Former Fayetteville SwampDog, Kodi Whitley, made his Major League debut July 26 for the St. Louis Cardinals. Whitley entered in relief in the seventh inning, allowing no hits, runs or walks while striking out one across his one inning of work in the Cardinals 5-1 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Whitley was drafted in the 27th round of the 2017 MLB Draft by the Cardinals out of the University of Mount Olive. The Clayton, N.C. native, was ranked as the Cardinals number 14 overall prospect after shooting up the minor league level in 2019, spending time at three different levels (Class A, AA and AAA) on his way to a 1.60 ERA across 67 1/3 innings. His play earned him an invitation to his first big league Spring Training in 2020 where he continued to impress to the point that the team added him to the Opening Day roster once the MLB season was finally able to get underway.

Whitley pitched during both the 2014 and 2015 season for the SwampDogs, accumulating a combined 2.56 ERA and 28 strikeouts over 31 2/3 innings pitched. His debut marks the 134th all-time former CPL player to make their major league debut and the fourth of the 2020 MLB season.

About Coastal Plain League:

The Coastal Plain League is the nation’s premier summer collegiate baseball league. Celebrating its 24th season in 2020, the CPL features 15 franchises playing in Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia. To date, the CPL has had over 1,600 alumni drafted and 134 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.