the league website at www.coastalplain.com.

Coastal Plain League Alums Highlight 2009 MLB All-Star Teams

Three former Coastal Plain League standouts were recently named 2009 MLB All-Stars. Boston’s Kevin Youkilis (Florence, 1999), Detroit’s Justin Verlander (Wilson, 2002) and Washington’s Ryan Zimmerman (Peninsula, 2003) were all named to the 2009 MLB All-Star Teams for their respective leagues.

Youkilis, the starting first baseman for the Boston Red Sox, is making his second appearance as an American League All-Star. He is currently batting .301 this season, and has hit 14 home runs and knocked in 47 RBIs for the Red Sox in 2009. The Red Sox are currently holding onto the number one spot in the AL-East standings going into the week.

While with the Florence RedWolves in 1999, Youkilis batted .284 and racked up 16 RBIs. He also went onto be named as the starting third baseman for the South Division CPL All-Star Team. He is also a member of the Coastal Plain League’s All-Decade Team.

Also making his second appearance as an AL All-Star, Verlander, leads the AL with 130 strikeouts. The Tigers right-hander has an 8-4 record and a 3.54 ERA. Thanks in part to Verlander’s dominance on the mound, Detroit currently holds the top spot in the AL- Central standings.

As a member of the Wilson Tobs in 2002, Verlander had an ERA of 2.68 and a record of 1-4, yet still struck out 54 batters in his seven appearances on the mound before being selected as the second overall pick in the 2004 MLB draft. Verlander was also selected to the CPL’s All-Decade Team in 2006.

Zimmerman, meanwhile, was selected as a MLB All-Star for the first time in his career. The Nationals third baseman is off to the best start of his career, after posting the longest hitting streak of 2009 – 30 consecutive games – earlier this season. On the season Zimmerman, is batting .293 and he has slammed 13 home runs while bringing in 47 RBIs.

While playing with the Peninsula Pilots in 2003, he earned team best marks in batting average (.331), hits (47), slugging percentage (.423) and total bases (60). Numbers like those saw Zimmerman named to the CPL’s All-Decade Team.

Furthermore, in the Final Vote race for the last spot on the NL All-Star team roster is former Fayetteville SwampDogs player and current Arizona Diamondback, Mark Reynolds. Reynolds is one of five NL players up for that final spot, giving fans the opportunity to vote and choose which one will make the team. Reynolds leads all third baseman in home runs and RBIs with 24 and 61 respectively. On the season, he is batting .269 with 81 hits. Back in 2003 as a SwampDog, Reynolds had 11 hits, nine RBIs and three home runs in his 16 games.

Fans can help vote for Reynolds by visiting http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/events/all_star/y2009/fv/ballot.html. Voting for the final spots on the MLB All- Star Teams ends Thursday at 1 p.m., with the winners being announced on MLB.com shortly thereafter. The 80th MLB All-Star Game will be on July 14 in St. Louis.

The Coastal Plain League is the nation’s hottest summer collegiate baseball league, heading into its 13th season. Featuring 14 teams playing in North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia, the CPL gives college players the chance to refine their skills with wooden bats during the summer months. Players are housed with local host families for the summer and past experiences have been very positive for both players and hosts. For more information on the Coastal Plain League, please visit the league website at http://www.coastalplain.com.

Poythress Heads List of 102 Coastal Plain League Alumni Selected

The Coastal Plain League announced Friday that 102 players, both former and players signed for
the 2009 season, were drafted in the 2009 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft. A list that featured nine players selected in the first 10 rounds was highlighted by Rich Poythress of Georgia, who played for the Thomasville HiToms in 2007, and went in the second round, 51st pick overall to the Seattle Mariners.

The 102 players drafted is the second-most CPL alumni total drafted since the league started back in 1997. In 2008, 115 CPL alums were selected in the draft - giving the CPL 217 drafted players in the past two years alone. All 30 MLB teams selected at least one CPL alum in 2009; and all exisiting clubs of the current 15 CPL franchises had at least one alum drafted. The Thomasville HiToms led with 11 players drafted, while the Fayetteville SwampDogs and Forest City Owls (Spartanburg included) each had 10 players drafted. The Florence RedWolves and Wilson Tobs each recorded nine drafted alums, while the Edenton Steamers and Petersburg Generals were next with eight each. The Gastonia Grizzlies followed with seven draftees, and then the Asheboro Copperheads, Columbia Blowfish, New Bern River Rats, and Wilmington Sharks each had six. The Outer Banks Daredevils posted five drafted alums, while the Peninsula Pilots followed with four and the Martinsville Mustangs rounded things out with one alum taken in the draft.

2009 CPL Rawlings Players of the Week for Week Two

The Coastal Plain League announced Monday that Wilmington’s Adam Eggemeyer was named the Rawlings Hitter of the Week, while Forest City’s Heath Hembree and Florence’s John Taylor were tabbed Rawlings Co-Pitchers of the Week for week two of action (June 8- June 14).

Eggemeyer, a redshirt senior at Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville, started six games on the week for the Sharks and finished with an outstanding .500 batting average. On his 13 hits, he had three doubles and three home runs. He also scored eight runs and drove in nine RBIs, a league high for the week. Eggemeyer accumulated a total of 25 bases to go with a remarkable .962 slugging percentage and .536 on-base percentage. So far this season, Eggemeyer is batting .429 after 63 at-bats. He has helped Wilmington by tallying 17 RBIs on his 27 hits and hitting three home runs.

On the mound, Hembree was perfect for Forest City in his only appearance so far this season. The 6-4, 200-pound sophomore from College of Charleston had one start, pitching nine complete innings while striking out 13 batters and only allowing one hit. Overall, Hembree finished with a perfect 0.00 ERA and 1-0 record on the week.

In Florence, Taylor was also brilliant on the mound, making two appearances for the RedWolves, including one start. The 5-10, 165- pound junior right-hander from South Carolina finished the week with a perfect 0.00 ERA and 1-0 record, while also striking out 10 batters. Taylor pitched nine innings, allowing only one hit, but no runs. On the season, Taylor has made five appearances for the RedWolves and pitched 20.2 innings with a record of 1-1. In those five appearances he has struck out 22 batters and only allowed four runs with an ERA of 0.44.

The Coastal Plain League is the nation’s hottest summer collegiate baseball league, heading into its 13th season. Featuring 14 teams playing in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia, the CPL gives college players the chance to refine their skills with wooden bats during the summer months. Players are housed with local host families for the summer and past experiences have been very positive for both players and hosts. For more information on the Coastal Plain League, please visit the league website at www.coastalplain.com.

Coastal Plain League Goes Green, Announces Go Green Week

RALEIGH, N.C. – The Coastal Plain League announced today that it is “Going Green” in 2009. The CPL has partnered with the Go Green Initiative, and its teams will be holding a Go Green Week from July 5 through July 12.

“I’m so proud to support the Coastal Plain League’s ‘Green Week’,” said Jill Buck, Founder and Executive Director of the Go Green Initiative. “Baseball was a huge part of my childhood, and I know that millions of American kids are shaped by their experiences at the ballpark. It’s truly inspiring to see an entire baseball league making their stadiums a place where kids can see environmental stewardship in action, and have a great time with their family!”

While the CPL is still in the planning stages of its Go Green Week, member clubs will be taking part in several different ways to “Go Green”. The CPL has already partnered with Zephyr hats to do a green hat for the players and coaches to wear during the games; and other things teams will be doing include recycling programs for plastic bottles and aluminum cans, some teams will be playing day games to help conserve electricity and participating in community clean-ups and beach sweeps. The CPL and its clubs will also be helping raise awareness through announcements and reading off important facts of the benefits of “Going Green” throughout the week.

“We are very excited to announce that our league and member clubs are going green,” said Assistant Commissioner Justin Sellers. “We feel this is a very important cause and hope that our Go Green Week will be a successful one in helping do things that will better the environment and create a “go green” consciousness in everyone’s mind.”

Go Green Radio will feature a segment on the CPL’s Go Green Week Friday, March 6, 2009 from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. EST. Fans are encouraged to listen in and can do so by logging onto www.VoiceAmerica.com. Once there, navigate to the Voice America section under the Networks tab to open up the live broadcast. Go Green Radio is heard by five million listeners worldwide.

More information on the Coastal Plain League Go Green Week will be coming soon. Please visit www.coastalplain.com for all updates.

About the Go Green Initiative: The Go Green Initiative is the world’s fastest growing fully comprehensive environmental action plan for schools. By promoting environmental stewardship on campuses from preschools through universities, the GGI works to involve families, businesses and local governments in the common goal of protecting human health through environmental stewardship. Since its inception in July 2002, the Go Green Initiative has been endorsed by the National School Boards Association, National Recycling Coalition, adopted by eight State PTA Boards, implemented in all 50 U.S. states, 13 countries and on 4 continents. The Go Green Initiative has kept more than nine million pounds of recyclables out of the world’s landfills, conserved 25.7 million gallons of water, and saved over 55 billion BTUs of energy. These accomplishments were achieved voluntarily, with no mandates or legislation, showing that “going green” is practical and simply makes sense. There are currently over 2.2 million students and teachers in registered Go Green schools.

About the Coastal Plain League: The Coastal Plain League is the nation’s hottest summer collegiate baseball league, heading into its 13th season. Featuring 14 teams playing in North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia, the CPL gives college players the chance to refine their skills with wooden bats during the summer months. Players are housed with local host families for the summer and past experiences have been very positive for both players and hosts. For more information on the Coastal Plain League, please visit the league website at www.coastalplain.com.

2009 RedWolves Tickets on Sale

2009 season tickets for the RedWolves are now on sale and the prices will remain the same as the previous two seasons. Season box seats are $135 each and general admission ticket books are $125 each and contain 25 tickets. As a special promo anyone buying a season box seat ticket before March 1 will be able to keep their box seat, at no extra charge, for any post season playoff games that the RedWolves may have.

The Coastal Plain League has changed the tournament format to a playoff format starting this season. This will allow teams to host games in their own parks during the post season if they finish in the top eight for the season. Winning a half will automatically qualify a team for post season play and winning the first half will guarantee that team to host the first round playoff game, which is single elimination. Rounds two and three will be best two out of three.

Davis Named 2008 CPL Coach of the Year

The Coastal Plain League announced today that Florence RedWolves head coach Wes Davis has been named the CPL Coach of the Year following the completion of the 2008 season.

Under the leadership of Davis, the RedWolves finished second in wins on the entire season with 37 and made it to the championship game of the 2008 CPL Petitt Cup Tournament. In the Petitt Cup, Florence made it to the last game through the winner’s bracket, but the third-seeded RedWolves fell to the top-seeded Thomasville HiToms, 7-4.