The phrase: “Two is better than one” certainly fits Forest City, as the Coastal Plain League announced today that Owls starting pitchers Ryan Arrowood and Spencer Patton (pictured (L-R) Patton (courtesy of Brandon Grecinger) and Arrowood (courtesy of Pat Grecinger)) were named the 2009 Rawlings CPL Co-Defensive Players of the Year.

Arrowood (Appalachian State) and Patton (SIU-Edwardsville) were untouchable all season long, combining to go 19-0 for the Owls in the regular season and then tacking on another 4-0 record in the playoffs, including pitching back-to-back gems against the Peninsula Pilots in the championship series to help give Forest City its first-ever Petitt Cup crown and the No. 1 ranking in the country by PG Crosschecker.

Arrowood, a freshman from Rutherfordton, N.C., made a total of 10 appearances, all starts, on the mound this summer for the Owls and didn’t disappoint. Overall, the 6-3, 181-pound right-hander, finished the regular season with a 10-0 record and a low 1.88 ERA. His 10 wins tied Brian Adams (Rocky Mount, 1998) for most in a regular season in the CPL. Arrowood also featured two complete games, and also combined to get two shutouts.

In 72 complete innings pitched, he allowed 16 runs – 15 earned – on 52 hits, while walking a mere 17 and striking out 64. Arrowood also held opposing batters to a respectable .204 average against him, and featured a WHIP of 0.96 on the regular season.

Meanwhile, his counterpart, Patton, a junior from Kinmundy, Ill., also earned the respect of opposing teams quickly. The 6-1, 175-pound righty went 9-0 with a highly respected 1.46 ERA – second-best in the league on the summer. In 11 starts on the mound, Patton hurled three complete games, including one shutout on June 17 in game two of a doubleheader against Martinsville.

He worked 74 complete innings, giving up just 16 runs – 12 earned – on 50 hits and walked 22. But what grabbed hitters’ eyes quickly was his ability to strike them out with ease, as Patton recorded a league-best 110 strikeouts to surpass Matt Jansen’s (Outer Banks, 1999) strikeout record of 108. Furthermore, opposing batters batted a lousy .192 against him, and he finished the regular season with a 0.97 WHIP.

Both of them earned spots in the 2009 Coastal Plain League All-Star Game for the American CPL All-Star team. Patton started the game and walked one and struck out one in an inning, while Arrowood pitched an inning of one-hit baseball with a walk in the fourth. Furthermore, Patton was named as a Rawlings Co-Pitcher of the Week during week one of action.

With Arrowood and Patton leading the way on the mound, Forest City easily won the West First and Second Half Divisional crowns in 2009, and broke the CPL record for most wins in a regular season with 46. Such achievements allowed the Owls to enter the 2009 CPL Petitt Cup Playoffs as the top seed and they went a perfect 5-0 to win their first-ever CPL championship.

And in the playoffs neither of them disappointed. Arrowood went 2-0 with a 1.29 postseason ERA, striking out 10 in 14 innings, while Patton followed suit with a 2-0 record of his own, 3.07 ERA and 17 strikeouts in 14 2/3 innings pitched. 

The Coastal Plain League is the nation’s hottest summer collegiate baseball league, now in its twelfth 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.

Justin Sellers

(919) 852-1960