Petitt Cup Caps Outstanding Season for Edenton
September 18, 2015 - Coastal Plain League (Coastal Plain)
Edenton Steamers News Release
EDENTON, NC - The Edenton Steamers turned in one of the best seasons in franchise history in 2015. Finishing with a 46-17 record, the Teal and Black returned the Petitt Cup to Edenton for the first time since 2005.
The Steamers jumped out to an excellent start, winning 10 of their first 12 games and stringing together a seven-game winning streak. The Clams put on a show for the home crowd with two walk-off wins in their first three games at Historic Hicks Field. Demetre Taylor knocked a two-run double to give Edenton a 2-1 victory over the Wilson Tobs on May 29, and Hunter Newman launched a solo shot over the left-field wall to break a 6-6 tie with the Florence RedWolves on June 1.
On Saturday, June 6, Zach Prendergast put on one of the best pitching performances of the 2015 CPL season. The sophomore from Seton Hall tossed 8.2 innings without allowing the Peninsula Pilots to put a runner on base. The Pilots sent a pinch hitter to the plate in CJ Needham, and he snuck a ball over the right-field wall to break the perfect game and shutout. Prendergast completed the game with 13 strikeouts while allowing one run on two hits.
The Coastal Plain League assembled a select team to take on Team USA's collegiate national team on June 24. The Steamers sent five players to the select game. Chance Shepard, Chad Sedio and Demetre Taylor went as position players, and Edenton sent pitchers Matt Festa and Dylan Zarosky. The Teal and Black pitching tandem combined to throw 1.2 innings of scoreless baseball.
The Steamers finished the first half of the season with a 20-7 record, clinching the first half East Division title. The title also clinched Edenton's 12th successive appearance in the postseason, an ongoing CPL record.
Manager Bryan Hill completed his third season at the helm of the Steamers this summer, and on July 8, he reached a mark that no other Edenton skipper has ever hit. The Clams took game one of a doubleheader against the Morehead City Marlins by a score of 5-2, giving Coach Hill his 100th regular season win with Edenton.
On July 12 and 13, the CPL's 15 teams sent their best players to Florence, SC, for the home run derby and the CPL All Star Game. Edenton sent a league-high seven players, including Chad Sedio, Evan Rogers, Chance Shepard, Demetre Taylor, David Bednar, Zach Prendergast and Dylan Zarosky. Bednar garnered the defensive player of the game honors, pitching a one-two-three inning with two strikeouts.
The Clams were just as successful in the second half as they were in the first, bringing home 20 more wins and ending the regular season with a CPL-best 40-15 record. To go along with the top seed in the Petitt Cup Playoffs, the Steamers set six team franchise records, one of which was a CPL record, and six players set a total of 12 individual franchise records, four of which were CPL records.
Chad Sedio of Miami (OH) University put together one of the best seasons at the plate in franchise history. The junior from Medina, OH, set franchise records for home runs (16), batting average (.403) and RBI (49). Sedio also set new CPL marks for slugging percentage (.769), OPS (1.234) and total bases (143).
The Steamers carried their wave of momentum into the first round of the Petitt Cup Playoffs, where they faced the Holly Springs Salamanders. Game one proved to be a tough contest as the Clams and Salamanders took a 2-2 stalemate into the 11th inning. After Julian Russell led off the top of the inning with a walk, Chance Shepard cracked a shot over the scoreboard in left to give Edenton a 4-2 lead it would hold through the rest of the game.
After poor weather forced a double header, Holly Springs jumped on a sluggish Steamers offense to claim a 4-2 win in game two and even the series. In the second game of the twin bill and final game of the series, the Teal and Black silenced all doubters with a six-run first inning. The Steamers went on to win the contest 7-0 to advance to the East Division Championship Series.
The Wilmington Sharks would be Edenton's toughest foe in the postseason. The Clams appeared to have the upper hand after game one, winning by a decisive score of 8-3. However, the Sharks came to Edenton and served the Steamers their worst home loss of the year in game two. In a dominating performance, the Sharks outhit Edenton 18-7 en route to a 13-3 victory to force a game three.
Wilmington came out with the same fire to start the final game of the series, and the Steamers found themselves in a 4-0 hole in the bottom of the fourth. Columbia University product Nick Maguire stepped to the plate with the bases loaded and two outs and tied the score with a dinger over the center-field wall. Maguire's grand slam appeared to give the Clams the momentum, but the Sharks tacked on two more runs to leave Edenton trailing 6-4 in the bottom of the eighth. Julian Russell led off the frame with a walk, and Mick Fennell singled to put runners on first and second for Chad Sedio. A double from the Steamer's left fielder plated a run and put two runners in scoring position. Two batters later, Maguire came through again with a two-run double to give the Teal and Black the lead. Dylan Zarosky closed out the ninth, stranding runners on first and third to send Edenton to the Petitt Cup Championship.
The Edenton Steamers met a familiar face in the championship series. The Steamers fell one game short of a Petitt Cup Championship against the Gastonia Grizzlies in 2011, but the 2015 squad quickly proved that this year would be different. An eight-run fourth inning in game one gave the Clams a sizeable lead they wouldn't relinquish. The Steamers went on to win 15-3, giving them two chances to claim the Petitt Cup at Historic Hicks Field.
The Teal and Black jumped ahead quickly in game two with three runs in the third. After adding a run in both the fourth and fifth inning, it appeared the Steamers would cruise to their final victory. However, a three-run home run from Sammy Taormina gave Gastonia new life. Edenton remained calm, adding another run in the seventh to bring the score to 6-3. The Clams blew the game open with four more runs in the eighth to give themselves a comfortable 10-3 lead. Devan Watts closed out the game for the Steamers, allowing one run while sealing Edenton's third Petitt Cup Championship in franchise history.
In 2015, Edenton saw one of its best teams in the history of the franchise. The 2015 squad was one that maintained a high enough level of play to be the best team in the Coastal Plain League week in and week out. This year's Steamers not only rewrote the franchise record books, but they garnered enough national attention to finish the summer ranked as the fourth best collegiate summer league team in the country, according to Collegiate Summer Baseball Rankings.
Edenton also had a few individuals recognized for their performances during the summer. The Steamers took both the Hitter and Pitcher of the Year awards. The team's best hitter, Chad Sedio, took home Hitter of the Year, while ace pitcher Zach Prendergast was named the CPL's Pitcher of the Year. Manager Bryan Hill was also recognized at the end of the season. Hill was named the CPL's Coach of the Year.
The Teal and Black could not have asked for a much better summer. The 2015 team set a standard of excellence that will challenge the next team the comes through Edenton, and it will be up to next summer's squad to continue to raise the bar as the Edenton Steamers look to make history every season.
The Coastal Plain League is the nation's hottest summer collegiate baseball league. Celebrating its 19th season in 2015, the CPL features 15 teams playing in North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia. The CPL has had over 1,200 alumni drafted and 79 of those - including 2011 AL MVP and Cy Young winner Justin Verlander - make their Major League debut; while another notable alum - Russell Wilson - won Super Bowl XLVIII. For more information on the Coastal Plain League, please visit the league website at www.coastalplain.com and follow us via Twitter @CPLBaseball.
Coastal Plain League Stories from September 18, 2015
- Petitt Cup Caps Outstanding Season for Edenton - Edenton Steamers
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