GASTONIA, N.C. – Cole Roederer joined the 20-home run, 20-stolen base club on Saturday night against Southern Maryland, crushing an opposite-field solo shot in the eighth inning.
Roederer entered the night with 23 stolen bases, and the lefty connected on his 20th homer of the season off Rafi Vazquez.
With the long ball, Roederer became the seventh ALPB player this season to reach the 20-20 plateau.
Roederer, 25, was drafted by the Cubs out of high school in the second round of the 2018 MLB Draft. He reached as high as Triple-A in Chicago’s system, playing for Iowa during the 2023 and 2024 seasons.
The outfielder is hitting .264 with an .858 OPS for the Ghost Peppers this season. He’s knocked in 65 runs to go along with the 20 homers. Roederer’s 70 walks are tied for the second most in the Atlantic League, trailing only teammate Justin Wylie (78).
Roederer’s 20th home run aided Gastonia to a 7-5 win over the Blue Crabs, keeping the Ghost Peppers in first place with just over a week remaining in the regular season. Gastonia aims to make the ALPB Playoffs for a fourth straight season.
***
Gastonia Ghost Peppers begins its second season of operations with Zawyer Sports & Entertainment – a sports ownership group with professional teams operating in the U.S. and the fifth season for the franchise at CaroMont Health Park in the FUSE District of Gastonia. The Ghost Peppers have made the ALPB Playoffs for three consecutive seasons, setting the league record for highest win percentage in a three-year span (.651 from 2022-2024.)
In their inaugural season, the Ghost Peppers had seven players with contracts purchased by other leagues, whether that be MLB-affiliated clubs or leagues outside the country. They also had two former players make their MLB debuts in 2024 — Spencer Bivens (Tigers) and Bryan Sammons (2024.) Bivens is on the Giants’ 26-man roster in 2025. J.C. Escarra, who played for Gastonia in 2023, is currently on the Yankees’ 26-man roster.
Single game tickets for the Gastonia Ghost Peppers are currently on sale. Contact the Ghost Peppers office at 980-415-2255, or visit www.ghostpeppersbaseball.com for more information.