Coastal Plain League alum Andy Dirks (photo courtesy of MARK CUNNINGHAM/Detroit Tigers) is a celebrity...in the Dominican Republic.

Dirks, an outfielder for the Detroit Tigers and former Fayetteville SwampDog, is a member of the D.R.’s Escogido baseball team, which won the Caribbean Series Monday. Escogido lost its game Monday to Venezuela, 7-0, but received help from Puerto Rico, which beat Mexico. With a 4-1 record, and one game left to play, the worst Escogido could be is 4-2, while the rest of the field would have no less than three losses, thus assuring Escogido - and Dirks - the series championship.

And Dirks has been a key role player for Escogido’s success. He’s batted .250 with a double, three RBIs and three runs scored in the Caribbean Series. In Game 9 of the league finals, Dirks connected on the game-winning hit to lead Escogido to a come-from-behind victory over Aguilas. A few days later he scored the game-winning RBI versus Venezuela. But he’s also done it in the field, as evident by his extra-effort catch in the right-field gap against Mexico. The catch came in the eighth inning of a 1-0 game that helped save a run and secure the win for the Dominican Republic. All of this has Dirks signing autographs and posing for pictures in and around the Dominican.

Now, the 6-0, 195-pound outfielder will turn his attention to spring training. After a solid effort in the spring of 2011, Dirks earned a call up to the Tigers in May. He didn’t disappoint either, batting .251 with 28 RBIs and 34 runs scored through 78 games. Since then, he has played in 30 games in the Dominican Republic since the beginning of December; getting better prepared for what the 2012 Major League season has to offer.

“That’s what we do, we are baseball players,” Dirks told Jesse Sanchez of MLB.com. “I don’t think playing can hurt you. The more games you play, the more it helps you, and it’s how you learn. When I’m here, I’m here to win ballgames. I’m not just here to get at-bats. I’m here for myself but also here to compete. That’s how you get better.”

While in Fayetteville during the summer of 2005, Dirks finished the summer with a .301 average through 51 games. He had seven doubles to go with 12 RBIs and 30 runs scored. He also pitched 13 1/3 innings in relief, going 1-0 with four saves and maintaining a perfect 0.00 ERA. He only allowed seven hits and four walks, while striking out 11 in that time. He also was the starting right fielder for the American CPL All-Stars, and helped the SwampDogs reach the semifinals of the Petitt Cup Tournament that year.

The Coastal Plain League is the nation’s hottest summer collegiate baseball league. Celebrating its 16th season in 2012, the CPL features 14 teams playing in North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia. The CPL gives college players the chance to refine their skills with the use of wooden bats. Players are housed with local host families for the summer and past experiences have been very positive for both players and hosts. Furthermore, the CPL has had over 930 alumni drafted and 46 alums make their Major League debut thus far. For more information on the Coastal Plain League, please visit the league website at http://www.coastalplain.com, and be sure to friend us on Facebook (at http://www.facebook.com/coastalplainleague) and follow us via Twitter (as cpleague).

Justin Sellers

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