2012 Season in Review

August 6, 2012 - Coastal Plain League (Coastal Plain)
Morehead City Marlins News Release


MOREHEAD CITY, N.C. - Finishing with an overall record of 25-30, the Morehead City Marlins missed the Coastal Plain League Petitt Cup Playoffs despite posting the eighth-best record in the league. However, the Marlins finished the season winning 11 of their final 12 games to make a playoff push and accomplished many other feats throughout the campaign. The following is a compilation of stats, facts and highlights about the 2012 Morehead City Marlins.

Entering their game against the Petersburg Generals on July 21, the Marlins sat at 14-29 overall and were five games out of a playoff spot with 12 games remaining. The Marlins defeated the Generals that night to spark an 11-game winning streak that saw the Fish defeat four playoff teams in the process. Entering the final day of the regular season the Marlins sat in playoff position, but the Martinsville Mustangs won the West Division second half title that evening, ensuring a playoff spot and bouncing the Marlins from contention.

On the season, the Marlins posted the seventh-best batting average in the CPL, finishing at an even .250. Offensively Morehead City was led junior Corey Bass (North Florida) who batted .305 and sophomore Chad Shannon (Johnson County Community College) who finished at .301. Sophomore Reed Gordy (McNeese State) arrived in Morehead City on July 4th and proceeded to hit .345 over 15 games while sophomore Ryan Cranmer (Newberry) batted .295.

Cranmer finished tied for the league-lead in home runs, finishing with a total of nine. Additionally, freshman Sal Annunziata (Seton Hall) was third on the circuit with seven dingers and was tied for second in the league with 38 RBIs. Red-shirt sophomore Sam Ott (Eastern Michigan) was a regular in the Marlins lineup, appearing in a team-high 54 of 55 games and leading the CPL in at-bats with 204.

On the mound, the Marlins finished with the eighth-best ERA in the league at 3.44, down over an entire run from the 2011 squad's mark of 4.46 as three Marlins starters finished the season with sub-3.00 ERAs. Junior Matt Wainman (William and Mary) finished third in the league in ERA (1.78) and strikeouts (56) in 50 2/3 innings pitched while walking just six batters. The Woodbridge, Va. native completed the summer with a 2-3 record in eight starts and ten appearances while tossing a pair of complete games. Wainman threw the best outing of the year for Morehead City on July 26 at Thomasville, when the southpaw threw a complete game shutout and allowed just three hits without walking a batter and struck out eight in a 2-0 win and was selected CPL Pitcher of the Week for the Week of July 23.

Also posting strong summers for the Marlins rotation were Taylor Robinson and Steve Landell. Robinson (UMASS-Lowell), a sophomore, led the Marlins with five wins and ended with a 2.91 ERA. The right-hander won his final two decisions, both against the Petersburg Generals and allowed just 46 hits in 55 2/3 innings of work. Landell (Southern Connecticut State) finished with a 2-3 record despite a 2.84 ERA. The junior started eight games for the Fish and allowed just 39 hits in 44 1/3 innings.

In the first season Big Rock Stadium offered beer, the Marlins saw a jump in attendance to 35,199 fans for an average of 1,467 per game, over 150 more per game than 2011. The Marlins broke a franchise record for single-game attendance on the second-to-last day of the season in a doubleheader against the Wilmington Sharks when they drew 2,426 fans. That night, "The Rock" hosted its first-ever musical performance when country music band Love and Theft played an acoustic set in between games. In addition, the Marlins hosted the United States Military All-Stars in an exhibition on June 21 in front of 2,020 fans and then the Team USA Collegiate National Team in another exhibition on June 27 in front of 2,117 patrons.

Notes: The Fish won four games in walk-off fashion... The Marlins were 12-1 when leading after eight innings... The 11-game winning streak was the longest in the CPL this season... Morehead City finished with the fourth-best record in the second half in all of the CPL at 15-13 after starting the half 4-12... 23 players saw time on the mound in 2012, including catchers Drew Woodall and Chace Mitchell and infielder Robbie Rea.

The Morehead City Marlins are a proud member of the Coastal Plain League, the nation's hottest summer collegiate baseball league. Celebrating its 16th season in 2012, the CPL features 14 teams playing in North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia. The CPL gives college players the chance to refine their skills with the use of wooden bats. Players are housed with local host families for the summer and past experiences have been very positive for both players and hosts. Furthermore, the CPL has had over 1,000 alumni drafted and 53 alums - including 2011 AL MVP and Cy Young winner Justin Verlander - make their Major League debut thus far. For more information on the Coastal Plain League, please visit the league website at www.coastalplain.com, and be sure to friend us on Facebook (at  www.facebook.com/coastalplainleague) and follow us via Twitter (at cpleague).For Marlins ticket and team information, please visit www.mhcmarlins.com.



Coastal Plain League Stories from August 6, 2012


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