DURHAM, NC – In addition to being one of the more competitive summer collegiate leagues across the country, the Coastal Plain League (CPL) prides itself on being an innovative league that is not afraid to expand the game and tear down barriers. With that in mind, the league announced Tuesday afternoon that the upcoming season — its 29th overall — will feature the CPL’s first female player in Alexia Jorge.

A senior catcher at Saint Elizabeth University in Morristown, N.J., Jorge will join the Holly Springs Salamanders in a couple of weeks.

“Alexia joining the Salamanders marks an exciting moment for the Coastal Plain League,” said CPL Commissioner Chip Allen. “It reflects the continued growth and evolution of our game, and we’re proud to support opportunities like this across our league as we work to grow the game of baseball.”

Prior to starting her collegiate career at SEU in 2022, Jorge was the youngest player on the gold medal-winning U.S. Baseball Women’s National Team that participated in the 2019 Pan-American Championships. The U.S. went a perfect 7-0 in the tournament and outscored its opponents 124-20.

On April 12, 2022, she became just the second female to play the catcher position in a college baseball game after entering defensively in the sixth inning of game two of a doubleheader between SEU and Lehman. Under two years later, on March 3, 2024, she broke another barrier, becoming the second woman — behind Rivier University’s Marika Lyszczyk in 2020 — to start behind the dish in a collegiate game. Despite being hitless that game, she made up for it defensively, calling a strong game for a pitcher who ended up throwing a seven-inning complete game.

Last summer, she played for the Bergen Mallers of the Metropolitan Collegiate Baseball League (MCBL) before being invited by USA Baseball to be a part of a 38-player training camp squad to prepare for the WBSC Women’s Baseball World Cup Finals. While she didn’t make the final roster of 20, participating in the training camp was quite the memorable experience and honor.

Now, a new chapter begins in the CPL — one that sees her with an opportunity to pave the way for others in the future.

“I am super excited to get to play for Holly Springs this summer,” said Jorge. “Forever grateful for this opportunity, I’m looking forward to day one of the season. Let’s get to work!”

Like Jorge becoming the first female player in CPL history, the league has seen other ceilings broken for women in its history. The league has seen several female front office members promoted to key roles such as owners, general managers, assistant general managers, and executive positions within the league office. There have been female broadcasters and sideline reporters at both the team and league levels. But it hasn’t stopped just there, with the encouragement of changing the game on the field as well.

During the 2019 season, while partnered with Minor League Baseball Umpire Development for its umpires, the CPL welcomed its first female umpire in Greta Langhenry. Langhenry was on the bases in a two-umpire system in her debut game between Martinsville and Gastonia, and finished the season as a selected postseason umpire. A few years later, the Macon Bacon had the league’s first female assistant coach, Kianna Jones, who was promoted to head coach on May 30, 2022, after the usual skipper was not able to make a road trip due to a medical issue. Jones not only managed the game for Macon that night, but led the Bacon to an 8-5 victory against Forest City.

About Coastal Plain League:
The Coastal Plain League is the nation’s premier and most innovative summer collegiate baseball league. The CPL is currently comprised of 15 franchises playing in Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia. To date, the CPL has had over 1,800 alumni drafted, and 200 alums make their Major League debut. Most notable alumni include Justin Verlander, Ryan Zimmerman, Mark Reynolds, Kevin Youkilis, Chris Taylor, Alec Bohm, Jake Cave, Chas McCormick and NFL Super Bowl champion Russell Wilson. 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.

About Capitol Broadcasting Company:
Capitol Broadcasting Company, Inc. is a diversified communications company which owns and/or operates WRAL-TV, WRAZ-TV, WRAL-FM, WRAL-HD2, WNGT-CD, WCMC-FM, WCMC-HD1, WDNC-AM, WCMC-HD2, WCMC-HD3, WCLY-AM, WCMC-HD4, Microspace, WRAL Digital and Wolfpack Sports Properties (a joint venture with Learfield) in Raleigh, NC; WILM-TV, WILT-LD and Sunrise Broadcasting in Wilmington, NC; The Durham Bulls Baseball Club, Bull City Hospitality and Coastal Plain League in Durham, NC; The Holly Springs Salamanders in Holly Springs, NC; Greenville Yard Gnomes in Greenville, NC, the American Underground startup hub in Durham, NC; and real estate interests including the American Tobacco Historic District in Durham, NC, and Rocky Mount Mills in Rocky Mount, NC.