The Coastal Plain League has had a long-lasting relationship with USA Baseball, welcoming the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team (CNT) to its ballparks since 2006.
During the 2015 summer, a pair of Coastal Plain League teams – Holly Springs and Peninsula – will travel to the USA Baseball National Training Complex (NTC) in Cary, N.C. to face the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team in exhibition contests on June 20 and 21 respectively. Additionally, for the second straight summer, a CPL Select Team will be put together to play the Collegiate National Team at the NTC on June 24. The 2015 USA Baseball Collegiate National Team – CPL Tour is presented by Baseball America.
“Once again we are happy to partner up with USA Baseball on these games, said CPL Commissioner Justin Sellers. “This season marks our sixth consecutive season where players in the CPL are offered this unique opportunity to share the field with the Red, White, and Blue. It is always great working with Eric Campbell and the staff at USA baseball; and we look forward to a memorable three games this summer for our players, coaches and fans.”
This will mark the sixth straight year teams from the CPL will participate in exhibition games versus the Collegiate National Team.
The tour will kick off with the CPL’s newest member, the Holly Springs Salamanders, taking on the Collegiate National Team on Saturday, June 20, at 7 p.m., followed by the Peninsula Pilots on Sunday, June 21 at 6 p.m. Last season, Peninsula became the first CPL club to post a win over the CNT with a 7-5-comeback victory in Hampton, Va.
To cap off the tour, for the second straight year, the CPL Select Team will play the CNT on Wednesday, June 24 at 3 p.m. The CPL Select Team, comprised of the league’s best players at each position across both divisions proved to be a noteworthy matchup last season and should offer the same in 2015. A committee of league coaches, league officials and Major League scouts will help put the CPL Select Team together. The roster will be broken down as follows: catchers (3), first basemen (2), second basemen (2), shortstops (2), third basemen (2), outfielders (seven), and pitchers (6).
“With a short tour this summer, I am once again so pleased that the Coastal Plain League continues to work with USA Baseball to prepare the collegiate national team for its international competition,” said Eric Campbell, USA Baseball’s General Manager of National Teams. “I am proud to call the CPL a partner and a great friend in the game of baseball. In my time working with the league, I have seen the CPL emerge as one of the top opportunities for the continued development of the college baseball player. We look forward to a wonderful set of games this summer.”
Fans interested in attending any of these games can contact USA Baseball (http://www.usabaseball.com) for ticket information or the two away clubs – the Salamanders (http://www.salamandersbaseball.com) and Pilots (http://www.peninsulapilots.com).
In addition to hosting the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team, teams in the Coastal Plain League have also welcomed and played other international teams in the past, including the Japanese Collegiate All-Stars, Chinese Taipei, and the Russian National Team. In fact, the CPL’s High Point-Thomasville HiToms franchise will play host to Chinese Taipei on Sunday, June 21, 2016, at Historic Finch Field in Thomasville, N.C. Game time is 5 p.m. For more information, fans can visit http://www.hitoms.com.
2015 USA Baseball CNT at CPL Schedule
Saturday, June 20 (7 p.m.): USA Baseball CNT 3, Holly Springs Salamanders 1 (in Cary, N.C.): Box Score Play-by-Play Recap
Sunday, June 21 (6 p.m.): Peninsula Pilots 7, USA Baseball CNT 5 (in Cary, N.C.): Box Score Play-by-Play Recap
Wednesday, June 24 (3 p.m.): USA Baseball CNT 7, CPL Select Team 0 (in Cary, N.C.): Box Score Play-by-Play Recap