Edenton Steamers
Encyclopedia
The Edenton Steamers are a collegiate summer baseball team located in Edenton, North Carolina
, and one of fifteen teams that compete from May-August in the Coastal Plain League
. 2011 was the Steamers 14th year as a member of the CPL and they hold 11 North Division titles, two Petitt Cup Championships, and are currently on an eight-year streak (2004-2011) of posting a winning record and making a playoff appearance.
Steamers players are recruited from colleges around the United States. The team's nickname and logo reflects steamed clam
s.
, Peninsula Pilots
, Petersburg Generals
, and the Wilson Tobs
. The CPL’s South Division consists of the Columbia Blowfish
, Fayetteville Swampdogs
, Florence Red Wolves
, Morehead City Marlins
, and the Wilmington Sharks
. Making up the CPL’s West Division are the Asheboro Copperheads
, Forest City Owls
, Gastonia Grizzlies, Martinsville Mustangs
, and Thomasville Hi-Toms
.
The current CPL was created in 1997 by Pete Bock and was originally six teams, all located in North Carolina. Now in 2011 the league has grown to 15 teams that play a 56-game schedule with 28 home games.
home, located adjacent to John A. Holmes High School in Edenton, NC. Seating capacity for Hicks Field is 1,200, all of which is wooden grandstands. Historic Hicks Field was home to the CPL All-Star game in 2001, when the North All-Stars defeated the South All-Stars 1-0, and was voted the second best summer collegiate baseball venue in the nation by Baseball America in 2004. Historic Hicks Field is the smallest field in the CPL in both capacity and dimensions. It is 300 feet down the left field line, 336 feet to left-center, 350 feet to straightaway centerfield, 330 feet to right-center, and 298 feet on the right field line.
In 1997 Pete Bock visited Edenton and during lunch he overheard talk of an old baseball field that was in disrepair but had great potential. Bock, who was commissioner of the newly formed Coastal Plain League
, was actively looking for places within the Carolinas and Virginia to place new franchises. From that lunch conversation, the idea for the Edenton Steamers was born.
On May 29th, 1998 the Edenton franchise opened its inaugural season securing a 7-4 victory over Rocky Mount
in 11 innings. In 1998 the Steamers played a 47-game schedule and finished 14-33, placing them 6th in the Coastal Plain League. The Steamers enjoyed its first winning record the second year of operations with a 27-23 mark in 1999.
The 2000 and 2001 summer seasons were not as successful for the Steamers as their season records dropped back to 20-24 and 21-29, respectively.
The 2002 campaign started more promisingly with the Steamers winning its first North Division as champion for the first half of the season. Unfortunately the second half was plagued by injuries and the Steamers struggled in the latter stages, ending 9-15 and a 24-25 record for the season. The Edenton closer that summer, Ryan Sadowski
, would later go on to pitch in the Major Leagues with the San Francisco Giants
in 2009 as the second Steamer alumnus to reach The Show.
2003 was a frustrating year for Steamer fans as they produced the worst win-loss record ever in Edenton history at 12-34, placing last in both halves of the season in the North Division.
With a first league championship under its belt, the momentum continued in 2005 with the return of manager Joel Tremblay. Edenton won the North Division first and second halves again and finished with a record of 34-19 for the season, the most wins ever in the CPL for a single season at the time. Edenton secured the top seed in the Petitt Cup tournament and defended its title beating Florence in the championship game by a score of 9-2 under the direction of promoted assistant coach David Scoggin, who assumed manager duties midseason following a collegiate promotion for Tremblay. Mid-summer signee and second half closer Joe Smith would go on to become a third round draft selection of the New York Mets in 2006. He was the first former Steamer to appear in the Majors when he debuted for the New York Mets
the following spring in 2007. Smith is currently part of the Cleveland Indians
bullpen.
The Steamers strived to make the 2006 season a Coastal Plain League
benchmark with a third consecutive championship. David Scoggin returned to lead the team to a fifth straight divisional title winning the first half of the season in the North. The five consecutive half titles is still a league record. Edenton battled Peninsula in the second half for a sixth in a row but finished a game behind the Pilots. With a 34-20 tally going into the league playoffs, Edenton's run at history came to an end and the team was ousted in the first round of the tournament. This staff would produce yet another closer that would later reach the big leagues when Greg Holland appeared in 2010 for the Kansas City Royals
, the Steamers third Major League alum. Edenton's ace pitcher that summer, Evan Scribner, became the fourth and most recent alumnus to appear in the big leagues when he debuted for the San Diego Padres on April 26, 2011.
2008 saw the Steamers register another first half North Division championship with Jason Krug as manager. The season-ending 35-20 record earned Edenton the second seed in the postseason Petitt Cup tournament. Following two consecutive first-round eliminations, Edenton advanced to the final four before bowing out in the semifinals. A Steamer hitter took home the league batting crown for the second summer in a row when Brett Nommensen fashioned a franchise-record .377 figure; he also paced the circuit with a .462 on-base average. Closer Luke Demko led the CPL in appearances (27) and saves (15, a Steamer record) and was rewarded with the Gieseke Gold Award for that summer. Nommensen is presently in the Tampa Bay Rays
minor league system.
Edenton welcomed back Marty Smith as manager in 2009 following some of his record-setting success in 2007 but he encountered decidedly more adversity during his second tour. For the first time since 2003 the Steamers failed to win either division half title or eclipse thirty wins. The 29-27 regular season slate did maintain the run of successive winning seasons and saw the Teal and Black enter the postseason as the seventh of eight seeds, only to lose in the first round once more for the third time in four years. A surprising number of player casualties to professional baseball, four in the June draft and one more as a free agent at the CPL All-Star game, provided the backdrop for a great effort of over achievement. Starting Pitcher Todd Roth took home Gieseke Gold honors; Jake Magner slugged .540 with 12 home runs to establish franchise records in both categories; and Keith Couch (now in the Red Sox system) issued only four bases on balls in 67.2 innings pitched.
The 2010 Coastal Plain League campaign was a return to prestige of sorts in Edenton. Captaining the ship was Josh Scott, who had served as pitching coach in 2007 on Marty Smith's first staff. For the second straight summer however, Edenton did not bring home a North Division half championship. With identical 18-10 first half marks, the Wilson Tobs defeated the Steamers in the tiebreaker contest. A 32-24 final mark put Edenton in the sixth seed for the postseason and began a seemingly improbable run that ended in Forest City, taking the top-seeded Owls to a decisive game three at their stadium to decide the Petitt Cup champion. The magic ended there and the Steamers finished with great pride as league runner up and an ongoing CPL-record seven winning seasons in a row.
2010 marked the first time in club history that a Steamer won either of the major individual postseason awards when relief pitcher Coty Saranthus was named Rawlings Defensive Player of the Year, which is the de facto CPL Pitcher of the Year honor. Saranthus led the league, and set or tied Edenton franchise records in the first four categories, in ERA (0.68), WHIP (0.51), batting average against (.107), wins (7), and appearances (30). For the third time in four years, the CPL batting title went to a Steamer hitter when shortstop A.J. Rusbarsky ended the regular season at .345; he also led the league in hits (69), sacrifice bunts (19), and assists (180), the latter two are also both franchise records in Edenton. He capped this remarkable performance by winning the first Goodman Glove Award for defensive excellence in a Steamers uniform. It is named in honor of the late Livy Goodman, a leader for many years on the Steamers ownership board who also organized the Clambake events, an annual mid-winter fundraiser for the team. Gieseke Gold Award winner Brian Billigen led the league and set a Steamer record with five triples. His status as the top five-tool talent (bat, power, speed, defense, arm) in franchise history was on display daily and later illuminated when he was named a 2010 CPL Top Ten Prospect by both Baseball America
and Perfect Game Crosschecker. Brian Blasik scored the most runs in the CPL (39) helped by his club record 15 doubles, while Mark Montgomery set the all-time league best for strikeout ratio by a reliever (1.93 K/IP) when he fanned 54 in 28 innings.
On the individual level, Joey Wendle had one of the most impressive seasons in franchise history. He set a new record for hits in a single season in the CPL with 81, along with establishing a franchise best for assists by a second baseman with 158, and he tied the franchise mark for batting average in a season at .377. The lefty hitter also had a 21-game hitting streak and a 36-game on-base streak, as well as being named to the 2011 CPL National All-Star team. Wendle was the 2011 recipient of the Gieseke Gold Award and concluded his summer honors by being named a Perfect Game CrossChecker Summer All-American at second base and a 2011 CPL Top Ten Prospect by Baseball America. Ryan Brenner set the franchise mark for stolen bases in a season, with 35, and putouts by an outfielder with 124. Brenner was awarded the second annual Goodman Glove Award. Coach Kinney capped his season off by being named the 2011 CPL Coach of the Year after leading his Steamers to a 49-14 overall mark and making a run to the Petitt Cup Championship series.
2011 hitting coach Stephen "Mo" Moritz will assume head coach duties in 2012 for Edenton.
Minor League Alumni:
Edenton, North Carolina
Edenton is a town in Chowan County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 4,966 at the 2008 census. It is the county seat of Chowan County. Edenton is located in North Carolina's Inner Banks region. In recent years Edenton has become a popular retirement location and a destination for...
, and one of fifteen teams that compete from May-August in the Coastal Plain League
Coastal Plain League
The Coastal Plain League is a wood-bat collegiate summer league, featuring college players from throughout the nation. The league takes its name from a Class D minor league baseball league which operated in the same area from 1937 to 1952. The modern league was formed with six teams in 1997...
. 2011 was the Steamers 14th year as a member of the CPL and they hold 11 North Division titles, two Petitt Cup Championships, and are currently on an eight-year streak (2004-2011) of posting a winning record and making a playoff appearance.
Steamers players are recruited from colleges around the United States. The team's nickname and logo reflects steamed clam
Clam
The word "clam" can be applied to freshwater mussels, and other freshwater bivalves, as well as marine bivalves.In the United States, "clam" can be used in several different ways: one, as a general term covering all bivalve molluscs...
s.
CPL and the Steamers
The Edenton Steamers began play in the Coastal Plain League (CPL) in 1998, the league’s sophomore season and are members of the CPL’s North Division along with the Outer Banks DaredevilsOuter Banks Daredevils
The Outer Banks Daredevils are an amateur baseball team playing in the Coastal Plain League, a collegiate summer baseball league. The team plays its home games at the First Flight Baseball Complex in Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina. The Daredevils were one of the original teams in the Coastal...
, Peninsula Pilots
Peninsula Pilots
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...
, Petersburg Generals
Petersburg Generals
The Petersburg Generals are an amateur baseball team in the Coastal Plain League, a collegiate summer baseball league. The team plays its home games at the Petersburg Sports Complex in Petersburg, Virginia. The Generals first started participating in the Coastal Plain League in 2000...
, and the Wilson Tobs
Wilson Tobs
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 Historic Fleming Stadium in Wilson, North Carolina. The Tobs were one of the original teams in the Coastal Plain League when the...
. The CPL’s South Division consists of the Columbia Blowfish
Columbia Blowfish
The Columbia Blowfish are an amateur baseball team in the Coastal Plain League, a collegiate summer baseball league. The team plays its home games at the Capital City Stadium in Columbia, South Carolina...
, Fayetteville Swampdogs
Fayetteville Swampdogs
The Fayetteville Swampdogs are a collegiate summer baseball team playing in the Coastal Plain League. The team plays its home games at J. P. Riddle Stadium, which is often nicknamed "The Swamp", in Fayetteville, North Carolina...
, Florence Red Wolves
Florence Red Wolves
The Florence Red Wolves are an amateur baseball team that plays in Florence, South Carolina. The Florence Red Wolves are part of the Coastal Plain League, the collegiate summer baseball league located in the American Southeast.-History:...
, Morehead City Marlins
Morehead City Marlins
The Morehead City Marlins are a collegiate summer baseball team playing in the Coastal Plain League . 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...
, and the Wilmington Sharks
Wilmington Sharks
The Wilmington Sharks are a baseball team in the Coastal Plain League, a collegiate summer baseball league. The Sharks play their home games at Buck Hardee Field at Legion Stadium in Wilmington, North Carolina. The Sharks are a pioneer member of the Coastal Plain League, and they have been part of...
. Making up the CPL’s West Division are the Asheboro Copperheads
Asheboro Copperheads
The Asheboro Copperheads are an amateur baseball team playing in the Coastal Plain League. The team plays its home games at McCrary Park in Asheboro, North Carolina.-History:...
, Forest City Owls
Forest City Owls
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...
, Gastonia Grizzlies, Martinsville Mustangs
Martinsville Mustangs
The Martinsville Mustangs are a baseball team in the Coastal Plain League, a collegiate summer baseball league. The team plays its home games at Hooker Field in Martinsville, Virginia. The Mustangs first started participating in the Coastal Plain League during the 2005 season compiling a record of...
, and Thomasville Hi-Toms
Thomasville Hi-Toms
The Thomasville HiToms are a baseball team in the Coastal Plain League, a collegiate summer baseball league. The team 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 first started...
.
The current CPL was created in 1997 by Pete Bock and was originally six teams, all located in North Carolina. Now in 2011 the league has grown to 15 teams that play a 56-game schedule with 28 home games.
Historic Hicks Field
Edenton calls Historic Hicks FieldHistoric Hicks Field
Historic Hicks Field is a baseball stadium located in Edenton, North Carolina. The stadium is home to the John A. Holmes High School Aces as well as the Edenton Steamers of the Coastal Plain League....
home, located adjacent to John A. Holmes High School in Edenton, NC. Seating capacity for Hicks Field is 1,200, all of which is wooden grandstands. Historic Hicks Field was home to the CPL All-Star game in 2001, when the North All-Stars defeated the South All-Stars 1-0, and was voted the second best summer collegiate baseball venue in the nation by Baseball America in 2004. Historic Hicks Field is the smallest field in the CPL in both capacity and dimensions. It is 300 feet down the left field line, 336 feet to left-center, 350 feet to straightaway centerfield, 330 feet to right-center, and 298 feet on the right field line.
Early years and modern rebirth
Throughout the 1940s and 1950s, the Edenton Colonials called Hicks Field home. The Colonials played in three different leagues: the Albemarle, the Virginia, and finally the D-class Coastal Plain League in 1952, folding after that season.In 1997 Pete Bock visited Edenton and during lunch he overheard talk of an old baseball field that was in disrepair but had great potential. Bock, who was commissioner of the newly formed Coastal Plain League
Coastal Plain League
The Coastal Plain League is a wood-bat collegiate summer league, featuring college players from throughout the nation. The league takes its name from a Class D minor league baseball league which operated in the same area from 1937 to 1952. The modern league was formed with six teams in 1997...
, was actively looking for places within the Carolinas and Virginia to place new franchises. From that lunch conversation, the idea for the Edenton Steamers was born.
On May 29th, 1998 the Edenton franchise opened its inaugural season securing a 7-4 victory over Rocky Mount
Rocky Mount
Rocky Mount is the name of:*Rocky Mount, Alabama*Rocky Mount, Georgia*Rocky Mount, Missouri*Rocky Mount, North Carolina**Rocky Mount **Rocky Mount Athletic Complex**Rocky Mount High School**Rocky Mount Instruments...
in 11 innings. In 1998 the Steamers played a 47-game schedule and finished 14-33, placing them 6th in the Coastal Plain League. The Steamers enjoyed its first winning record the second year of operations with a 27-23 mark in 1999.
The 2000 and 2001 summer seasons were not as successful for the Steamers as their season records dropped back to 20-24 and 21-29, respectively.
The 2002 campaign started more promisingly with the Steamers winning its first North Division as champion for the first half of the season. Unfortunately the second half was plagued by injuries and the Steamers struggled in the latter stages, ending 9-15 and a 24-25 record for the season. The Edenton closer that summer, Ryan Sadowski
Ryan Sadowski
Ryan Keith Sadowski is an American baseball pitcher for the Lotte Giants in the Korea Baseball Organization. Sadowski attended the University of Florida, where he pitched for the school's baseball team...
, would later go on to pitch in the Major Leagues with the San Francisco Giants
San Francisco Giants
The San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the National League West Division....
in 2009 as the second Steamer alumnus to reach The Show.
2003 was a frustrating year for Steamer fans as they produced the worst win-loss record ever in Edenton history at 12-34, placing last in both halves of the season in the North Division.
Joel Tremblay-David Scoggin era (2004-2006)
The tide turned in 2004 with manager Joel Tremblay at the helm. A preview of what was in store came in the form of a 13-game winning streak to start the season, a feat that still stands as a league standard. The Steamers garnered both the first and second half divisional titles en route to a 32-11-1 ledger and a then-record .739 winning average; it now ranks fifth all-time for a single season. To cap off the "worst to first" turnaround, the Steamers also won the Petitt Cup Championship for the first time in franchise history, defeating archrival Outer Banks 13-2 in the title game. Edenton also boasted the individual ERA leader that summer in Daniel Gemma at 1.05.With a first league championship under its belt, the momentum continued in 2005 with the return of manager Joel Tremblay. Edenton won the North Division first and second halves again and finished with a record of 34-19 for the season, the most wins ever in the CPL for a single season at the time. Edenton secured the top seed in the Petitt Cup tournament and defended its title beating Florence in the championship game by a score of 9-2 under the direction of promoted assistant coach David Scoggin, who assumed manager duties midseason following a collegiate promotion for Tremblay. Mid-summer signee and second half closer Joe Smith would go on to become a third round draft selection of the New York Mets in 2006. He was the first former Steamer to appear in the Majors when he debuted for the New York Mets
New York Mets
The New York Mets are a professional baseball team based in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York. They belong to Major League Baseball's National League East Division. One of baseball's first expansion teams, the Mets were founded in 1962 to replace New York's departed National League...
the following spring in 2007. Smith is currently part of the Cleveland Indians
Cleveland Indians
The Cleveland Indians are a professional baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Since , they have played in Progressive Field. The team's spring training facility is in Goodyear, Arizona...
bullpen.
The Steamers strived to make the 2006 season a Coastal Plain League
Coastal Plain League
The Coastal Plain League is a wood-bat collegiate summer league, featuring college players from throughout the nation. The league takes its name from a Class D minor league baseball league which operated in the same area from 1937 to 1952. The modern league was formed with six teams in 1997...
benchmark with a third consecutive championship. David Scoggin returned to lead the team to a fifth straight divisional title winning the first half of the season in the North. The five consecutive half titles is still a league record. Edenton battled Peninsula in the second half for a sixth in a row but finished a game behind the Pilots. With a 34-20 tally going into the league playoffs, Edenton's run at history came to an end and the team was ousted in the first round of the tournament. This staff would produce yet another closer that would later reach the big leagues when Greg Holland appeared in 2010 for the Kansas City Royals
Kansas City Royals
The Kansas City Royals are a Major League Baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals are a member of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From 1973 to the present, the Royals have played in Kauffman Stadium...
, the Steamers third Major League alum. Edenton's ace pitcher that summer, Evan Scribner, became the fourth and most recent alumnus to appear in the big leagues when he debuted for the San Diego Padres on April 26, 2011.
Marty Smith-Jason Krug-Josh Scott era (2007-2010)
Edenton hired a new manager for the 2007 season named Marty Smith. With his guidance Edenton repeated their first and second half divisional titles. Edenton recorded the best half-season record to date in franchise history (23-5 in the second half) and won the North by six games over Peninsula, finishing with a record of 39-16. Unfortunately, Edenton was dismissed again in the first round, this time by the Martinsville Mustangs. The win total stood as the most in club history until 2011. The passing of Edenton's organizational heart and soul, Gayle Gieseke, in the preceding fall inspired the creation of the Gieseke Gold Award and its inaugural winner was Brian Conley. Conley became the first Steamer to win a CPL batting title (.372). Edenton also featured the league leaders in on-base average (Conley, .472), stolen bases (Kevin Mattison, 30), and ERA (J.P. Primus, 1.22). Conley (Orioles) and Mattison (Marlins) went on to become professional minor league ballplayers. Pitcher Bobby Lanigan would become the highest-drafted Steamer player ever when the Minnesota Twins selected him 92nd overall (3rd round) in 2008.2008 saw the Steamers register another first half North Division championship with Jason Krug as manager. The season-ending 35-20 record earned Edenton the second seed in the postseason Petitt Cup tournament. Following two consecutive first-round eliminations, Edenton advanced to the final four before bowing out in the semifinals. A Steamer hitter took home the league batting crown for the second summer in a row when Brett Nommensen fashioned a franchise-record .377 figure; he also paced the circuit with a .462 on-base average. Closer Luke Demko led the CPL in appearances (27) and saves (15, a Steamer record) and was rewarded with the Gieseke Gold Award for that summer. Nommensen is presently in the Tampa Bay Rays
Tampa Bay Rays
The Tampa Bay Rays are a Major League Baseball team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Rays are a member of the Eastern Division of MLB's American League. Since their inception in , the club has played at Tropicana Field...
minor league system.
Edenton welcomed back Marty Smith as manager in 2009 following some of his record-setting success in 2007 but he encountered decidedly more adversity during his second tour. For the first time since 2003 the Steamers failed to win either division half title or eclipse thirty wins. The 29-27 regular season slate did maintain the run of successive winning seasons and saw the Teal and Black enter the postseason as the seventh of eight seeds, only to lose in the first round once more for the third time in four years. A surprising number of player casualties to professional baseball, four in the June draft and one more as a free agent at the CPL All-Star game, provided the backdrop for a great effort of over achievement. Starting Pitcher Todd Roth took home Gieseke Gold honors; Jake Magner slugged .540 with 12 home runs to establish franchise records in both categories; and Keith Couch (now in the Red Sox system) issued only four bases on balls in 67.2 innings pitched.
The 2010 Coastal Plain League campaign was a return to prestige of sorts in Edenton. Captaining the ship was Josh Scott, who had served as pitching coach in 2007 on Marty Smith's first staff. For the second straight summer however, Edenton did not bring home a North Division half championship. With identical 18-10 first half marks, the Wilson Tobs defeated the Steamers in the tiebreaker contest. A 32-24 final mark put Edenton in the sixth seed for the postseason and began a seemingly improbable run that ended in Forest City, taking the top-seeded Owls to a decisive game three at their stadium to decide the Petitt Cup champion. The magic ended there and the Steamers finished with great pride as league runner up and an ongoing CPL-record seven winning seasons in a row.
2010 marked the first time in club history that a Steamer won either of the major individual postseason awards when relief pitcher Coty Saranthus was named Rawlings Defensive Player of the Year, which is the de facto CPL Pitcher of the Year honor. Saranthus led the league, and set or tied Edenton franchise records in the first four categories, in ERA (0.68), WHIP (0.51), batting average against (.107), wins (7), and appearances (30). For the third time in four years, the CPL batting title went to a Steamer hitter when shortstop A.J. Rusbarsky ended the regular season at .345; he also led the league in hits (69), sacrifice bunts (19), and assists (180), the latter two are also both franchise records in Edenton. He capped this remarkable performance by winning the first Goodman Glove Award for defensive excellence in a Steamers uniform. It is named in honor of the late Livy Goodman, a leader for many years on the Steamers ownership board who also organized the Clambake events, an annual mid-winter fundraiser for the team. Gieseke Gold Award winner Brian Billigen led the league and set a Steamer record with five triples. His status as the top five-tool talent (bat, power, speed, defense, arm) in franchise history was on display daily and later illuminated when he was named a 2010 CPL Top Ten Prospect by both Baseball America
Baseball America
Baseball America is a magazine which covers baseball at every level, with a particular focus on up-and-coming players in high school, college, Japan, and the minor leagues. It is currently published in the form of a bi-weekly newspaper, five annual reference book titles, a weekly podcast, and a...
and Perfect Game Crosschecker. Brian Blasik scored the most runs in the CPL (39) helped by his club record 15 doubles, while Mark Montgomery set the all-time league best for strikeout ratio by a reliever (1.93 K/IP) when he fanned 54 in 28 innings.
Dirk Kinney-Stephen "Mo" Moritz era (2011-present)
In 2011 the Steamers concluded its most successful regular season in its 14-year history. This summer saw the Steamers break 13 franchise records, including setting six different Coastal Plain League marks, send six representatives to the All-Star festivities, clinch both first and second half North Division titles, earn the top seed in the Petitt Cup Playoffs, and hold the ranking of #1 summer collegiate team in the nation for five straight weeks according to Perfect Game CrossChecker. The Steamers set new franchise standards for wins, with 44, and a .800 winning percentage for the regular season. They slugged .399 and had an OPS of .787 to go along with 12 triples as a team. They set team marks in total bases with 756, stolen bases at 131, and held opposing hitters to their lowest batting average against ever at .210. To go along with the eight new franchise team records, the Steamers established six CPL marks during 2011. Those include consecutive winning seasons and playoff appearances, with their eighth in a row, and wins in a half with a 25-3 mark in the second half of the CPL season. They also set a new CPL record for on-base percentage as a team at .388, runs scored with 370, RBI with 322, and bases on balls with 280. The Steamers finished the 2011 campaign ranked seventh in the nation according to Perfect Game CrossChecker.On the individual level, Joey Wendle had one of the most impressive seasons in franchise history. He set a new record for hits in a single season in the CPL with 81, along with establishing a franchise best for assists by a second baseman with 158, and he tied the franchise mark for batting average in a season at .377. The lefty hitter also had a 21-game hitting streak and a 36-game on-base streak, as well as being named to the 2011 CPL National All-Star team. Wendle was the 2011 recipient of the Gieseke Gold Award and concluded his summer honors by being named a Perfect Game CrossChecker Summer All-American at second base and a 2011 CPL Top Ten Prospect by Baseball America. Ryan Brenner set the franchise mark for stolen bases in a season, with 35, and putouts by an outfielder with 124. Brenner was awarded the second annual Goodman Glove Award. Coach Kinney capped his season off by being named the 2011 CPL Coach of the Year after leading his Steamers to a 49-14 overall mark and making a run to the Petitt Cup Championship series.
2011 hitting coach Stephen "Mo" Moritz will assume head coach duties in 2012 for Edenton.
Championships
- 2002 North Division 1st Half Champions
- 2004 North Division 1st and 2nd Half Champions
- 2004 Coastal Plain League Champions
- 2005 North Division 1st and 2nd Half Champions
- 2005 Coastal Plain League Champions
- 2006 North Division 1st Half Champions
- 2007 North Division 1st and 2nd Half Champions
- 2008 North Division 1st Half Champions
- 2010 Coastal Plain League runner-up
- 2011 North Division 1st and 2nd Half Champions
- 2011 Coastal Plain League runner-up
Alumni (current professional affiliate players)
Major League Alumni:- Joe Smith, pitcher 2006 3rd Rd. NY Mets (2006-2008) Cleveland Indians (2009-Present)
- Greg HollandGreg Holland (baseball)Gregory Scott Holland is a right-handed baseball pitcher currently on the Kansas City Royals active roster....
, pitcher 2007 10th Rd. Kansas City Royals (2010-Present) - Evan ScribnerEvan ScribnerEvan Lee Scribner "The Scribbler" is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Oakland Athletics of Major League Baseball.-Career:...
, pitcher 2007 28th Rd. Arizona Diamondbacks; San Diego Padres (2011) - Ryan SadowskiRyan SadowskiRyan Keith Sadowski is an American baseball pitcher for the Lotte Giants in the Korea Baseball Organization. Sadowski attended the University of Florida, where he pitched for the school's baseball team...
, pitcher 2003 12th Rd. San Francisco Giants; no longer in professional baseball
Minor League Alumni:
- Brad Coon, outfielder 2005 15th Rd. Anaheim Angels; now in the Los Angeles Dodgers system
- Ryan Khoury, infielder 2006 12th Rd. Boston Red Sox
- Jeff KunkelJeff KunkelJeffrey William Kunkel is a former shortstop in Major League Baseball with the Texas Rangers and Chicago Cubs. The son of American League umpire Bill Kunkel, after receiving All-American honors as a shortstop, he was chosen in the first round of the 1983 Major League Baseball Draft out of Rider...
, catcher 2005 37th Rd. Detroit Tigers - Edgar Ramírez, pitcher 2006 36th Rd. NY Mets
- Skyler Stromsmoe, pitcher 2007 pre-draft free agent San Francisco Giants
- Bobby Lanigan, pitcher 2008 3rd Rd. Minnesota Twins
- Brad McElroy, outfielder 2008 25th Rd. Toronto Blue Jays
- Kevin Mattison, outfielder 2008 28th Rd. Florida Marlins
- Justin Freeman, pitcher 2008 32nd Rd. Cincinnati Reds
- Randy SchwartzRandy SchwartzDouglas Randall "Randy" Schwartz is a former Major League Baseball first baseman. Schwartz played for the Kansas City Athletics in and .-External links:*...
, infielder 2009 free agent Toronto Blue Jays - Brett Nommensen, outfielder, 2009 8th Rd. Tampa Bay Rays
- Murphy Smith, pitcher 2009 13th Rd. Oakland Athletics
- Daniel Calhoun, pitcher 2009 29th Rd. St. Louis Cardinals
- Coty Woods, pitcher 2009 33rd Rd. Colorado Rockies
- Vidal Nuño, pitcher 2009 48th Rd. Cleveland Indians; now in the New York Yankees system
- Kenneth Roberts, pitcher 2010 25th Rd. Colorado Rockies
- Keith Couch, pitcher 2010 13th Rd. Boston Red Sox
- Joe Zeller, pitcher 2010 28th Rd. Chicago Cubs
- Mark MontgomeryMark MontgomeryMark Anthony Montgomery is an American entrepreneur best known for his early use of B2C marketing and e-commerce channels in the entertainment industry...
, pitcher 2011 11th Rd. New York Yankees - Chris Bassitt, pitcher 2011 16th Rd. Chicago White Sox
- Joe DiRocco, pitcher 2011 21st Rd. Seattle Mariners
- Rhett Stafford, outfielder 2011 22nd Rd. Oakland Athletics
- Ryan Turner, pitcher 2011 32nd Rd. Tampa Bay Rays
- Billy BurnsBilly BurnsWilliam Burns was a footballer who played in the Football League for Stockport County and Stoke City. He was born in Durham, England.-References:...
, outfielder 2011 32nd Rd. Washington Nationals - Ian Tomkins, catcher 2011 50th Rd. Tampa Bay Rays
- Neiko Johnson, infielder 2011 post-draft free agent Houston Astros
- Randall ThompsonRandall ThompsonRandall Thompson was an American composer, particularly noted for his choral works.-Career:He attended Harvard University, became assistant professor of music and choir director at Wellesley College, and received a doctorate in music from the University of Rochester's Eastman School of Music...
, pitcher 2011 post-draft free agent Toronto Blue Jays - Ethan Cole, pitcher 2011 post-draft free agent St. Louis Cardinals