UNC Baseball: Diamond Heels’ Coastal Plain League Recap

As the Coastal Plain League regular season winds downs, the four Diamond Heels in the CPL are focusing towards the postseason and the inevitable return to Chapel Hill for the start of the academic year.

The final day of the regular season is Monday, Aug. 7 with the playoffs starting shortly after.

In case you’ve missed previous recaps of the Diamond Heels in the Coastal Plain League, the Coastal Plain League (CPL) was founded in 1997 to bring collegiate summer baseball to the Southeastern United States. The CPL features teams in Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia. The league features a 56-game schedule, playing from mid-May to mid-August, and includes an annual Pro Scout Day, All-Star Game, and the championship playoff system.

As previously stated, four Diamond Heels are spending their summer participating in the Coastal Plain League, with three of the four playing in the state of North Carolina. Here is a recap of where each Tar Heel is spending their summer:

• Ike Freeman - High Point-Thomasville Hi-Toms (NC)
• Jake Holtzapple- Wilson Tobs (NC)
• Utah Jones - Savannah Bananas (GA)
• Josh Ladowski- Wilson Tobs (NC)

Let’s dive into the stats of these Diamond Heels and view their performance over the course of the last three weeks as well as the season.

Tar Heel Blog last checked in with the Coastal Plain League Recap on July 8 and the Diamond Heels have been active on the diamond in the weeks since:

• Ike Freeman -

Previous three weeks: 14 G, 55 AB, 13 H, 4 RBI, 7 R, 7 BB, 14 K, .236 AVG

2017 Totals: 22 G, 83 AB, 25 H, 2 HR, 7 RBI, 14 R, 20 K, 12 BB, .301 AVG, .408 OBP

• Jake Holtzapple-

Previous three weeks: 9 G, 30 AB, 13 H, 4 RBI, 3 BB, .433 AVG

2017 Totals: 20 G, 53 AB, 18 H, 1 HR, 7 RBI, 10 R, 12 K, 8 BB, .340 AVG, .413 OBP

• Utah Jones -

Previous three weeks: 15 G, 45 AB, 10 H, 4 RBI, 8 BB, .222 AVG

2017 Totals: 35 G, 107 AB, 27 H, 1 HR, 12 RBI, 19 R, 30 K, 15 BB, .252 AVG, .352 OBP

• Josh Ladowski-

Previous three weeks: 11 G, 47 AB, 9 H, 6 RBI, 3 R, .191 AVG

2017 Totals: 24 G, 73 AB, 21 H, 6 2B, 11 RBI, 8 R, 14 K, 8 BB, .288 AVG, .366 OBP

Over the past three weeks, Jake Holtzapple has been the most impressive Tar Heel on the diamond, improving his average from .217 to .340. Despite the Tobs’ struggle as a ball club, Holtzapple has shined as the regular season comes to a close.

Fellow Diamond Heel Utah Jones has been a consistent face in the Savannah Bananas’ starting lineup. While Jones posted a mere .222 AVG over the course of three weeks, he did appear in 15 games and recorded 45 at-bats. Jones has appeared in 35 games on the season for the Bananas, starting in 34 of those games.

As the Coastal Plain regular season winds down, it appears that only one Tar Heel will see postseason action. Ike Freeman and the High Point-Thomasville Hi-Toms sit atop the standings in the West during the second half of the season. With just over a week left in the regular season, the Hi-Toms boast a 2 ¹⁄₂ game lead over the Lexington County Blowfish.

While Freeman prepares for postseason play, the three remaining Diamond Heels will be resting their bodies from a rigorous six months of baseball and prepare for the upcoming academic year in Chapel Hill.

Check back in the coming weeks to view the final stats from the Diamond Heels in the Coastal Plain League and to catch Ike Freeman and the Hi-Toms in postseason action.