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By John Nolan
Assistant Director of Scouting/Content Management 

As we enter March, the high school season is quickly approaching. As we approach opening day, we will continue our look at high school programs throughout our coverage area as they prepare for the 2016 season.
 

Team: Rockbridge County
Nickname: Wildcats
Class: 3A West
Conference: 31 and the Blue Ridge District
Coach: Justin Wenger
Twitter: @rchsathletics
2015 Record: 12-10
2015 Post Season: Conference Semifinals
Returning Starters/Position: 2
Returning Pitchers: 3

PLAYERS TO WATCH
Andrew Austin (RHP, 2016) Austin has good command and control of his arsenal on the mound and changes speeds effectively.
Cody Bartley (1B/LHP, 2017) Bartley is a good defensive first basemen, with some pop. He has upside on the mound and good feel for his offspeed pitches.
Ty Bennett (C, 2017) Bennett is an athletic catcher with a quick release behind the plate who has good contact skills and a good line drive stroke.
Josh Lawhorne (OF, 2017) Lawhorne has good speed, covering a lot of ground in the outfield and has decent power at the plate.
Brandon Minter (OF/LHP, 2017) Minter gets good routes in the outfield, covering a lot of ground. He has a strong arm that carries over to the mound where he attacks hitters.
Reeves Whitmore (SS, 2018) Whitmore is a good all-around prospect with a strong arm and quick hands at the plate.

 

SEASON OUTLOOK
Rockbridge County is coming off of a solid 2015 season that saw the Wildcats finish with a winning record and reach the Conference 31 Semifinals before seeing their season end just short of the 3A West Regional tournament. The Wildcats were a senior-heavy squad in 2015 and will turn over the majority of their roster in 2016. Rockbridge County will feature a deep junior class this spring that has limited game experience at the varsity level. The Wildcats are very adept at small ball and will have to be aggressive to create runs with most of their power graduating. Defensively, Rockbridge should be fundamentally sound with an outfield that covers a lot of ground. On the mound, the Wildcats will be young but have a core of arms that have shown the ability to pound the strike zone and change speeds. The 2016 Wildcats will be a young team that could struggle a bit early in the season, but as their core gains experience throughout the season, look for Rockbridge County to peak in the playoffs and be a dangerous team in the Conference 31 tournament that could threaten to reach the 3A West Regional.