HOLLY SPRINGS – The Coastal Plain League (CPL) had 52 current and former players selected in the 2024 Major League Baseball (MLB) Draft. This was the most players drafted since the draft lowered to 20 rounds. Leading off was Ryan Waldschmidt (Kentucky), who was taken by Arizona with the 31st pick. Waldschmidt played for the Asheboro ZooKeepers during the 2022 season.

In all, 26 players went in the first 10 rounds. Highlighting the draftees was 2022 CPL Pitcher of the Year, Dalton Pence (North Carolina) and 2023 CPL Hitter of the Year Brandon Eike (VCU). The Texas Rangers took Pence in the 11th round, while Eike went in the 13th round to the Seattle Mariners.

Pence spent the 2022 season with the Forest City Owls and led all league starters in 2022 with a 0.88 ERA to go with a 5-0 record and one save. In 41 innings of work, he surrendered just six runs – four earned – on 25 hits, while he walked nine and struck out 35. Numbers like those saw him selected a CPL All-Star and the starter on the mound for the West Division. He was also honored as a All-CPL First Team member following the season. Meanwhile, Eike played for the Tri-City Chili Peppers from 2021-23 and had a decorated career in the CPL, including two All-Star selections and two All-CPL First Team honors. In 2023, he led the league with a .398 average and .708 slugging percentage, and finished among the Top 5 in three other offensive categories: home runs (9), RBIs (36), and OPS (1.158). On the summer, Eike also tallied 45 hits, eight doubles, 12 walks, 27 runs scored and had an on-base percentage of .450.

The High-Point Thomasville HiToms led the CPL with eight player drafted, followed by Holly Springs with seven. Asheboro, Florence, Lexington County, Macon, and Morehead City each tallied four selections, while Peninsula, Tri-City, and Wilmington recorded three apiece. Next was Forest City, Martinsville, and Wilson with two, and first-year club, Greenville, with one. Former CPL teams, the Savannah Bananas and Spartanburgers, also saw alums taken with two and one respectively.

On the MLB side, the Arizona Diamondbacks and Seattle Mariners each selected four CPL players, while seven clubs – Colorado, Los Angeles (AL), Minnesota, Philadelphia, San Diego, St. Louis, and Texas – were next with three draftees apiece.

A complete list of CPL players taken is below.

2024 CPL DRAFTED PLAYERS

<strong>About Coastal Plain League:</strong>
The Coastal Plain League is the nation’s premier 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 193 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.

<strong>About Capitol Broadcasting Company:</strong>
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.