On July 21, 2011 the Sharks teamed up with United Way of the Cape Fear area for a great cause.  In front of a crowd of 3,378 fans, the Sharks took on Catawba Valley.  That night the Sharks were wearing special 'Live United' jerseys to honor the great work United Way does in the Cape Fear area.  The jerseys were raffled off during the game with winners receiving autographed jerseys right off the backs of the Sharks.

During and after the game footage was taken and used for United Way's 2011 Campaign Video.  "We were honored to work with the great people at United Way, and are proud to be part of such a great cause" said Andrew Aguilar, General Manager of the Sharks.  United Way kicked off their 2011-2012 campaign season with a goal of $2.4 million.

Click the following link to view United Way's 2011 Campaign Video with special appearances by your Wilmington Sharks. http://vimeo.com/27571975

On behalf of the Wilmington Sharks entire organization—our front office, game day operations staff, coaches and players---I would like to thank the community of Wilmington for coming out to the Shark Tank this summer and supporting the Sharks like never before.

The 2011 season came to end here in Wilmington in the 2^nd round of the Coastal Plain League Playoffs.  The Sharks lost game three of the best-of-three series to the Edenton Steamer, the #1 seed in the playoffs and #1 ranked team in the Nation.

I'd like to take this time to thank a number of organizations and people who made this summer such a success, including the Mayor's office, for helping to facilitate a great working relationship between the team and the city.

The Sharks won 32 games this season, their most in six years, and came within one of going to the Coastal Plain League Championship Series for the first time since 1998. This team, assembled from local talent here in Wilmington as well as far-flung reaches of the country, came together for some great achievements.

They gave baseball fans everything they could hope for—a summer of competitive and enjoyable baseball capped off with the excitement of an improbably late-season playoff push. And you gave it right back to them. The fans who packed Buck Hardee Field this summer, through rain delays and extra innings, on Two 'Fer Tuesdays and Thirsty Thursdays and all the hot summer days in between, deserve our thanks as an organization. You truly made this summer special through your support and involvement with the team.

And a special thanks also goes out to our corporate sponsors and corporate box patrons. Your active engagement in the team through promotions, discounts and attendance, was one of the main reasons I can feel confident that every fan that came through our gates this summer, whether baseball diehards or casual fans, left having a good time.

Our slogan is “Where Baseball is Fun.” Thanks to the community, fans, sponsors and town officials who made this season a tremendous success from start to finish, I know we had lots of it and will have a lot more next season. Thanks again, looking forward to seeing you at the ballpark in 2012.

Sincerely,

Andrew Aguilar

General Manager/Wilmington Sharks

The Wilmington Sharks run in the 2011 CPL Petitt Cup playoffs is complete after Edenton used a four-run eighth inning to give the Steamers a 7-1 win and advance the Steamers to the 2011 CPL Petitt Cup Championship series.

Sharks starter Mat Batts allowed a leadoff homer in the bottom of the first and a two-out homer in the bottom of the second inning before settling down. Batts allowed his third run of the night in the seventh as his final statline for 2011 finished at 6 2/3 innings of work with six strikeouts while allowing five hits and walking two.

Wilmington saw its only run of the night come in the top of the fourth when Daniel Aldrich connected on a solo homer, giving him six home runs in six CPL playoff games.

With a 3-1 lead, Edenton gave itself breathing run in the bottom of the eighth when they scored four runs off of two hits and one Sharks error off of reliever Ross Whitley.

Aldrich finished his night 2-for-4 with his homer and a single, while Kenny Bryant, Aaron Preston and Eric Mayers tallied a hit apiece for the Sharks.

After winning the first round series against Fayetteville, Wilmington finishes with a 32-30 final record for the 2011 CPL season.

The Wilmington Sharks found themselves in a must-win situation for the second time in the 2011 CPL Petitt Cup playoffs, and again responded, with a 7-4 win over the Edenton Steamers in Edenton Tuesday night to set up a winner-take-all Game Three matchup tomorrow night.

Daniel Aldrich blasted two two-run homers to lead the Sharks, who also received a two-run homer from Kenny Bryant and a solo shot from Jake Mayers.

Daniel Aldrich and Kenny Bryant each had homers in the Sharks win to force Game Three.

Aldrich finished 2-for-4 with four RBI, while Bryant finished with three hits and two RBI. Justyn Carter had two hits, while Mayers and Aaron Preston had a hit apiece for the Sharks.

All of the scoring began in the top of the fourth, when Bryant doubled to center field to open the inning before Aldrich stepped in and blasted his first homer, over the right field scoreboard.

An inning later in the top of the fifth, Carter singled with one out before Bryant stepped in and delivered his two-run shot to left field to give the visiting Sharks a 4-0 lead.

Edenton responded in the bottom of the fifth, scoring three runs on three hits as they ran Sharks starter Stephen Vaughan.

The Steamers tied the game an inning later in the bottom of the sixth with a leadoff homer off Sharks reliever Tyler DeLoach as the game sat at 4-4 until the top of the eighth.

In the eighth, Bryant opened the frame with a leadoff single before Alrdich delivered an opposite field shot over the double wall in right-center to give the Sharks the lead they would hold onto at 7-4.

Chris Mazza came on in relief and shut the Steamers down over the final three innings, striking out three and allowing only one hit as he earned the win.

Vaughan did not factor in the decision after going 4 1/3 innings and allowing three runs on four hits while striking out four Edenton batters.

Game Three of the Second Round series will be in Edenton on Wednesday night with the first pitch scheduled for 7:05. Lefty Mat Batts is expected to be the starter for Wilmington in the deciding game. Batts had a Sharks-best 1.89 ERA in the regular season, while he struck out 54 batters in 62.0 innings in 2011.

Less than a week ago, the Wilmington Sharks dropped the opening game of the First Round of the 2011 CPL Petitt Cup playoffs before winning two straight games in Fayetteville. The Sharks will face the same task against the Edenton Steamers after dropping Game One of the Second Round 14-2 on Monday night.

The Sharks must win back-to-back games on the road to keep their 2011 season alive.

The visiting Steamers had a pair of two-run homers to give themselves a 5-2 cushion through five innings, but had a five-run seventh inning to give them more than enough offense for the win as they added four runs in the ninth for good measure.

Edenton jumped out to an early lead in the top of the second when Zach Stewart connected for a two-run homer to left-center field before the Steamers added a third run in the top of the third without a hit in the inning as Ryan Brenner walked before stealing second and stealing third as he scored on Sharks catcher Eric Mayers’ errant throw to third went into left field.

The Sharks responded in the bottom of the third, when Aaron Preston reached via a one-out walk and Justyn Carter doubled to right-center to give the hosts two runners on for Jake Mayers to deliver a two-out, two-RBI single down the right field line that cut the Edenton lead to 3-2.

In the fourth, the Sharks looked to have a chance to score as Eric Mayers walked and Preston reached on an error with two outs. Carter stepped in and reached on a fielder’s choice after Preston beat the throw to second. Eric Mayers never stopped running around third base however, and the Steamers easily threw out Mayers trying to score to end the inning.

Edenton gave themselves breathing room in the fifth when Joe Wendle hit a two-run homer that just cleared the wall down the right field line to up the lead to 5-2.

The wheels fell off for the Sharks in the seventh, as Edenton scored five runs off of four hits, two walks and a hit batsman in the inning.

The Steamers tacked on four runs off five hits in the ninth for the game’s final score.

After Eric Mayers was thrown out to end the bottom of the fourth, the Sharks managed just two baserunners over the final five innings.

Carter and Jake Mayers each had two hits, while Preston had one hit to account for the Sharks five hits in the loss.

Emilio Pagan made just his second start of the summer for the Sharks and was saddled with the loss after pitching six innings and allowing five runs, four earned, on five hits and five walks while striking out six Steamers. Reliever Steven Richardson took the bulk of the load for Wilmington, allowing the final nine runs, all earned, on nine hits and two walks over two-plus innings of work.

The Sharks now have to travel to Edenton and win Games Two and Three in order to keep their 2011 season alive. Both game times are set for 7:05 starts.