ZooKeepers reap All-Star credentials

Several players with Asheboro’s team were picked to be part of the CPL All-Star Game

ASHEBORO — Three members of the Asheboro ZooKeepers were tagged as starters for the Coastal Plain League All-Star Game.

Outfielder Kruise Newman, first baseman Yariel Diaz and second baseman Sal Laimo were in the starting lineup for the West team on Monday night.

All-Star activities were held Sunday and Monday at Luther Williams Field in Macon, Georgia. The summer league is comprised of college players.

Newman plays for Tennessee Wesleyan, while Diaz and Laimo were Barton College players who’ll play for USC Aiken next season.

Other ZooKeepers picked for the All-Star Game were catcher Seojun Oh (New Mexico Military Institute / High Point), left-handed pitcher Mason McDaniel (Presbyterian) and right-handed pitcher Joe Rauscher (USC Aiken)

Catcher Chase Waddell of the Wilson Tobs homered and was named CPL Hitter of the All-Star Game, helping the East to a 6-0 victory. He also drew a walk. Waddell was a member of the 2022 Asheboro team.

The West managed three hits, with Diaz and Laimo each providing a single, while Newman walked three times.

Rauscher pitched a scoreless inning, while McDaniel gave up two runs on Waddell’s homer in the fifth inning.

In Sunday’s skills competition, Evan Boudlin of Tri-City was the winner of the Home Run Derby, Charlie Bussey of the Wilson Tops claimed the outfield skills competition and Kazuya Jordan of the Peninsula Pilots was dubbed the fastest man.

Newman advanced to the second round in the Home Run Derby.

Recent regular-season results

The ZooKeepers won three consecutive games before losing 7-4 to the visiting High Point-Thomasville HiToms on Saturday night at McCary Park.

That put Asheboro with a 17-11 record and tied for second place in the West Division at the time of the league’s All-Star break.

The ZooKeepers ripped the Florence Flamingos 14-5 in front of 1,291 on July 2. Eli Hammill homered and Nathan Chrismon had three hits.

Davis Germann had a two-run triple in a six-run first inning. Caleb Cockerman was the winning pitcher with three innings of shutout relief.

The next night, McDaniel worked six innings from the mound in a 10-2 road victory against the Forest City Owls. Jarrett Pokrovsky smacked a two-run home run.

In some previous games, Jake Griffith, who was with Division II national champion Tampa, had an impact.

Griffith had four hits in a 10-4 road loss to the Holly Springs Salamanders.

Asheboro had a 7-6 loss to the Martinsville Mustangs, who scored five runs in the bottom of the ninth inning. Asheboro scored its six runs in the top of the first.

There was also a 5-4 triumph against the visiting Lexington County Blowfish 5-4 on an unearned run in the 10th inning. Jarrett Pokrovsky’s earlier home run helped the cause for the ZooKeepers.