With the Coastal Plains League getting back into the swing of things, Morehead City Marlins fans may recognize a few faces on the field at Big Rock Stadium this season. Players like East Carolina's Luke Bolka who is already loving his time with the Marlins.
"I come in everyday, nobody's mad they're here." said Bolka. "Everybody wants to be here and it's just fun. Having a good time - it's kind of hard to play bad when you're having fun and laughing all the time."
And Bolka is not the only player with Greenville ties on this year's squad as catcher Alex Kowalczyk played a year Pitt Community College before this season with the Pittsburgh Panthers. Kowalczyk is excited to be back in eastern North Carolina.
"I love the state so coming back here, it was awesome," Kowalczyk explained. "I wanted to be here in the CPL somewhere and you know this is the place to be."
But not everyone on the team has local ties. Pitcher Hayden Jones is from Texas and plays his college ball for Oklahoma, but has enjoyed the change of scenery in Morehead City.
"I could really get into this," Jones laughed. "It gives us a little more to do than we have back in Norman [Oklahoma] so - all we've got is a movie theater, some golf courses and whatnot to get in trouble with."
For Marlins players like Queen City native and Charlotte 49er Logan Sherer it's about getting those extra reps to improve their game.
"Anytime we can get live reps in a game is good for anyone's game," Sherer said. "Anytime we can just play six, seven games in a row everyday so - it forces you to work at what you're not good at so that's what we're looking at."
And the team has already shown resiliency early in the year as most of their wins have been by late inning comebacks.
"There's no quit in this team," explained Sherer. "Just continue to play the game; string together good at bats; string together zeros when we need them and people have come up big when we've needed them to."
And the Marlins have high hopes for their season in the CPL.
"We definitely want to get in the playoffs and I think everybody's here wants to take it all the way and get a ring," said Kowalczyk
A town that's used to reeling in the big one.