RALEIGH, N.C. - The Coastal Plain League announced today its schedule for the 2009 season. Now heading into its 13th season, the CPL features 14 teams across North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia.



The regular season starts on Wednesday, May 27th and runs through Tuesday, August 4th. The league?s annual All-Star Fan Fest and All-Star Game will be on July 20th and 21st. The location of the 2009 CPL All-Star Game will be announced soon.



Meanwhile, fans will notice a different look to postseason play, as for the first time since 2001, the CPL will feature a playoff format. The Petitt Cup Playoffs will consist of three rounds beginning on August 6th and running through August 14th. Four teams will qualify to host a single-elimination playoff game on August 6th. The four teams will be selected by three first half divisional (North, South, West) champions and the team with the next-best overall winning percentage on the regular season of the remaining clubs.



The remaining four teams will be comprised of three second half divisional champions and/or the teams with the next-highest overall winning percentages on the regular season. These teams will earn berths into the playoffs and will participate as away teams in the first round. (Note: If a club wins its respective divisional first or second half championship, then it will automatically earn a berth into the Petitt Cup Playoffs). Seeding will be based on overall winning percentage at the end of the season with the team with the best winning percentage earning the top seed and so forth.



After the first round, the four remaining teams will match-up based on seeds, so if the top four seeds all advance to the second round, then the series would be No.1 vs. No.4 and No.2 vs. No.3. The second round will be a best two-of-three series with game one being at the lowest seed?s ballpark (i.e. No. 4) and then game two and three at the higher seed?s ballpark (i.e. No. 1). The two winners of those second round series will advance to the Petitt Cup Championship Series with the same rules applying as in the second round. The team winning two games in this series will be crowned the 2009 Coastal Plain League Petitt Cup Champion.



The 14 teams will be broken into three divisions (North, South and West) just like in 2008. The North will feature four clubs in the Edenton Steamers, the Outer Banks Daredevils, the Peninsula Pilots and the Petersburg Generals. Meanwhile, the South will again consist of the Columbia Blowfish, Fayetteville SwampDogs, Florence RedWolves, Wilmington Sharks and Wilson Tobs. Finally, the West will be made up of the Asheboro Copperheads, the Forest City Owls, the Gastonia Grizzlies, the Martinsville Mustangs and the Thomasville HiToms.



All together, each team will play a 56-game schedule, with a large concentration on divisional games. In addition, the schedule will remain a split-format one, with 28 games per club in the first half and another 28 in the second half.



To view the 2009 Coastal Plain League schedule, please go to: http://www.coastalplain.com/images/2009CPLOverallSchedule.pdf



The Coastal Plain League is the nation?s hottest summer collegiate baseball league, heading into its 13th season. Featuring 14 teams playing in North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia, the CPL gives college players the chance to refine their skills with wooden bats during the summer months. Players are housed with local host families for the summer and past experiences have been very positive for both players and hosts. For more information on the Coastal Plain League, please visit the league website at www.coastalplain.com.
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