Coastal Plain League - Randolph Record

31 Jul

Asheboro ZooKeepers end season with flourish

Bob SuttonSportsAsheboro Zookeepers, Coastal Plain League, College baseball, Hunter Atkins, Korey Dunbar, McCrary Park, summer college baseball

Nick Capozzi of the Asheboro ZooKeepers takes a swing. (Randolph Record) ASHEBORO – At the beginning of the final week of the Coastal Plain League baseball season, the Asheboro ZooKeepers rallied from a four-run deficit and used a bunch of late-game dramatics to pull out a victory. Perhaps it was a fitting scenario for the team, which showed resiliency on that night at McCrary Park and for the rest of the week. “Big wins, it feels nice,” said outfielder Owen Blackledge. “Baseball is a whole lot more fun when you’re winning.” Blackledge smashed a seventh-inning grand slam in that uprising…

23 Jul

Former standout McPeak holds Asheboro ZooKeepers coaching role

Bob SuttonSportsAsheboro Zookeepers, Coastal Plain League, College baseball, Lenoir-Rhyne, summer college baseball, Tyler McPeak

Tyler McPeak (Photo courtesy of Asheboro ZooKeepers) Ex-teammates view Tyler McPeak in a different capacity ASHEBORO – Tyler McPeak found so much to appreciate about the Asheboro ZooKeepers that he came back for another season. But he’s a coach now instead of one of the best players. McPeak is making the transition during the Coastal Plain League season after finishing his final collegiate season in the spring for Lenoir-Rhyne. “I was fortunate to play for Coach (Korey) Dunbar last summer,” McPeak said. “I figured I’d give coaching a shot.” McPeak was second-team All-South Atlantic Conference first baseman for Lenoir-Ryne this…

17 Jul

Clemson pitcher embraces Asheboro mound time with ZooKeepers

Bob SuttonSportsAsheboro Zookeepers, Clemson Tigers, Coastal Plain League, College baseball, Noah Samol, summer college baseball

Noah Samol (Courtesy photo) ASHEBORO – Noah Samol still holds big aspirations as a college pitcher, and he came to Asheboro this summer to help get those on track. Samol is a Clemson pitcher who has taken the mound for the Asheboro ZooKeepers in the Coastal Plain League. “Glad to be out here,” Samol said. “You just got to go somewhere and just pitch.” It has been far from a simple path to this point. The start-and-stop nature of Samol’s baseball experiences began several years ago. He had Tommy John surgery as a high school sophomore in Mason, Ohio. He…

16 Jul

Padres select ZooKeepers’ Evans in draft

Bob SuttonSportsArizona Diamondbacks, Asheboro Zookeepers, Coastal Plain League, College baseball, Lenoir-Rhyne, pro baseball, Ryan Waldschmidt, San Diego Padres, summer college baseball, Zach Evans

Zach Evans (Asheboro ZooKeepers photo) Former Asheboro player picked by Diamondbacks ASHEBORO – Asheboro ZooKeepers shortstop Zach Evans was selected in the ninth round of baseball’s amateur draft Monday. Evans, a college player for Lenoir-Rhyne, was picked by the San Diego Padres with the 270th pick overall. Evans has been playing with the ZooKeepers in the Coastal Plain League, which is a summer circuit for college players. He batted .338 with five home runs in 31 games. Evans is the 10th player in Lenoir-Rhyne’s baseball history to be picked in the draft. He’s the school’s first draftee in six years…

10 Jul

Close games prove costly for ZooKeepers

Randolph RecordSportsAsheboro Zookeepers, Coastal Plain League, College baseball, Lenoir-Rhyne, McCrary Park, Owen Blackledge, summer college baseball, Zach Evans

Zach Evans takes a swing during a recent game for the Asheboro ZooKeepers. (P.J. Ward-Brown / Randolph Record) ASHEBORO – The Asheboro ZooKeepers were involved in a bunch of close games heading into the Coastal Plain League’s all-star break. Not all of those outcomes worked out well for the ZooKeepers. So when play resumed this week, the ZooKeepers were in sixth place in the eight-team West Division with a 5-6 second-half record in the split season. The ZooKeepers ended last week with a pair of games with the High Point-Thomasville HiToms. Asheboro outfielder Owen Blackledge was dubbed the top hitter…

03 Jul

Atkins, four other ZooKeepers picked for CPL All-Star Game

Bob SuttonSportsAll-star game, Asheboro Zookeepers, Coastal Plain League, College baseball, Hunter Atkins, Randleman baseball, summer college baseball

Nic Schutte fires a pitch for the Asheboro ZooKeepers during last week’s victory against High Point-Thomasville. (PJ Ward-Brown / Randolph Record) ASHEBORO – Third baseman Hunter Atkins of the Asheboro ZooKeepers is one of the team’s five selections for the upcoming Coastal Plain League All-Star Game. Atkins, a third baseman from Randleman, will join second baseman Sal Laimo and pitchers Mason Maniquez, Noah Samol and Dylan Dickert on the West team. The CPL All-Star activities will be held Sunday and Monday in Forest City. Atkins began this week with a team-best .306 batting average in 23 games. He had knocked…

26 Jun

Blackledge builds own career with Asheboro ZooKeepers

Bob SuttonSportsAsheboro Zookeepers, Coastal Plain League, College baseball, Lenoir-Rhyne, Owen Blackledge, summer college baseball

Owen Blackledge has brought energy to the Asheboro ZooKeepers for a second summer. (Courtesy of Asheboro ZooKeepers) Son of former NFL quarterback makes good use of time in Asheboro ASHEBORO – At about this time last year, Owen Blackledge had just left Omaha, Neb., where he was a member of a College World Series team. While some goals and destinations have changed, Blackledge is now in the middle of his second season with the Asheboro ZooKeepers. The rising senior outfielder knows how to make adjustments. He once played collegiately for national power Texas Christian University and now has one year…

17 Jun

Ex-Randleman standout Atkins looks for new baseball home

Bob SuttonSportsAsheboro Zookeepers, Coastal Plain League, College baseball, Hunter Atkins, Randleman Tigers, Randolph County Post 45, summer college baseball, UNCG

Hunter Atkins (Bob Sutton / Randolph Record) ASHEBORO – Former Randleman baseball standout Hunter Atkins said playing for the Asheboro ZooKeepers this summer is a treat. It’s also serving as an audition. After one season in UNC Greensboro’s program, Atkins has entered the NCAA transfer portal. That puts more emphasis on the third baseman’s production for the ZooKeepers in the Coastal Plain League. “Trying to get some stats up and see if I can get to a good home,” Atkins said. Atkins had a redshirt season in 2024, so he never took the field for UNCG. The Spartans had a…

11 Jun

ZooKeepers experience early ups, downs in CPL

Randolph RecordSportsAsheboro Zookeepers, Coastal Plain League, College baseball, McCrary Park, summer college baseball

Asheboro ZooKeepers teammates greet Alex Kean after his home run Saturday night against the Boone Bigfoots. (Asheboro ZooKeepers) ASHEBORO – A mix of results has been the norm for the Asheboro ZooKeepers in the opening weeks of the Coastal Plain League baseball season. So with a two-game winning streak, the ZooKeepers held a 6-7 record through Monday. On Sunday in Boone, Ryan Kennell and Zach Evans each had three hits as the ZooKeepers upended the Boone Bigfoots 9-8 in 10 innings. Davis Germann provided the go-ahead single in the four-run final inning. Owen Simmons and Mason Manriquez handled the pitching…

30 May

Asheboro ZooKeepers crank up with busy baseball slate

Bob SuttonSportsAsheboro Zookeepers, Coastal Plain League, College baseball, Hunter Atkins, Korey Dunbar, summer college baseball

James Hankerson Jr. has been active early in the season for the Asheboro ZooKeepers. (Courtesy photo) College summer team looks for right blend ASHEBORO – More winning is one of the objectives for the Asheboro ZooKeepers this year. There have been a few seasons of occupying low spots in the Coastal Plain League standings, but second-year head coach Korey Dunbar said there has been a good tone for the first week of the season. “We definitely want to win,” said shortstop Zach Evans, a rising senior at Lenoir-Rhyne. “There are a lot of people counting on us to win.” Dunbar…