(Friday, August 4, 3032, New York) – The Atlantic League today named Kole Cottam of Spire City as its Player of the Month for July while Charleston’s Joe Testa received the Pitcher of the Month honor.

Cottam, 26, hit .379 in 25 games in July, slamming 10 home runs and driving in 27 runs. Cottam had a .471 on-base percentage and a slugging percentage of .828 for an OPS of 1.299. Cottam led all Atlantic League players in both slugging percentage and OPS while recording 10 multi-hit games and nine multi-RBI games. He collected a pair of four RBI games to go with two multi-homer contests. A native of Knoxville, Tenn., Cottam is in his first year in the Atlantic League.

Testa, 37, went 5-0 during July, making five starts and posting an ERA of 3.58. In 32.2 innings of work, the lefty allowed 25 hits and walked 11 while striking out 17. Testa had wins against Lancaster, Staten Island, Southern Maryland, Spire City and York, logging at least six innings in every start. He recorded a season-high seven strikeouts in seven innings on July 15 in a win over Southern Maryland, a game in which he allowed just two hits. Testa, who also serves as Charleston’s pitching coach, is in his sixth year in the Atlantic League after breaking in with the Camden Riversharks in 2014.

“The caliber of play in the Atlantic League has never been higher than it is in 2023,” said Atlantic League President Rick White. “Kole and Joe each are representative of the high quality hitters and pitchers that are prevalent throughout each of our clubs.”

About the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball (ALPB)

Celebrating its 25th Anniversary season in 2023, the Atlantic League is Major League Baseball’s first Professional Partner League, a player gateway to the major leagues, and a leader in baseball innovation. ALPB has sent over 1,200 players to MLB organizations while drawing more than 45 million fans to its family-friendly ballparks throughout its 25-year history. Please visit www.AtlanticLeague.com.