The Coastal Plain League announced today that MJ Rookard of Macon was named Hitter of the Week, while Paul Haul Jr. of Peninsula earned Pitcher of the Week honors on a historic week three of the CPL regular season (June 16 – June 22.) CPL Players of the Week are brought to you by Trackman Baseball, providing players and coaches next-generation analytical data all season long.
Playing as a post-eligibility senior (PEP), meaning he has recently finished up his final season of eligibility, Rookard has was near unstoppable in week three. It was a week that included the Middle Georgia State product achieving a rare Super Cycle on June 17 versus the Lexington County Blowfish when he completed a cycle in only four at-bats and followed it up with a walk in each of his final two plate appearances. Overall on the week Rookard finished with a blistering .524 batting average to go along with two doubles, one triple, two home runs and 11 total hits across 21 at-bats, while also driving in eight for an even 1.000 slugging percentage. The outfielder also showed a good eye at the plate, drawing three walks to push his on-base percentage to .655, helping him steal three bases and score 13 runs for the Bacon on the week.
On the mound, Paul Hall Jr. made his 2019 debut in historic fashion throwing a no-hitter versus the Wilson Tobs on June 18 in the second game of a doubleheader. Also playing as a PEP, the Lenoir-Rhyne product put the clamps on a Tobs offense that ranks in the top five of the league in runs scored, striking out nine and walking only two across his complete-game seven inning shutout. The left-hander needed only 85 pitches on the night, tossing 54 for strikes on his way to a 1-0 record on the year. Hall returns to the CPL after a successful 2018 campaign for the Pilots that included him representing the team on the CPL Select Team that played the USA Collegiate National Team in late June.
About Coastal Plain League:
The Coastal Plain League is the nation’s premier summer collegiate baseball league. Heading into its 23rd season in 2019, 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 122 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.