Former Forest City Owl Bruce Zimmermann made his Major League debut September 17 for the Baltimore Orioles. Zimmermann earned the start on the mound, allowing five runs and striking out two over three innings of work in the Orioles 10-6 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays.

Zimmermann was drafted in the fifth round of the 2017 MLB Draft by the Atlanta Braves out of the University of Mount Olive. The left-hander was eventually traded to Baltimore in 2018 where he began to quickly rise through the Orioles system. In total he notched a career 3.20 ERA with 303 strikeouts across 298 innings pitched in three seasons of minor league play. Zimmermann was at the Orioles alternative training site before being added to the active roster in preparation for the second game of the team’s double header with Tampa Bay.

Zimmermann was the ace of the staff for the Owls during the 2015 summer, finishing with a 2.98 ERA and 60 strikeouts in 66 1/3 innings pitched. His debut marks the 139th all-time former CPL player to make their major league debut and the ninth of the 2020 MLB season. This debut also pushes the Owls’ major league alumni total to eight.

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 139 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.