The Morehead City Marlins took the Coastal Plain League’s East Division First Half Championship Sunday night after a 7-5 win over Tri-City. The win improved their record to 18-6 at the close of the first half of the 2022 CPL season.

The Marlins’ strength in the first half was its pitching, as they led the league with a 2.30 ERA. Leading the way has been ace Tyler Wehrle (Tiffin) and relievers Logan Garza (Texas A&M – Kingsville) and Reece Wissinger (Southeastern). Wehrle, a 6-3, 225-pound righty, has made five starts so far, going 2-0 with a 1.99 ERA. In 22 2/3 innings of work, he’s surrendered 11 runs – five earned – on 13 hits, while walking two and striking out 28. Meanwhile, Garza sports a perfect 0.00 ERA through 17 1/3 innings. The 5-11, 190-pound lefty has 11 hits, seven walks and a team-best 31 punch outs, helping him earn a 2-0 record with a pair of saves. Finally, Wissinger has also proven to be a strikeout machine, collecting 29 in 15 2/3 innings. The 6-5, 200-pound righthander has 10 hits, five runs – one earned – to go with five walks, all on his way to a 0.57 ERA with 3 saves.

At the plate, Morehead City has five batters swinging over .300 in the first half. Ben Watson (Elizabethtown College) is at the top of the list with a .414 average. Of his 29 hits, eight have been doubles and one a home run. He’s scored 19 runs and racked up 11 RBIs to go with 15 walks.

By clinching the division first half crown, Morehead City has earned a spot in the 2022 CPL Petitt Cup Playoffs. They will host game 1 of the East Division Championship on July 31 at Big Rock Stadium. Their opponent will be the winner of the second half in the East; with the winner of the best-of-three series advancing to the CPL Championship.

About Coastal Plain League:
The Coastal Plain League, brought to you by FloSports, is the nation’s premier summer collegiate baseball league. Now in its 26th season in 2022, the CPL features 14 franchises playing in Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia. To date, the CPL has had over 1,700 alumni drafted and 155 alums make their Major League debut – 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. 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.