Steamers Wrap up 10th Straight Winning Season and Playoff Appearance
August 27, 2013 - Coastal Plain League (Coastal Plain)
Edenton Steamers News Release
EDENTON, N.C - The Edenton Steamers of the Coastal Plain League celebrated their 16th season as members of the summer collegiate wood-bat league by completing their 10th straight season with a winning record and a playoff appearance, a CPL first. During the 2013 campaign Edenton broke or tied 14 franchise records, earned four CPL Player of the Week awards, clinched both first and second-half East Division titles and wrapped up the number-one seed for the Petitt Cup Playoffs for the third straight year.
As a team, along with their 10th consecutive winning season and a playoff appearance, the Steamers set new league marks by winning their sixth straight division-half title and fielding at a .975 clip. The Clams also tied their team WHIP record at 1.10 for a season.
The Steamers sustained success on the individual level as well in 2013. Nick Miller, Josh Hampton, Nick Thompson, Trent Miller, Adam Kirsch, Jake McCoy, Jacob Reese and Jeremy Bales all put their mark on the record book this summer for the teal and black.
Nick Miller excelled at the plate, in the field and on the mound for the Steamers this summer. The junior from University of Northern Colorado finished with a 5-1 mark and a 1.02 ERA, a new franchise record for a starting pitcher and good for third in the league at season's end. Miller allowed only six earned runs in 53.0 innings on the hill. He was honored with both an All-Star nod and a CPL Rawlings Pitcher of the Week Award throughout the season for his work as a pitcher. At the plate, Miller logged 115 at-bats, batting .287 with 33 hits, including six doubles and five home runs. Most impressively for Miller was his perfect 1.000 fielding average at first base. The Steamers awarded him with the seventh annual Gieseke Gold Award in 2013 for excellence on and off the field.
Hampton, a redshirt-junior from Wilmington University (DE) opened the 2013 summer on fire, earning the season's first CPL Rawlings Hitter of the Week selection and continued his hot hitting throughout, also being selected as an All-Star in 2013. He wrapped up the summer batting .313 in 48 games, all at third base. His 42 RBIs led all hitters in the CPL and he led the team and finished fourth in the circuit with 56 hits, also scoring 34 runs. Hampton hit 10 doubles, paced the team and ended tied for the league lead with four triples and tied for second in the CPL with nine home runs. He was second in the league in total bases with 101, fourth in the league in slugging average at .564 and went 10 of 12 in stolen bases. At season's end Hampton was awarded the Goodman Glove Award, given to the best Steamer defender throughout the course of the summer.
Thompson is an infielder/outfielder from East Carolina University who routinely showed his willingness to put the team first by logging time at second base, left field and alternating between leadoff and fifth in the order throughout the summer campaign. The sophomore was also one of the most productive bats in the league for Edenton, batting .297 in 46 games for the teal and black and earning an All-Star nod. He led the CPL in runs scored with 42 and his 41 walks set a new Steamer standard. Thompson also hit nine home runs, which was tied for the team lead and good for second in the league, tied with his teammate Josh Hampton. He finished atop the leader board in slugging average at .594, second in the league with a .471 OBP and he set a new franchise record with a 1.065 OPS, which was also tops in the CPL; his 39 RBIs were good for third in the league. Thompson added four sacrifice flies, tying him for third in the league, and his 82 total bases were fifth overall. He was awarded the Ebersole Heart and Soul Award at season's end.
Trent Miller served as a first baseman/outfielder for the Steamers in 2013. Coming to Edenton from Middle Tennessee State University, the junior finished second in the league and tops on the Steamers with a .347 batting average, 32 RBIs, which was fourth on the team and he went 10-14 in stolen base attempts. His .540 slugging average and seven home runs were both good for fifth in the CPL at summer's end and he picked up an All-Star selection as well as a CPL Rawlings Hitter of the Week award.
Kirsch, a returner in 2013, served primarily as the designated hitter for the teal and black. The redshirt-junior from Texas Tech University led all hitters in the CPL and set a new Steamer franchise mark with 22 two-baggers. Along with the doubles, Kirsch added 42 hits and 36 RBIs, both third on the team, an All-Star selection and he was the CPL All-Star Hitting Challenge winner, smacking 21 home runs during the contest and becoming the first Steamer to ever win the competition.
Jake McCoy, a redshirt-freshman from the College of the Desert (CA) was the closer this summer for the Steamers. McCoy tied the Steamers franchise record for wins in a season with seven and led all Coastal Plain League closers with 11 saves during the summer. In 22 appearances for the righty, he led the league in games finished (22) and was tied for second in the CPL with appearances, adding a 2.05 ERA and recording 33 strikeouts in just 30.2 innings pitched for the season. McCoy was chosen as a 2013 CPL All-Star for his work this summer.
Reese, from Eastern Illinois University, served as a catcher this summer for the Clams. The junior hit .226 in 25 games but excelled defensively behind the plate for Edenton. He committed just one error all season long in 206 chances, good for a fielding average of .995, which tied the Steamers franchise record for the position. Reese was also tabbed as an All-Star in 2013, throwing out two runners in the CPL classic to help the East squad pick up the victory.
Bales, the side-winding relief pitcher from Lee University (TN), pitched 19.1 innings for the Steamers. In that time on the mound he allowed just one earned run all summer long for a 0.47 ERA. That ERA mark tied the Steamers franchise record for ERA by a relief pitcher. The redshirt-junior allowed only 13 hits and issued just three walks to 18 strikeouts, then added another seven and one-third innings in the Petitt Cup Playoffs, allowing no earned runs.
The Steamers led the CPL and set a franchise record with eight All-Star selections in 2013. Along with Nick Miller, Hampton, Thompson, Trent Miller, Kirsch, McCoy and Reese was right-handed pitcher Connor Cuff (University of Pennsylvania) and Steamers head coach Bryan Hill, who was the head coach of the East squad. Hill also brought home the CPL Coach of the Year award, the third consecutive Steamer skipper to do so.
Edenton wrapped up both first and second-half East Division titles for the second consecutive season and 2013 marked the third consecutive season they have won both first and second half division titles (2011 North Division). Edenton made quick work of the competition on its way to winning both half-division titles, finishing the 2013 first half with a record of 20-6. The Steamers showed their consistency throughout the second half of the season, being ranked in the top four in the nation of summer collegiate teams according to Perfect Game CrossChecker all summer, reaching as high as third during the season. Their final summer collegiate ranking of sixth is the highest final designation in franchise history. They finished the second half of the season with a 20-5 ledger and once again clinched the East Division half title. The Steamers overall record of 40-11 earned them the top seed heading into the CPL Petitt Cup Playoffs for the third year in a row. By clinching both division-half titles in 2013, Edenton has now won six halves in a row dating back to 2011, a league record, and have 15 in franchise history.
The Edenton Steamers are a proud member of the Coastal Plain League, the nation's hottest summer collegiate baseball league. Celebrating its 17th season in 2013, 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 63 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 (as cplbaseball).
Coastal Plain League Stories from August 27, 2013
- Steamers Wrap up 10th Straight Winning Season and Playoff Appearance - Edenton Steamers
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