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Sponsor support and donations are used toward site hosting and equipment costs for CodBall.com. It costs $100 per year to keep CodBall in the game. We currently have not received any 2010 support.
Jun
6
Coastal Plain League in Full Swing
Posted by Andrew | Filed Under News | 7 Comments
Editor’s Note: I’m on vacation this weekend in Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina. I thought it would be nice to do a little comparison between the CPL and CCBL.
The Wright Brothers National Memorial is right next to the home of the Outer Banks Daredevils.
The Coastal Plain League (CPL) was formed in 1997, but with history dating back to 1937 as a Class D minor league, and is one of the nation’s top summer collegiate programs. In 2008, there were 21 players n Major League Baseball that played in the CPL, including Kevin Youkilis (Boston, Florence ‘99, Bourne ‘00). This year, the league started its schedule on May 27th, more than two weeks before the CCBL.
One of the most attractive teams in the league is the Outer Banks Daredevils, who play at First Flight High School in Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina. Sandwiched between the ocean and the bay, it feels like you’re near the beach when you’re sitting in the stands. Within sight from the field is the Wright Brothers National Memorial, which sits atop a large hill in the distance. For me, a Cape Cod native, I felt right at home. There were even a dozen or so people with their beach chairs.
If you were to compare the CCBL with the CPL, you’ll notice a few things right off the bat. First, there’s an admission charge. It’s only $5 for adults, and you get a ticket with a number they use to give away a prize at the end (there’s also a 50/50 raffle, which didn’t seem that popular or well-advertised). Another thing you may notice is the amount of sponsors. The outfield fence is lined with banners, and Dunkin’ Donuts had a promiment cart set up on the 3rd base side. Since the teams are further apart, there seems to be more local support. Finally, one glance at the rosters will reveal more players from the southern U.S. and smaller colleges. But, the two things the CCBL and CPL have in common are wood bats and low scoring games.
The Outer Banks Daredevil wasn't afraid of the distant lightning.
Teams in the CPL span three states (VA, NC, and SC) with about 7 hours between the furthest apart teams (Forest City Owls and Columbia Blowfish). There are 14 teams in three divisions: North, South, and West.
Looking up and down the rosters, I saw some familiar colleges, but not many familiar names. Coastal Carolina’s Jim Birmingham (Cotuit ‘07) is spending the summer with the Daredevils. Connecticut’s Harold Brantley should be a star for the Daredevils, as he led the Atlantic Coast Baseball League in stolen bases last summer and batted over .300 this spring. A couple of the Daredevils most promising players hail from Kennesaw State: Tyler Stubblefield and Josh Whitaker. Both players ended the season with .300+ averages and 25+ RBI. On the visiting Petersburg Generals, there were not as many schools that I was familiar with except Villanova, Virginia Tech, Maryland, Villanova, and Holy Cross.
I’d be curious to find out how many players have spent a summer on the CPL and then the next summer in the CCBL.
Thanks for the report, Andrew. We know a lot of player from the Carolinas have made their way to the Cape but we don’t know the numbers that have played in the CPL.
Did they serve alcohol at this game?
Andrew,
I have lived in New Bern NC for several years now (grew up outside of Boston) but am very fortunate to be able to spend summers up on Cape Cod. Of course the Cape League is our passion but my son (now 13) and I stay in NC long enough for him to play allstars and we are able to catch a few games in the Coastal Plain League before we head north. It’s great to watch players we have known since they played little league play with wood bats.
I only know one player that has played a season in the Coastal Plains League and then played in the Cape Cod League and that is my neighbor Adam Warren. Adam is a senior RHP at North Carolina who has had a fantastic four year run there! Most importantly he is a fine young man who excells in the classroom as well as on the baseball diamond.
He played for the New Bern River Rats in the Coastal Plains League after his freshman year at Carolina. He pitched for the Brewster Whitecaps after his sophomore year and then last summer returned to the Cape League and pitched for the Chatham As (3-1).
Adam will pitch tomorrow in UNC’s super regional against East Carolina and we wish him well. It would be fantastic if he can return to Omaha with the Tarheels for the the fourth year in a row. A National Championship this time around sure would be sweet! Go Heels 2009!
@Greg nope, no beer. But I did have a nice lemongrass wheat ale at the nearby Outer Banks Brewing Station before the game (with a fantastic swordfish)
@Courtenay very interesting, thanks for commenting about Adam. I actually live in Apex right near the Apex/Cary border. But, I’ll be taking a trip up to the Cape this summer and monitoring it from afar. I will probably scope out a couple other teams in CPL (Asheboro and Wilson perhaps).
Having covered the Wilson Tobs since their and the league’s inception, I find it inspiring that local fans get out and support the collegiates, even though the minor league’s Carolina Mudcats (Southern League, AA) and Kinston Indian (Carolina League, Advanced-A) are only 20 and 38 miles away, respectively.
Despite these high-profile teams, Wilson continues to the be among the higest draws in the CPL.
The league was not given much chance for survival, but has grouwn in popularity and stature in its short existence to one of the top collegiate summer leagues in the country, just beind the CCBL and Shenadoah Valley League, although I believe the CPL has surpassed Shenadoah over the last few years.
Due to covering the Mudcats and Legion baseball, I still try to get to several Tobs games, and hope to get to a few CCBL contests over the next few years.
I overlooked another pitcher I know that played 2 years in the Coastal Plains League and then pitched in the Cape Cod League-Chris Glor. Chris pitched for the Falmouth Commodores last year on the Cape. Chris was recently drafted in the 17th round-I believe-to the San Francisco Giants. By the way Adam Warren pitched very well in the CWS in Omaha and was picked in the 4th round by the New York Yankees. Although it breaks my heart to think of Adam in pinstripes (huge Red Sox fan) I am so happy for him and wish both Chris and Adam well!!!!
I’m trying to do some research on finding out how to tryout for a team around new bern,maybe the river rats. I am not even sure if they hold tryouts or not but I have moved to new bern recently in the summer of2008 and i am from illinois where i was also stationed in the navy. I am a 5′9” 177LBS LHP and currently live in new bern and stationed at mcas cherrypoint till 2011. I am currently deployed in iraq right now as a corpsman and will be getting back in sept of 2009 and i have been training out here until i can tryout somewhere. It would be much help if someone can shine a light in the right direction or give me a shot for a tryout. I played some college ball, played traveling ball as well as a collegiate leauge in central illinois. thank you!
Hi Andrew, this site is an unofficial blog for the Cape Cod Baseball League. The summer league only holds tryouts, but they are by invitation only. Players are typically recommended by their college coach (since you must be a student in the fall to qualify for the league). The Coastal Plain League is also a college summer league where you must a student. It looks like they have held tryouts in the past, but I don’t have any information regarding that. Good luck! If you are looking to get back into baseball without college, you probably want to try the independent circuit, though there are not any teams in NC that I know of.