The Coastal Plain League had 42 current and former players taken in the 2023 Major League Draft. For the second straight year, a former Peninsula Pilots outfielder was the first alum taken. In 2022, it was Gavin Cross (Virginia Tech/9th overall) and now, in 2023, it was Wyatt Langford (Florida), who went fourth overall to the Texas Rangers. With Langford’s selection, the CPL has now seen at least one alum go in the first round for eight consecutive years of the MLB Draft.
While with the Florida Gators, Langford spent part of the summer of 2022 with the Pilots before joining USA Baseball’s Collegiate National Team. He batted a team-best .394 for Peninsula with 13 hits, including a pair of doubles, a triple and two home runs. He scored seven runs and collected five RBIs to go with three walks and three stolen bags. When Langford shifted over to the CNT, he continued his offensive prowess, slashing .333/.407/.381. He tallied seven hits, second-best on the team, to go with four walks. Overall, he also had three RBIs, four runs, two stolen bases and a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage.
Overall, 20 players went in the first 10 rounds.
Peninsula and Savannah led the way with seven drafted alums each, followed by High Point-Thomasville and Holly Springs with six apiece, Macon with four and Lexington County and Martinsville both with three. Morehead City and Wilson each tallied two draftees, while Asheboro and Tri-City added one each.
A complete list of CPL players taken is below.
About Coastal Plain League:
The Coastal Plain League, brought to you by FloSports, is the nation’s premier summer collegiate baseball league. Now in its 26th season in 2022, the CPL features 14 franchises playing in Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia. To date, the CPL has had nearly 1,750 alumni drafted and 157 alums make their Major League debut – including 2017 ALCS MVP, 2017 World Series champion, 2011 AL MVP and Cy Young award winner Justin Verlander, as well as 2017 NLCS MVP Chris Taylor. For more information on the Coastal Plain League, please visit the league website at www.coastalplain.com, and be sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and TikTok @CPLBaseball.
| Coastal Plain League Alumni Drafted In 2023 Major League Draft | ||||||
| Round | Overall | Player | College/University | MLB Team Drafted By | CPL Team(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | Wyatt Langford | Florida | Texas | Peninsula ’22 | |
| 2 | 57 | Ben Williamson | William & Mary | Seattle | Tri-City ’21 | |
| 2C | 69 | Joe Whitman | Purdue/Kent State | San Francisco | Holly Springs ’21 | |
| 3 | 78 | Brock Vradenburg | Michigan State | Miami | Lexington County ’21, ’22 | |
| 3 | 99 | Jake Bloss | Georgetown | Houston | HPThomasville ’20, ’21, ’22 | |
| 4 | 113 | Will Sanders | South Carolina | Chicago (NL) | Lexington County ’20 | |
| 4 | 131 | Cam Fisher | Charlotte | Houston | Forest City ’21, ’22 | |
| 5 | 139 | Nathan Dettmer | Texas A&M | Oakland | Savannah ’21 | |
| 6 | 187 | Brody Hopkins | Winthrop | Seattle | Florence ’21 / Lexington County ’22 | |
| 7 | 210 | Scott Bandura | Princeton | San Francisco | Wilmington ’22 | |
| 8 | 226 | Jackson Finley | Georgia Tech | Oakland | Savannah ’20 | |
| 8 | 241 | Braxton Bragg | Dallas Baptist | Baltimore | Wilson ’21 | |
| 9 | 259 | Jacob Widener | Oral Roberts | Kansas City | Martinsville ’21 | |
| 9 | 262 | Ben McCabe | Central Florida | Colorado | Peninsula ’20 | |
| 9 | 265 | Kyle Amendt | Dallas Baptist | Arizona | Holly Springs ’22 | |
| 9 | 273 | Dalton Fowler | Memphis | Tampa Bay | Spartanburg ’21 | |
| 9 | 281 | Ryan Wilson | Davidson | San Diego | Holly Springs ’21 | |
| 10 | 285 | Phillip Glasser | Youngstown State/Indiana | Washington | Morehead City ’21 | |
| 10 | 286 | Tom Reisinger | East Stroudsburg | Oakland | Wilmington ’22, ’23 | |
| 10 | 289 | Justin Johnson | Lafayette/Wake Forest | Kansas City | Morehead City ’21 / HP-Thomasville ’22 | |
| 11 | 317 | Magdiel Cotto | Kentucky | Pittsburgh | Lexington County ’21 | |
| 12 | 349 | Logan Martin | Kentucky | Kansas City | Holly Springs ’22 | |
| 13 | 380 | Brett Callahan | St. Joseph’s | Detroit | Holly Springs ’22 | |
| 13 | 381 | Will Privette | College of Charleston | Minnesota | Lexington County ’21 | |
| 13 | 396 | Ben Simon | Elon | New York (NL) | Holly Springs ’21 | |
| 13 | 399 | Will Verdung | Itawamba JC/Southern Mississippi | Atlanta | HPThomasville ’23 | |
| 14 | 409 | Mason Miller | Florida Gulf Coast | Kansas City | Peninsula ’22 | |
| 14 | 410 | David Smith | Connecticut | Detroit | Wilmington ’21 | |
| 15 | 457 | Carson Jones | Virginia Tech | Seattle | Tri-City ’21 | |
| 16 | 472 | Austin Emener | East Tennessee State | Colorado | Macon ’22, ’23 | |
| 16 | 476 | Daniel Brown | Campbell | Chicago (NL) | Holly Springs ’21 | |
| 16 | 479 | Weston Eberly | Columbia | Chicago (AL) | Wilson ’22 | |
| 16 | 485 | Tyler Bradt | East Carolina | St. Louis | Savannah ’22 | |
| 17 | 505 | Carlos Rey | Nova Southeastern | Arizona | Wilson ’21 | |
| 17 | 513 | Hayden Snelsire | Randolph-Macon | Tampa Bay | Tri-City ’22, ’23 | |
| 17 | 515 | Trey Paige | Delaware State | St. Louis | Wilson ’22 | |
| 19 | 565td> | Wyatt Crenshaw | Colorado Christian/Arizona State | Arizona | Wilmington ’22 | |
| 19 | 578 | Josh Harlow | Mercer | Cleveland | Wilmington ’21, ’23 | |
| 19 | 582 | Cade Austin | South Carolina | New York (AL) | Lexington County ’21 | |
| 20 | 594 | Mac McCroskey | Oral Roberts | Los Angeles (AL) | Florence ’22 | |
| 20 | 600 | Nadir Lewis | Princeton | San Francisco | Boone ’23 | |
| 20 | 601 | Jalen Vasquez | South Carolina/North Greenville | Baltimore | Lexington County ’21 / Boone ’23 | |