DURHAM, N.C. – The Coastal Plain League (CPL) is proud to announced that seven alumni — Shane Drohan (Lexington County, 2018), Alex Hoppe (HPThomasville, 2020), Ryan Waldschmidt (Asheboro, 2022), TJ Shook (Lexington County, 2017 and 2018), Zach McCambley (Macon, 2018), Collin Price (Macon, 2020), and Beck Way (Gastonia, 2018) — have made their respective debuts in Major League Baseball (MLB) so far during the 2026 season..

Drohan, who spent the 2018 season with the Blowfish, led off with his debut on April 8 for Milwaukee. The left-hander, a fifth-round draft pick by Boston out of Florida State in 2020, started against the Red Sox at Fenway Park. While the outcome wasn’t what he wanted — taking the loss after allowing three earned runs on three hits and four walks in 2 2/3 innings — he did record his first MLB strikeout when he got Caleb Durbin swinging in the second inning. And unlike so many before him, he was able to make his debut agains the organization that drafted and developed him before trading him to the Brewers. Drohan appeared in two games, including a start, for Lexington County. He finished with a 0-1 record with a 1.80 ERA in five innings of work, surrendering just one run, earned, on three hits to go with five walks and eight strikeouts.

Entering in relief for Seattle in the seventh inning on April 27 at Minnesota, the hard-throwing right-hander made an immediate impression by striking out the first batter he faced, Matt Wallner, and then fanned the next two hitters as well, giving him three strikeouts for the night. Hoppe, who showcased his electric fastball-slider combination that night, finished giving up three runs on a pair of hits and walked three in 1 2/3 innings pitched. While with the High Point-Thomasville HiToms in 2020, Hoppe pitched 10 2/3 innings across eight appearances in relief. The UNC Greensboro product recorded a 7.59 ERA and 0-1 record, while giving up 11 runs, nine earned, on nine hits, walking 13 and punching out nine opposing batters.

Waldschmidt entered as a pinch hitter for Arizona in the eighth inning against the New York Mets on May 8. He wasted no time making an impact, lining a two-out single to left field in his first Major League at-bat. Unfortunately, he would be stranded there, as the Mets got out of the inning and went on to win 3-1 in 10 innings. The University of Kentucky product by way of Charleston Southern played in 25 games for the Asheboro ZooKeepers in 2022. He batted .229 with 18 runs, four doubles, a home run, and 10 RBIs. Waldschmidt also swiped 11 bases and drew 14 walks on his way to a .402 OBP.

The 6-4, 217-pound right-handed Shook made his debut on June 2 for the Colorado Rockies. Taking the mound to start the eighth inning, he delivered a scoreless inning of relief against the Los Angeles Angels, allowing just one hit and recording the first out of his big-league career before inducing an inning-ending double play to escape trouble. The South Carolina Gamecock didn’t travel far for summer ball, spending time with the Lexington County Blowfish for two summers. In 2017, he finished 2-0 with a low 1.89 ERA across 33 1/3 innings of work. In that time, he gave up just seven earned runs on 29 hits, while walking 13 and striking out 28. The next summer, Shook made three starts in four appearances, striking out seven in 15 innings and finishing with a 8.40 ERA.

Former Lexington County Blowfish standout TJ Shook realized a lifelong dream on June 2, 2026, when he made his Major League debut with the Colorado Rockies. The right-hander delivered Shook spent two summers with the Blowfish, posting a 2-0 record with a 1.89 ERA and 28 strikeouts in 33.1 innings during the 2017 season, then appearing in four games (three starts) in 2018 while continuing his development as a young pitcher. His debut marked the culmination of a six-year professional journey and added another former Blowfish player to the Major League ranks.

A pair of Macon Bacon alums, Zach McCambley and Collin Price, were next to debut on June 3 and June 4 respectively. McCambley made his first Big League appearance for Cincinnati, entering with one out in the ninth inning against Kansas City. The right-hander recorded the final two outs, striking out both Carter Jensen and nine-time All-Star Salvador Perez. He finished with 2/3 innings of scoreless baseball, one hit, one walk, and two strikeouts. McCambley made three starts for the Bacon during their inaugural season. He finished with a 1-1 record and low 1.17 ERA through 15 1/3 innings of work. The Coastal Carolina product gave up just two earned runs on 12 hits to go with three walks and 17 strikeouts.

Meanwhile, Price, spent the 2020 season with Macon while at Mercer. The catcher would later be drafted by Houston in 2022 and debuted with the Astros against Pittsburgh. Starting behind the dish, he 0-for-3 with a walk and two strikeouts. Price played in four games for the Bacon during the shortened season in 2020. He batted .250 with three hits to go with four runs, an RBI, four walks, and a .438 OBP.

Finally, Way debuted on the road for Kansas City on June 5 versus the Twins. He entered in relief to start the eighth and proceeded to strike out the first batter he saw, Josh Bell. A single to Orlando Arcia followed, but Way wasn’t fazed, getting the next two batters to line out and strike out swinging to end the frame and keep a perfect 0.00 ERA in tact. Hailing from Northwest Florida State College by way of Belmont Abbey, Way spent the 2018 summer with the Gastonia Grizzlies. He worked 12 2/3 innings across 10 appearances for the Grizzlies, finishing 0-3 with a 7.11 ERA. While he gave up 10 earned runs on 12 hits and walked another nine, he did strike out 16 opposing batters that summer.

With these seven debuts, the CPL now has seen 211 former players go on to reach the Majors.

Photo credits: Shane Drohan (Scott Paulus, Milwaukee Brewers), Alex Hoppe (Ben VanHouten/Seattle Mariners), Ryan Waldschmidt (Kelsey Grant/Arizona Diamondbacks), TJ Shook (Kyle Cooper/Colorado Rockies), Zach McCambley (The Cincinnati Reds LLC), Collin Price (Shlan Petros/Houston Astros), Beck Way (Kansas City Royals).

About Coastal Plain League:
The Coastal Plain League is the nation’s premier and most innovative summer collegiate baseball league. The CPL is currently comprised of 15 franchises playing in Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia. To date, the CPL has had over 1,800 alumni drafted, and 211 alums make their Major League debut. Most notable alumni include Justin Verlander, Ryan Zimmerman, Mark Reynolds, Kevin Youkilis, Chris Taylor, Jake Cave, Alec Bohm, Chas McCormick and NFL Super Bowl champion Russell Wilson. 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.

About Capitol Broadcasting Company:
Capitol Broadcasting Company, Inc. is a diversified communications company which owns and/or operates WRAL-TV, WRAZ-TV, WRAL-FM, WRAL-HD2, WNGT-CD, WCMC-FM, WCMC-HD1, WDNC-AM, WCMC-HD2, WCMC-HD3, WCLY-AM, WCMC-HD4, Microspace, WRAL Digital and Wolfpack Sports Properties (a joint venture with Learfield) in Raleigh, NC; WILM-TV, WILT-LD and Sunrise Broadcasting in Wilmington, NC; The Durham Bulls Baseball Club, Bull City Hospitality and Coastal Plain League in Durham, NC; the Holly Springs Salamanders in Holly Springs, NC; the Zebulon Devil Dogz in Zebulon, NC; the American Underground startup hub in Durham, NC; and real estate interests including the American Tobacco Historic District in Durham, NC, and Rocky Mount Mills in Rocky Mount, NC.