Holly Springs, NC- The Coastal Plain League announced earlier this week that nine members of the Wilson Tobs Baseball Club have been granted the honor of All-Star for the East Division squad. The summer classic will take place at Ting Stadium, home of the Salamanders, on Sunday, July 10th at 5:40 P.M.

Eight Tobs players will be making their first appearance in the CPL All-Star Game this year, along with Tobs head coach Harry Markotay, who will serve as an assistant.

“It’s an honor to be selected as a coach for the CPL All-Star Game and get the chance to be around some of the best players and coaches in the league. I always hoped to get an opportunity to be a part of the CPL All-Star Game since my first season in 2019. I’m extremely excited for this opportunity and can’t wait to be by our guys side when they showcase their skills.”- Harry Markotay

UNC-Pembroke product, Ethan Ott, was the only starter named for the Tobs, and he will take position in the outfield to begin the contest. Ott has been hitting above .300 the entire season, currently now sitting with 26H (8 2B), 23R, 17RBI and 5SB. The Tobs outfielder currently is tied for the team high in RBIs and is tied for second in doubles.

Wilson will have eight players in reserve for the East Division, six hitters and two pitchers.

RHPs Trent Harris and Brent Francisco will appear out of the bullpen in the summer classic. Harris, arguably the Tobs best starter in the rotation carries a 2.16 ERA with 27 strikeouts to only six walks. Harris currently holds the third best ERA for starting pitchers across the CPL. Harris has played in six games this year, starting in five of them, and made his first appearance out of the bullpen on July 4th against the HiToms where he received his third victory of the year. Francisco has been an anchor for the Tobs in closing out games this season. 5 SV, a CPL best, for the East Stroudsburg attendee as he is becoming a menace to hitters around the league. Francisco still boasts a 0.00 ERA through nine games, only allowing one hit as well. 20 strikeouts for the Tobs closer is the most for any relief pitcher on the Wilson squad.

The HR kings of the CPL will be well represented as the Tobs will be sending some of their heavy-hitters down HWY-264 to Holly Springs as well. OF Trey Paige, 3B Jacob McCaskey, SS Efry Cervantes, 1B Matt Schark and UTL Mason Sykes will be making appearances as the game progresses. Paige currently leads Wilson in hits with 32, the only Tob to surpass the 30-hit mark so far this season. Swiss-army knife, McCaskey, has played five different positions this year for the club and is coming off a 4-5 night with 4RBI during the July 4th shootout in Thomasville. McCaskey also leads the Tobs in stolen bags with 12. Cervantes hits an impressive .309 from the nine-hole, a spark plug to flip around the order, and a defensive superstar at shortstop. Schark currently is tied for second in the league in homeruns with seven, and second on the team in AB with 99 thus far. Sykes rounds off the Tobs hitters, replacing Aaron Smigelski who is unable to participate this year. Sykes is currently tied for second in the league in homeruns with his teammate Schark, with seven. Sykes has eight multi-hit games this summer and leads the Tobs in doubles with nine. Between all of the Tobs batters being named an All-Star there are 26 HRs.

“As a coaching staff we are very proud of the guys that have been selected to participate in the CPL All-Star Game. We had a lot of guys selected and every one of them was more than deserving. Each player we have attending has represented us on and off the field with their skill level, athletic ability, energy, and by being some of the best individuals you could ever be around in general. We are very honored for this group to represent us at the CPL All-Star Game.” -Markotay

Fans who wish to attend the Sunday afternoon celebration game are able to purchase tickets at www.salamandersbaseball.com

-Brooks Hill
Director of Media Relations & Broadcasting