Former Wilmington Shark Alec Bohm was selected number three overall in the 2018 MLB Draft by the Philadelphia Phillies. Bohm was joined by the Savannah Bananas’s Jameson Hannah and fellow Shark Ryan Jeffers as day one selections.

The story goes that when Bohm, of Wichita State, first arrived in Wilmington and caught a ride straight to the stadium, without yet having a chance to speak to anyone, he stepped on the field and mashed nine home runs to make a strong impression on all of his new teammates and coaches who looked on. From there he continued to make an impression on the entire league finishing the season as a Hitter of the Year candidate.

In total he had a .330 batting average helping him to a league-leading 51 RBIs to go along with 11 home runs and 12 doubles for a .522 slugging percentage on the year. He was named to the 2016 CPL All-Star Game where he also competed and won the All-Star Home Run Derby. Bohm was also a member of the 2016 All-CPL First Team.

Also selected on day one of the MLB Draft was former Savannah All-Star Jameson Hannah who helped lead the Bananas to a 2016 CPL Championship in their inaugural season. Hannah was picked by the Oakland Athletics in the second round of the draft, number 50 overall. He finished the 2016 season with the second-best batting average in the league at .371 while also notching 12 doubles, one triple and four home runs. The Dallas Baptist outfielder was a catalyst for the team all season as scored 34 runs while also driving in 34.

The final former CPL player to hear his name called on day one of the draft was another 2016 Wilmington Shark, Ryan Jeffers, who went in the second round to the Minnesota Twins as th 59th overall pick. Jeffers notched seven doubles, one triple and two home runs across 87 at-bats while also pitching in three games for the Sharks, not allowing run and giving up only one hit while striking out four over three innings of work.

The 2018 MLB Draft continues tomorrow, June 5, with rounds 3-10 before concluding on Wednesday, June 6, with rounds 11-40. A full recap, including a list of every former CPL player selected will be posted at the conclusion of the draft.

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 114 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 CoastalPlain.com, and be sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat @CPLBaseball.