DURHAM, N.C. – The Coastal Plain League announced this afternoon that Joe Davidson of the Lexington County Blowfish has been named the 2026 recipient of the Bruce Winkworth CPL Official Scorer of the Year award. This honor recognizes individuals who demonstrate outstanding accuracy, professionalism, and dedication in the crucial role of official scorer — a responsibility that includes scoring each game in real time using the iScore program, maintaining official records, and working with the league to ensure all player statistics are correct and up to date.

Davidson, a veteran scorer in the CPL, was selected for the award not only because of the solid job he does each game, but for the tireless dedication he exhibited this season to do what was necessary to get the games correct. With the league forced to switch stat providers just before the season, naturally all official scorers faced a bit of a learning curve, but they navigated the summer quite well across the board. Davidson had his own moments with the new program, but insisted that it was his responsibility to get the stats from his games right, even when the situation called for a complete reset.

Due to the newer program lacking the usual editing capabilities for an official scorer in real time for most of the season, often times scorers would need to report changes to the league to be submitted for correcting. For Davidson, he didn’t want the players waiting on his mistake to be corrected, so he would take his scorebook home and re-enter the game from scratch in the early morning, making the corrections as he went along, so that the box scores were correct by the time players started their day. It was this effort of going above and beyond that truly showed Davidson’s dedication and earned him this honor.

“Accuracy doesn’t have a curfew,” said Blowfish Co-Owner Bill Shanahan. “For Joe, the official scorekeeper for the Blowfish for the past six years, the final out isn’t the end of the game—it’s the final deadline to get the history right. If that means correcting a mistake after the stadium lights go out, Joe will do it, because his dedication to the truth of the game always outlasts the scoreboard.”

Completing his sixth season with the Blowfish in 2026, Davidson has become a valuable part of their and the league’s operation and to the players that take the field each night.

Winkworth, for whom the CPL Official Scorer of the Year award is named, was a lifelong baseball fan who learned to score games from his father and developed a love for strategy through games with his brother. He spent decades as an assistant sports information director at NC State, where he worked closely with the baseball program and influenced many in the game, including current CPL Deputy Commissioner Justin Sellers. Winkworth mentored Sellers in scoring and baseball rules, sparking his passion for the game and professional start in the CPL. In 2015, Sellers brought Winkworth into the league as the inaugural scorer for the Holly Springs Salamanders. Known for his humility, Winkworth never sought recognition and often joked he’d quit if given an award. He passed away in 2019 after an 18-month battle with lung cancer. In his honor, the Coastal Plain League renamed its Official Scorer of the Year award in memory of Winkworth to commemorate his legacy and lasting impact on the game.

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 215 alums make their Major League debut. Most notable alumni include Justin Verlander, Ryan Zimmerman, Mark Reynolds, Kevin Youkilis, Chris Taylor, Jake Cave, Alec Bohm, 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.

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