4 Blowfish Players Selected


By Noah Adcock-Howeth

Playing in their home ballpark, the Blowfish will be well represented in next week’s Coastal Plain League All Star Game.

Hosting the two-day event for the first time since 2018, the Blowfish will place four players on the Western Division’s roster including two who will be in the starting lineup. It’s the second year in a row that two of the West’s starting nine will be Blowfish players.

Ryan Ouzts earns his second All-Star game nod in as many years, and his first as a starter. The Gilbert native out of Presbyterian College made the All-Star game as an outfielder in 2022, but will be the starting catcher in this year’s festivities after serving as a full time backstop at the request of Blowfish manager KC Brown. Ouzts has played in 12 games and leads all CPL catchers in homers (5) and RBI (15), while showing off a strong arm behind the dish.

Outfielder Dariyan Pendergrass receives a starting outfield spot in his first year in the CPL after being a spark plug at the top of the Blowfish lineup. Pendergrass, who spent the last two years at Spartanburg Methodist College and will transfer to College of Charleston in the fall, is third in the CPL in steals at 19 and first in steals per game (1.27). The Hartsville native plays as more than just a speed demon, hitting .321 with 9 RBI in just 15 games while flashing premium range in center field.

Clemson Tiger Cooper Blauser was a late addition to the roster after the NCAA regionals, but he has made up for lost time in a big way. Playing three infield spots, the Georgia native was voted in as a second baseman and is hitting .421 in 14 games with the Blowfish. Blauser is 7 plate appearances short of qualifying for the CPL batting title, but his current average would have him top in the league, in part due to his current 7 game hitting streak. Blauser has All-Star pedigree to his name, as his father Jeff was voted to the Midsummer Classic twice with the Braves, in 1993 and 1997.

Lexington County’s final representative is its only pitcher, who happens to be the youngest pitcher in the entire CPL. 18 year old Cade Bouknight, a rising freshman from Batesburg-Leesville committed to USC-Aiken, signed on as a temporary player and never stopped performing. In 6 games, Bouknight has produced a 1.55 ERA, the lowest of any active Blowfish. His 4 wins on the mound is also the most of any active CPL player. Bouknight features a 5 pitch mix designed to induce weak contact and highlighted by a high-spin slider and diving changeup. In his first taste of college hitters, the young righty has risen to the task at every turn, and earned his way onto the roster as the league’s youngest All-Star.

The 2023 CPL All Star Show will be held over two days on July 18th and 19th at Lexington County Baseball Stadium. Day 1 will feature the All-Star FanFest, complete with hitting and pitching competitions, a celebrity softball game, and a home run derby. Day 2 is the Midsummer Classic itself, as the West meets the East in a clash of the best talent the league has to offer. Tickets are available on goblowfish.com, and the entirety of both days will be streamed live on FloSports.com or on the FloSports app.

Read the Coastal Plains League’s release of the rosters below:

The Coastal Plain League announced today the rosters for the 2023 All-Star Show to be held in Lexington County, N.C., at Lexington County Baseball Stadium on July 18 and 19. This marks the 23rd annual version of the league’s summer classic.

The players were voted upon within their division by CPL head coaches, assistant coaches, broadcasters and local media representatives from each market. Since the game is being played in the Lexington County Blowfish’s home ballpark, the West CPL All-Stars will be the home team while the East CPL All-Stars will serve as the visitors. The East All-Stars will be coached by Morehead City head coach Sam Carel, while Forest City’s Connor Dailey (Southeastern) will take the helm of the West All-Stars. Carel and Dailey guided their clubs to the First Half Championships in the East and West Divisions respectively.

Earning the start on the mound for the East CPL All-Stars will be Wilson’s Trent Harris as he earned the most votes of any East Division pitcher and therefore will pitch the first inning of the game. The 6-1, 195-pound right-hander from UNC Pembroke has been dominant for the Tobs so far, featuring a league-best 0.30 ERA to go with a 3-1 record. In 29 2/3 innings of work, Harris has given up just two runs – one earned – on 22 hits, while walking eight and striking out 33. Further, he sports a WHIP of 1.01, a .200 BAA and a K/9 of 10.011.

Toeing the rubber first for the West CPL All-Stars will also be Forest City’s Jerry Garcia. The 6-6, 200-pound righty from Tennessee was also the top vote getter in his division and currently is 3-1 with a 4.25 ERA. In six starts and 29 2/3 innings for the Owls, Garcia has surrendered 20 runs – 14 earned – on 28 hits to go with 11 walks and 27 strikeouts. Opposing batters are batting .237 against him, while his WHIP sits at 1.31 and K/9 at 8.191.

For information on tickets please visit www.blowfishbaseball.com or call them at (803) 254-3474 today while tickets last. The game will also be streamed live on FloSports by visiting here.

The full rosters can be found below. Starters are listed first under each position, while players that were selected as All-Stars but are unable to attend are shown in italics and marked with a pound sign (#).

2023 Coastal Plain League East All-Star Roster

Position First Name Last Name CPL Team School Year Height Weight Birthdate B/T Hometown
C Shayne Campbell Morehead City Reinhardt RS-So. 6’0 190 05/14/2001 R/R Winnipeg, Manitoba, CA
C Cole Garrett Tri-City VMI Jr. 6’0 205 09/06/2001 R/R Chester, VA
1B Reid Brown Florence Mercer Jr. 6’1 225 08/26/2001 R/R Marietta, GA
1B Joshua Kross Holly Springs Cincinnati So. 6’1 210 02/02/2003 S/R Medina, OH
2B Joseph Mershon Morehead City Ohio State RS-Jr. 5’8 170 09/05/2000 S/R Taylor, SC
2B Carson Villalta Wilmington Alabama-Huntsville Jr. 6’1 205 10/12/2001 L/R Killen, AL
3B Brandon Eike Tri-City VCU Jr. 6’0 210 10/01/2001 R/R Powhatan, VA
3B Jake Odgen Florence UNC Greensboro Fr. 5’11 195 01/20/2004 R/R Homestead, FL
3B-# Patrick Fultz Wilson Wright State Fr. 6’0 200 08/22/2003 L/R Springfield, OH
SS Mason Dunaway Peninsula James Madison Sr. 5’8 170 6/13/2000 R/R Chesapeake, VA
SS Cam Hassert Wilmington Villanova Jr. 6’2 185 2/3/2002 L/R Longmont, CO
SS-# Braylin Marine Morehead City Newberry RS-Sr. 6’1 195 09/19/2000 R/R Freeport, NY
OF Michael Dolberry Tri-City Longwood Jr. 6’3 205 08/21/2001 L/R Prince George, VA
OF Trent Youngblood Morehead City Transylvania RS-So. 5’10 170 09/04/2001 L/R Prospect, KY
OF Connor Powell Wilmington Belmont Abbey RS-So. 6’0 170 7/1/2002 L/L Rocky Mount, NC
OF Henry Garcia Peninsula Howard Fr. 6’2 200 02/24/2003 R/R Manhattan, NY
OF Luke Nowak Wilmington East Carolina So. 5’10 185 12/25/2002 L/L Menomonee Falls, WI
OF Scott Mackiewicz Wilson Toledo Jr. 5’10 185 11/01/2001 L/R Millbury, OH
DH/UTL Dan Tauken Morehead City Albany RS-So. 6’3 215 8/28/2001 L/R Congers, NY
DH/UTL Noah Stout Florence Francis Marion RS-So. 6’0 200 11/25/2001 L/R Rochester Hills, MI
DH/UTL Ryan Picollo Holly Springs St. Joseph’s RS-So. 6’5 222 4/25/2002 R/R Leawood, KS
RHP Trent Harris Wilson UNC Pembroke Sr. 6’1 195 06/02/1999 R/R Raleigh, NC
RHP Hunter Stevens Morehead City Mount Olive RS-Sr. 5’10 185 02/23/1999 R/R Garner, NC
LHP Zach Abbey Tri-City Florida Atlantic So. 6’4 230 09/23/2002 L/L Willis, MI
RHP Sam Rochard Peninsula Tennessee Wesleyan Jr. 6’1 200 07/23/2000 R/R Williamsburg, VA
RHP Reese Miller Wilson West Texas A&M Jr. 6’2 200 05/28/2000 S/R Dayton, TX
LHP Trey Morgan Peninsula VMI RS-Jr. 5’10 175 4/29/2001 L/L Hampton, VA
LHP Dalton Barham Peninsula Norfolk State RS-Jr. 6’4 190 6/29/2001 R/L Norfolk, VA
RHP Steven Lacey Morehead City Delta State RS-Sr. 6’3 235 07/22/1999 R/R Madison, MS
RHP Leo Giannoni Holly Springs Columbus State RS-So. 6’2 200 11/10/2001 R/R Marietta, GA

 

2023 Coastal Plain League West All-Star Roster

Position First Name Last Name CPL Team School Year Height Weight Birthdate B/T Hometown
C Ryan Ouzts Lexington County Presbyterian Jr. 5’8 200 07/11/2002 R/R Gilbert, SC
C Andrew Lanphere Forest City NC State Fr. 5’10 182 05/13/2004 L/R Wendell, NC
1B Dylan Koontz Forest City Campbell So. 6’1 215 12/11/2002 L/R Huntersville, NC
1B Tyler McPeak Asheboro Lenoir-Rhyne RS-Jr. 6’0 200 10/1/2000 R/R Denver, NC
2B Carlos Amezquita Boone UNC Pembroke Jr. 6’2 200 11/5/2001 S/R Santo Domingo, D.R.
2B Cooper Blauser Lexington County Clemson Fr. 6’0 190 3/24/2003 R/R Johns Creek, GA
3B Brady Jeffcoat Forest City Spartanburg Methodist So. 6’1 200 05/28/2003 R/R Fountain Inn, SC
3B Will Verdung HPThomasville Southern Mississippi So. 6’2 200 06/08/2003 R/R Cornith, MS
SS Carter Dorighi Martinsville Butler So. 6’0 185 06/11/2003 L/R Cherry Hills Village, CO
SS JD Suarez HPThomasville College of Charleston So. 6’0 185 09/20/2002 R/R Charlotte, NC
OF Nadir Lewis Boone Princeton Jr. 6’1 212 11/22/2000 L/L Alpharetta, GA
OF Tyson Bass Boone NC Wesleyan So. 6’3 195 08/12/2002 R/R Lucama, NC
OF Dariyan Pendergrass Lexington County College of Charleston So. 5’11 165 10/29/2002 L/L Hartsville, SC
OF Austin Dearing HPThomasville State College of Florida So. 6’1 210 9/7/2001 L/R Hurricane, WV
OF Antonio Brown Macon Mercer Jr. 5’10 180 9/27/2001 R/R Vernon Hills, IL
OF G. Allen Forest City Ouachita Baptist So. 6’3 220 3/13/2002 L/R Little Rock,AR
DH/UTL David Sessoms Forest City Wingate Fr. 6’2 190 08/30/2003 L/R Forest City, NC
DH/UTL Jackson Cherry Macon Mercer RS-So. 5’11 190 08/31/2001 L/R Forest, VA
DH/UTL Adam Fallon Martinsville Bowling Green Sr. 5’11 182 03/15/2001 L/L Powell, OH
RHP Jerry Garcia Forest City Tennessee Fr. 6’6 200 03/05/2003 R/R Statesville, NC
LHP Win Scott Asheboro NC State So. 6’2 200 11/27/2002 L/L Jamestown, NC
LHP Merritt Beeker HPThomasville Ball State So. 6’2 195 11/12/2001 R/L Lexington, NC
RHP Colton Huntt Forest City Freed-Hardeman Jr. 6’3 225 07/04/2002 R/R Pinson, TN
RHP Cordarius Butler Boone NC Wesleyan Jr. 6’2 180 02/25/1999 R/R Kannapolis, NC
RHP Maxwell Montsplasir Macon Point Loma RS-So. 6’3 200 07/31/2001 R/R Irvine, CA
LHP Jacob Dienes Asheboro NC State So. 6’3 210 6/3/2003 L/L Wilson, NC
RHP Cade Bouknight Lexington County USC-Aiken RIS Fr. 6’0 205 5/25/2005 R/R Leesville, SC
LHP Logan Wash Macon South Alabama Jr. 5’11 185 02/04/2002 L/L Longwood, FL

About Coastal Plain League:
The Coastal Plain League is the nation’s premier summer collegiate baseball league. The CPL is currently comprised of 14 franchises playing in Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia. To date, the CPL has had nearly 1,750 alumni drafted and 177 alums make their Major League debut. Most notable alumni include Justin Verlander, Ryan Zimmerman, Mark Reynolds, Kevin Youkilis, Chris Taylor, Alec Bohm, Jake Cave, Chas McCormick and NFL Super Bowl champion Russell Wilson. For more information on the Coastal Plain League, please visit the league website at www.coastalplain.com, and be sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and TikTok @CPLBaseball.