Morehead City Marlins

Last updated

Morehead City Marlins
MoreheadCityMarlins.PNG
Information
League Coastal Plain League  (East)
Location Morehead City, NC
Ballpark O'Neal Field at Big Rock Stadium
Founded2010
Petitt Cup championships(2) 2018, 2019
Division championships(5) 2010 (South), 2018 (East), 2019 (East), 2022 (East), 2023 (East)
ColorsLight Blue and Black
MascotFinn the Marlin
OwnershipBuddy Bengel
CoachSam Carel
Website mhcmarlins.com

The Morehead City Marlins are a collegiate summer baseball team playing in the Coastal Plain League (CPL). The team is based in Morehead City, North Carolina and plays its home games at O'Neal Field at Big Rock Stadium in Morehead City. The team began play in the CPL in the 2010 season and competes in the league's East division. [1]

Contents

History

The Marlins first game was on May 26, 2010 at the Outer Banks Daredevils, a game the Marlins won 4-3. [2] In Morehead City's inaugural season, the Marlins won the South Division and clinched a berth in the Pettit Cup Playoffs. In the 2010 Pettit Cup Playoffs, the Marlins were eliminated by the Edenton Steamers. Prior to 2016, 2010 was the only winning season in the brief history of the Morehead City Marlins franchise. Then, in 2018 and 2019, the Marlins won back-to-back Petitt Cup Championships under head coach Jesse Lancaster. The 2020 season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Marlins returned to Coastal Plain League play in 2021 in the East Division. They made the 2021 Petit Cup Championship but lost the series to Savannah.

Yearly records

SeasonManagerRecordPostseason Record
2010Jay Bergman34-201-2
2011Jay Bergman27-29
2012Brian McRae25-30
2013Jamie Sheetz24-32
2014Sam Carel19-31
2015Jason Wood24-29
2016Jason Wood30-250-1
2017Jesse Lancaster25-30
2018Jesse Lancaster34-142-0
2019Jesse Lancaster37-142-1
2021Jesse Lancaster29-141-2
2022Sam Carel37-101-2
2023Sam Carel32-151-2
2024Sam Carel25-21
Overall Record: 378-314 .546Division Titles: 5

Coaching staff

The Marlins are coached by fifth year head coach Sam Carel who comes to the Marlins after coaching stops as a head coach at Northwestern Oklahoma State University (2014–2017) and Jefferson College (MO) (2006–2014) where he led the Vikings to back to back NJCAA Division 1 World Series Appearances in 2011 and 2012. Carel was also an assistant coach in 2003 for the Missouri State Bears baseball team that was a participant in the NCAA Division 1 College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska. In his four years with the Marlins, Carel has an overall record of 113-77, along with capturing regular season Eastern Division titles in 2022 and 2023. In 2023, the Coastal Plain League named Carel the CPL Coach of the Year.

Rankings

In its inaugural season, Morehead City was ranked as high as 12th in the nation. [3] The Marlins have not been ranked since.

Location

The Morehead City Marlins play their home games at O'Neal Field at Big Rock Stadium, also home of the Morehead City Legion Post 46 baseball team. The stadium is located on Mayberry Loop Road in Morehead City, North Carolina.

The Marlins hosted the 2014 CPL All-Star Weekend at the "Rock."

Alumni

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Morehead City, North Carolina</span> City in North Carolina, United States

Morehead City is a port city in Carteret County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 8,661 at the 2010 census. Morehead City celebrated the 150th anniversary of its founding on May 5, 2007. It forms part of the Crystal Coast.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peninsula Pilots</span> Coastal Plain League baseball team

The Peninsula Pilots are an amateur baseball team in the Coastal Plain League, collegiate summer baseball league. The team plays its home games at the War Memorial Stadium in Hampton, Virginia. The Pilots first started participating in the Coastal Plain League in 2000. The Pilots are coached by Hank Morgan, a former player at Virginia Military Institute and Christopher Newport University.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coastal Plain League</span> US collegiate summer baseball league

The Coastal Plain League (CPL) is a wood-bat collegiate summer baseball league, featuring college players recruited from throughout the nation. The league takes its name from the Class D level Coastal Plain League which operated in the area from 1937 to 1952.

The Florence Flamingos are an amateur baseball team that plays in Florence, South Carolina. The Flamingos are part of the Coastal Plain League, the collegiate summer baseball league located in the American Southeast.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edenton Steamers</span> Coastal Plain League baseball team

The Edenton Steamers are a collegiate summer baseball team located in Edenton, North Carolina. Beginning in 2020 they will participate in the Tidewater Summer League. 2019 was the Steamers 22nd year as a member of the Coastal Plain League where they won 11 North Division titles and 7 East Division titles, three Petitt Cup Championships, and had a league-record 14-year streak (2004–2017) of posting a winning record, having made a playoff appearance in 13 of those seasons. Edenton also established a CPL standard by winning seven consecutive division-half titles from 2011 through the first half of 2014. In 2015 the Steamers capped the summer with its third Petitt Cup Championship, tied for the league record in that tally, and was named the Summer Collegiate Team of the Year by Perfect Game CrossChecker.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wilson Tobs</span> Coastal Plain League baseball team

The Wilson Tobs are an amateur baseball team playing in the Coastal Plain League, an NCAA-sanctioned collegiate summer baseball league. The team plays its home games at Fleming Stadium in Wilson, North Carolina. Today's Tobs were one of the original teams in the collegiate Coastal Plain League when the league was founded in 1997; prior to 1997 the town of Wilson hosted minor league teams throughout the 20th century. In 2005 the Coastal Plain League named the Tobs the CPL Organization of the Year. The Tobs' mascot has been a tobacco worm named Slugger since the 1999 season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lexington County Blowfish</span> Coastal Plain League baseball team

The Lexington County Blowfish are a summer collegiate baseball team in the Coastal Plain League. The team plays its home games at the Lexington County Baseball Stadium in unincorporated Lexington County, South Carolina. The Blowfish first started competing in the CPL during the 2006 season. During their first year in existence, the Blowfish led the Coastal Plain League in attendance and was voted the Coastal Plain League Organization of the Year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Asheboro ZooKeepers</span> Baseball team in Asheboro, North Carolina

The Asheboro ZooKeepers are an amateur baseball team playing in the Coastal Plain League. The team plays its home games at McCrary Park in Asheboro, North Carolina. The team is named for the North Carolina Zoo, which is in Asheboro. They were previously known as the Asheboro Copperheads until changing their name in 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gastonia Grizzlies</span> Baseball team in Gastonia, North Carolina

The Gastonia Grizzlies were a collegiate summer baseball team playing in the Coastal Plain League. The team played its home games at Sims Legion Park in Gastonia, North Carolina, where they were known for their unique promotional events and fireworks shows. It was reported in October 2020 that the team was moving to Spartanburg, South Carolina starting with the 2021 season. The team's new name was announced as the Spartanburgers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">High Point-Thomasville HiToms</span> Coastal Plain League baseball team

The High Point-Thomasville HiToms are a baseball team in the Coastal Plain League, a collegiate summer baseball league. The HiToms plays its home games at Historic Finch Field in Thomasville, North Carolina. The HiToms were one of the earlier teams to compete in the Coastal Plain League and started competing during the 1999 season. During their inaugural season, the team composed a record of 21 wins and 26 losses. The HiToms currently play in the West Division of the CPL, and are three-time Coastal Plain League Petitt Cup Champions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wilmington Sharks</span> Coastal Plain League baseball team

The Wilmington Sharks are an American baseball team in the East Division of the Coastal Plain League (CPL), a collegiate summer baseball league. The Sharks play their home games at Buck Hardee Field at Legion Stadium in Wilmington, North Carolina. Buck Hardee Field is more commonly referred to as "The Shark Tank."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Forest City Owls</span> Coastal Plain League baseball team

The Forest City Owls are a baseball team in the Coastal Plain League, a collegiate summer baseball league. The team played its inaugural 2008 season in Forest City, North Carolina after the same franchise, owned by Ken Silver, moved from Spartanburg, South Carolina in the offseason. The Owls play their home games at McNair Field, a new baseball stadium constructed near downtown Forest City by the municipal government utilizing town funds, private contributions, and more than $1 million in donations from Robert C. McNair, a Forest City native and owner of the NFL Houston Texans. The Owls won their home debut on Thursday, May 29, 2008, by a score of 4–2 over the Gastonia Grizzlies before 2,675 fans. McNair threw out the first pitch, and the Owls turned an ever-rare triple play in the top of the 6th inning.

Puck O'Neal Field at Big Rock Stadium is a baseball venue in Morehead City, North Carolina, United States. Also known as simply Big Rock Stadium, the venue is home to the Morehead City Marlins of the Coastal Plain League, a collegiate summer baseball league. The Marlins began play at the field for the 2010 season, after their arrival was announced in the fall of 2009.

The Peninsula Pilots was a primary name of the Minor League Baseball franchise located in Hampton, Virginia from 1963–1992. The Pilots played in the Class A Carolina League.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Holly Springs Salamanders</span> Coastal Plain League baseball team

The Holly Springs Salamanders are an amateur baseball team in the Coastal Plain League, collegiate summer baseball league. The team plays its home games at Ting Stadium in Holly Springs, North Carolina. The Salamanders are coached by Brian Rountree.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Savannah Bananas</span> Baseball team in Savannah, Georgia

The Savannah Bananas are an exhibition barnstorming baseball team based in Savannah, Georgia. The team was founded in 2016 and has played at Grayson Stadium since its inaugural season. Until 2022, the Bananas competed as a collegiate summer baseball team in the Coastal Plain League's (CPL) West division, where they won three Petitt Cup championships. However, after the growth of their alternate "Banana Ball" format, the team transitioned entirely to exhibition games against their partner touring teams, the Party Animals, the Firefighters, and the Texas Tailgaters, the newest and first non Savannah, Georgia based team, similar to the decades-long format of basketball's Harlem Globetrotters and their partner touring team, the Washington Generals. The team has been featured by ESPN, The Wall Street Journal, CNN 10, and Sports Illustrated because of its sports entertainment and viral videos.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Macon Bacon</span> Coastal Plain League baseball team

The Macon Bacon is a Georgia based wood-bat collegiate summer baseball team that began playing in the Coastal Plain League (CPL) in 2018. They have appeared in the league playoffs twice, and finished as the runner-up after a Championship appearance in their second season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spartanburgers</span> Coastal Plain League baseball team

The Spartanburgers were a collegiate summer baseball team playing in the Coastal Plain League in 2021. The team played its home games at Duncan Park in Spartanburg, South Carolina. The team, formerly the Gastonia Grizzlies, relocated from Gastonia, North Carolina for the 2021 season. The team name, announced in February 2021, was just the one word, not using the city name. On December 21, 2020, Wesley Brown was named head coach. The team played their first game on May 27, 2021, losing at home to the Lexington County Blowfish. The team's mascot was Tom 8-0, a giant ketchup bottle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tri-City Chili Peppers</span> Coastal Plain League baseball team

The Tri-City Chili Peppers are a collegiate summer baseball team playing in the Coastal Plain League. The team plays its home games at Shepherd Stadium in Colonial Heights, Virginia. The team joined the league in 2020 but didn't play due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Their first ever game was an 8-11 loss to the Holly Springs Salamanders on the road in North Carolina on Friday, May 28, 2021. Their first ever home game was a 10-8 win over the Wilson Tobs on Monday, May 31, 2021. On June 1, 2024, the Chili Peppers played under conditions they described as "Cosmic Baseball." The game was played under black lights, with glow-in-the-dark balls, bats, bases and uniforms.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Guy Smith Stadium</span> American sports venue

Guy Smith Stadium is a sports stadium in Greenville, North Carolina. It is primarily used for baseball and is the home of the Greenville Yard Gnomes, a collegiate summer baseball team in the Coastal Plain League.

References

  1. Pippin, Jannette (2009). "Morehead City Marlins coming to Big Rock Stadium". The Daily News . Jacksonville, North Carolina. Archived from the original on February 26, 2012. Retrieved November 18, 2009.
  2. "The Automated ScoreBook - Morehead City". www.coastalplain.com. Retrieved October 7, 2016.
  3. "Summer Collegiate: Top 30 Teams (7/26)". Perfect Game. Retrieved October 7, 2016.