Peninsula Pilots
Collegiate summer baseball team based in Hampton, Virginia.
The Peninsula Pilots are an amateur baseball team that competes in the Coastal Plain League, a summer league for college players. They play their home games at War Memorial Stadium in Hampton, Virginia, and joined the league in 2000. The team’s name comes from an earlier minor league team, the Peninsula Pilots, which played in the Class A Carolina League from 1963 to 1992 and also used War Memorial Stadium.
The Pilots have appeared in the Petitt Cup Finals five times. They lost back-to-back finals in 2006 and 2007 to the Thomasville HiToms, with scores of 6–1 and 4–3. In 2009, they returned as North Division winners but lost to the Forest City Owls in a three-game series (2-1). The team won its first championship in 2013, defeating the Columbia Blowfish in two games. The following year, they repeated as champions, beating the Florence RedWolves in a three-game series. The 2014 team set a franchise record for wins, claimed the second-half East title, and earned the top overall seed in the East. The Pilots are tied for the second-most league titles in CPL history with the Edenton Steamers, Outer Banks Daredevils, and Wilmington Sharks, each of whom have won two championships. The record of three straight titles belongs to the High Point-Thomasville HiToms, while the Forest City Owls have three overall titles.
Hank Morgan, the team’s coach, is the winningest coach in Coastal Plain League history, with 378 wins through the end of the 2019 season. He broke the previous record of 289 wins, held by former Fayetteville SwampDogs manager Darrell Handelsman, on July 25, 2015.
In 2013, the Pilots entered the playoffs as the second seed in the East, behind the Edenton Steamers. They defeated the Wilmington Sharks in three games in the first round, then beat Edenton in three games to reach the championship. In the finals, they swept the Columbia Blowfish, winning game one at home in 10 innings on a walk-off RBI by Alex Close, and game two in Columbia, shortened to seven innings due to rain, which went to eight innings and ended on a Jordan Negrini RBI.
In 2014, the Pilots finished second in the East in the first half after losing a tiebreaker to Edenton, but a 20–8 second-half record gave them the second-half division title and the overall number-one playoff seed. They beat the Fayetteville Swampdogs in the first round and the Wilson Tobs in the East Championship.
Quick Facts
- League
- Coastal Plain League
- Division
- East
- Location
- Hampton, Virginia
- Stadium
- War Memorial Stadium
- Founded
- 2000
- Series
- Petitt Cup
- Series Champs
- 2013, 2014
- Division Champs
- 2006, 2007, 2009, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018
- Mascot
- Slyder
- Owner
- Henry Morgan
- Management
- Matt Mitchell
- Coach
- Hank Morgan
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The Peninsula Pilots have played in five Petit Cup Finals in their Coastal Plain League existence. They made back-to-back Petitt Cup Finals in 2006 and 2007, losing both times to the Thomasville HiToms, 6–1 and 4–3 respectively. The Pilots returned to the final in 2009 after winning the North Division, where they faced the Forest City Owls and lost in a three-game series (2-1). In 2013 and 2014, Peninsula broke through and won back-to-back titles, winning 2–0 and 2–1 over Columbia and Florence respectively. The Pilots set a team record for wins in 2014 when they won the second half East title and the top overall seed in the East.
Reader's Guide
The Peninsula Pilots are significant as a collegiate summer baseball team that has achieved notable success in the Coastal Plain League, including back-to-back league championships in 2013 and 2014. Their 2014 team became the first CPL team to defeat the USA College National Team, winning 7–5 after trailing 5–0. The Pilots are tied for the second most league titles in CPL history with four other teams, all of whom won their titles in consecutive years. The team is coached by Hank Morgan, the winningest coach in Coastal Plain League history, with 378 wins as of the end of the 2019 CPL season. Morgan broke the previous record of 289 wins, held by former Fayetteville SwampDogs manager Darrell Handelsman, on July 25, 2015. The Pilots have produced several notable alumni who went on to professional baseball careers, including Ryan Zimmerman, Buck Farmer, Chad Pinder, Jake Cave, Jharel Cotton, Deck McGuire, Chris Rowley, John Bowker, Tug Hulett, and Darren Daulton.
Did You Know?
- The Pilots moniker derives from the Peninsula Pilots (1963–1992), a minor league baseball team in the Class A Carolina League.
- The Pilots won back-to-back Coastal Plain League titles in 2013 and 2014.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who are the Peninsula Pilots?
The Peninsula Pilots are a collegiate summer baseball team based in Hampton, Virginia, that competes in the Coastal Plain League. They have been a CPL member since the 2000 season and are led by head coach Hank Morgan.
Where do the Peninsula Pilots play their home games?
Hampton hosts its home slate at War Memorial Stadium in Hampton, Virginia. The same ballpark was also the home of the earlier minor-league Peninsula Pilots franchise from the 1960s through the 1990s.
How many CPL championships have the Peninsula Pilots won?
The Pilots have captured the league title twice, in 2013 and 2014. Both championship runs came after earlier Petit Cup Finals stints in 2006, 2007, and 2009.
How many times have the Peninsula Pilots reached the Petit Cup Finals?
Hampton has appeared in the CPL championship series five times: 2006, 2007, 2009, 2013, and 2014. They lost back-to-back finals to the Thomasville HiToms in 2006 (6–1) and 2007 (4–3) before finally winning the cup in 2013 and 2014.
Where does the 'Peninsula Pilots' name come from?
The CPL club borrows its identity from a former Class A Carolina League franchise that also went by the Peninsula Pilots. That earlier team played at War Memorial Stadium from 1963 until 1992.
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