Former Edenton Steamer Matt Festa made his Major League debut July 14 for the Seattle Mariners. Festa entered in relief of the Mariners 4-1 loss to the Colorado Rockies, not allowing a run over his two-thirds of an inning.

Festa was drafted in the seventh round of the 2016 MLB Draft by the Mariners out of East Stroudsburg University where he was named an All-American after his senior season. The right-hander held a 3.13 ERA with 13 saves and 44 strikeouts across 28 games and 31 2/3 innings pitched at the AA level this season. Despite his ranking as one of the team’s top relief prospects, it came as a surprise to see him make the jump straight to the majors without a stop in AAA first, a surprise even to Festa himself.

Festa spent the 2015 season with the Steamers, pitching his way on to the CPL Select Team that was formed to take on the USA Collegiate National team and finishing the year with a 3.09 ERA across seven starts and 43 2/3 innings while striking out 35. Festa marks the seventh former CPL player to make their major league debut in 2018, and the 116th all-time. His debut also pushes Edenton’s major league alumni total to 14 all-time.

About Coastal Plain League:

The Coastal Plain League is the nation’s premier summer collegiate baseball league. Heading into its 22nd season in 2018, the CPL features 16 franchises playing in Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia.  To date, the CPL has had over 1,450 alumni drafted and 116 alums – 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 – make their Major League debut.  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 Snapchat @CPLBaseball.