The Coastal Plain League has announced Matthew Parker of the High Point-Thomasville HiToms as the 2021 Bruce Winkworth CPL Scorekeeper of the Year. This was Parker’s first season with the HiToms and the tenth year the CPL has named a Scorekeeper of the Year.
“I’m excited to win this award, it’s something I have been working towards since I started this job,” said Jackson. “I think I have improved each season and always look forward to going to the ballpark every night. The atmosphere at Finch Field is amazing, there is nothing else like it. It never feels like work.”
A CPL scorekeeper holds duties such as scoring each game both in hard copy form, as well as updating the live stats in real time for fans following along at home. In addition to their nightly duties they are responsible for working closely with the league office in reviewing any scoring change requests that are sent in as well as making sure all players stats are correct on the league’s website. Parker was selected based on his ability to complete each of these tasks promptly and accurately, showing a great aptitude for the stats program and scoring a game overall. Furthermore, Parker showed a clear passion for the analytics and statistics side of the game of which was evident in his commitment to making sure his work was accurate.
“I really enjoyed my time in the CPL,” said Parker. “It was an opportunity to see high level baseball night in and night out as well as meet some great people. This award means a lot, the importance of statistics in baseball is constantly growing, so accurately keeping them is important, especially for our players.”
Parker is currently studying Sport Industry with a minor in Coaching Education and Statistics at Ohio State University. After graduation he hopes to work in professional baseball within the analytic and personnel departments.
Bruce Winkworth Award:
Bruce Winkworth became a baseball fan as a kid, learning from his father how to score the game in a scorebook, while picking up strategy by playing card games with his older brother. He worked for several decades as an assistant sports information director at NC State, overseeing baseball, wrestling, volleyball and cross country. While around the Wolfpack baseball program, Winkworth spent time with three different head coaches, countless assistants and players, assisted a number of reporters and influenced many others that met him along the way. One such person was Justin Sellers, whom Winkworth shared his passion for baseball with, nurturing him into a student of the game, including the rules and how to properly score. To this day, Sellers, now the Commissioner of the Coastal Plain League, credits his longtime mentor with igniting his love of the game and his start in the CPL. In 2015, Sellers had the opportunity to bring Winkworth in under the CPL umbrella as the official scorer of the newly formed Holly Springs Salamanders. Easily the most experienced scorekeeper in CPL history, Winkworth didn’t look for any recognition, stating quite seriously a number of times that he would quit if given an award as he felt he was simply doing the job he was hired to do. Just before the start of the 2019 season, Winkworth passed away following an 18-month battle with lung cancer. In an effort to honor and remember his contribution to the game we all love, the Coastal Plain League has dedicated its Scorekeeper of the Year Award in memory of Bruce Winkworth.
