Justin Sellers is the new commissioner of the summer-collegiate Coastal Plain League, replacing Pete Bock, who remains as league president.
Sellers, who officially began his new role as of January 1, has served 11 years with the league office, the last six of which has been as assistant commissioner.]
“We are tremendously excited to name Justin as the commissioner of the Coastal Plain League,” said Bock. “He has, in his 11 years with the league, shown his capabilities and has become a valuable asset to our organization. Both Jerry (Petitt) and I believe Justin is the right person for this position. He will oversee the daily operations of the CPL as well as the league staff and member clubs.”
Sellers started with the CPL in 2002 as the director of media relations. Among his responsibilities was to design and publish the CPL media guide, write press releases, and maintain the league’s website (www.coastalplain.com). He also served as the CPL statistician and oversaw the creation of the CPL WebPass, the in-house system on which the league broadcasts all of its games via the Internet. Further, Sellers assisted in the daily operations of league-owned clubs as well as the annual All Star Game and Petitt Cup Championship Tournament.
Since becoming assistant commissioner in 2006, Sellers has helped to solidify the CPL as one of the elite summer leagues in the country. He has looked to grow the league both internally and externally. Alongside Bock and team owners, Sellers created a league schedule in 2011 that cut league-wide travel by 14,500 miles. He has also worked to create a successful model for the league as it transitioned from three divisions to two in 2012. Additionally, he has helped to navigate the league into a three-round playoff format as well as add to the league’s reputation through national partnerships with Baseball America and USA Baseball. Sellers teamed up with Baseball America to publish the “Coastal Plain League Corner” throughout the last three summers and with USA Baseball, where CPL teams have hosted the Collegiate National Team for three consecutive years as well.
Following the 2011 season, Sellers’ leadership was recognized nationally as league owners and others around the CPL nominated him for Ballpark Digest’s National Executive of the Year. Sellers was named one of eight honorable mentions across the country for the award which was open to executives at all levels of baseball (affiliated, independent, college and summer collegiate baseball).
“It is a tremendous honor to be rewarded with this promotion,” said Sellers. “I thank God for the opportunity He continues to provide me in the sport I enjoy so much. I am also thankful to my wife Kim and my family for their tireless support as well as to Jerry and Pete for entrusting this new role to me. I continue to learn so much from Pete and look forward to working with our team owners, general managers, and coaches in taking the next step of growing the CPL nationally.”
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