MESA, Ariz. -- Yeah, this Cubs bunt contest probably has received too much attention so far, but since it was written about, talked about and Tweeted about -- ad nauseam it seems -- it’s kind of hard to ignore it.

So the brief wrapup of the opening day Thursday, where eight matchups were contested, is that Casey Coleman not only won his match, but he appeared to have the ability to advance far into the bracket.

For those who haven’t heard, the Cubs are conducting a 64-person contest where bunts are scored using a grid painted onto the grass of a practice field. There is a 32-person bracket for pitchers (that includes manager Dale Sveum and strength and conditioning coach Tim Buss), and a 32-person bracket for position players.

Each player is allowed eight bunts over three rounds or innings.

Aside from Coleman, other first-round winners were Jeff Beliveau, Lendy Castillo, Trey McNutt, Rafael Dolis, Dae-Eun Rhee, Chris Rusin and Scott Maine, who scored 40 points on his final bunt attempt to rally and eliminate Blake Parker.

Castillo, a Rule 5 pickup this winter, had the high score of the day with 540 points.