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Playoff season has finally arrived in Virginia and DC. The private schools will play their State Tournaments this week, with VISAA releasing brackets on Sunday for all three classifications. Quarterfinal games will be played Tuesday night at the top seeds, with the semifinals and championship games being played at Shepherd Stadium in Richmond.

Division I

The top overall seed, St. Christopher's, was the 2017 runners-up and has only lost once this season, having split a pair of games against second-seeded Benedictine. Benedictine won the 2017 championship, and on paper for most of the season it has felt like we have been headed toward a rematch in the 2018 Championship game. There are a few other teams in the tournament field that have a chance to figure into the Championship mix. Paul VI has been outstanding all year and has the pitching talent and depth to win. Norfolk Christian and Collegiate have also had strong seasons and have plenty of talent capable of propelling them to a title in a short single-elimination tournament.

Teams to Watch:

St. Christopher's-The Saints have been powered offensively by the bat of senior Nick Biddison (Virginia Tech), who has moved behind the plate and shuts down running games. They have plenty of mound talent with junior Patrick Routsis having emerged this spring as an ace to go with Maddison Furman (VCU). The Saints lone loss was the first time that they played Benedictine this spring, having won the second meeting as part of the 13 game winning streak they are on. The Saints have tossed a shutout in eight of their last nine games.

Benedictine-The Cadets are the defending State champions and still have a loaded roster despite graduating some key pieces off of last year's team. On the mound, senior Mark Loving (Virginia Tech) and junior Casey Green (Coastal Carolina) form a good one-two punch and freshman Jay Woolfolk has emerged as a major impact. The lineup is loaded one to nine, making the Cadets a tough out in the tournament.

Paul VI Catholic-The Panthers finished tied for first in the WCAC, but did not reach the Championship round after being upset in the semifinals by a young DeMatha team. Paul VI has relied on pair of senior stalwarts on the mound down the stretch, with Thomas Russell (Navy) and Carter Spivey (East Carolina) delivering not only an ace performance, but key bats in the lineup. Junior Cortland Lawson (Tennessee) did not play in the WCAC postseason, and whether he plays in the VISAA tournament could be key for Paul VI as his two-way impact has been important all spring.

Norfolk Christian-The Ambassadors are the fourth seed in the tournament and have had a banner spring, winning the TCIS regular season and tournament championship. Senior Braden Gilbert (Wilson) and sophomore Ty Johnson have formed a good one-two punch this spring that has won some big games.

Collegiate-The 2016 State champions are 0-3 against St. Christopher's and Benedictine this spring and 15-3 in the rest of their games. They have plenty of talent as usual and could easily make a run in the tournament. There is depth in a rotation that features Travis Reifsnider (James Madison) and Trey Boll (Virginia) with Lew Rice and Michael Stewart contributing this spring as well. All four of those players contribute in the lineup as well as sophomore Nigel Williams.

 

PBR Staff Picks:
Nolan-Benedictine defeats Collegiate. The Cougars beat Norfolk Collegiate and pull the upset of St. Christopher's but run out of steam as Benedictine just has too much depth on the mound and talent in the lineup to not defend its championship.

Shank- St. Christopher's defeat Benedictine. These two teams have separated themselves from the pack this spring and should see each other again in what should be another epic rematch. Its really a flip of a coin with these two going head to head as I have had the pleasure to see both teams play this spring, but I think St. Christopher continues their winning streak to finish out the season as champs. 

 

DIVISION II

Miller School is the defending Division II Champions and are poised to repeat, having played well against a tough schedule and having brought back key players from last year's team. The other major storyline in Division II this spring has been the emergence of Highland School. The Hawks reached the State Semifinals last year, but graduated the bulk of the core to a team that has put them on map. The 2018 Hawks have dramatically exceeded expectations this spring in locking up the second seed, a feat that is even more impressive when you consider that their are no seniors on the team. Atlantic Shores was the 2017 runner-up and had a tough first few weeks to the season, but the Seahawks are peaking at the right time now. Steward and Greenbrier Christian are younger teams as well, but could pose a threat to make a run.

Teams to Watch:

Miller School-The Mavericks have a ton of talent, but most important to their success this spring is senior catcher Adam Hackenberg (Clemson) and 2017 Division II Player of the Year Ethan Murray (Duke). Murray has been his normal dominant self down the stretch as he looks to repeat last year's tournament performance, where he was the winning pitcher in the quarterfinal and championship game. Ethan Chenault has emerged as a good number two option on the mound and Stuart Barrett (George Mason) has contributed as well.

Highland-The Hawks have been buoyed by the emergence of junior ace Matt Michel as the spring has progressed. Michel has a 0.00 ERA and is 8-0 this spring, having allowed just 19 hits in 40.2 innings of work. Michel's performance along with the two-way contributions of junior Luke Burner and sophomore Blake Fisher have keyed the Hawks this spring. Junior Joe DeBardi's return from injury has added another potent bat to the middle of the lineup in the last few weeks.

Steward-Steward's strength is on the mound with lefties Logan Ransom and Harrison Clifton (Clemson) have also seen the emergence of sophomore Matt Gaither as a third option on the mound. Ransom has proven throughout his career that he can shut down any foe and give the Spartans a chance to win.

Greenbrier Christian-The Gators have talent in the lineup, with juniors JT Inskeep (VMI) and Gavin Younce as well as sophomore Nic Britt (Virginia). While they have shown the ability to score runs, the Gators have been inconsistent on the mound this spring, leading to their .500 record. They did beat Miller School last month in a game where the pitching clicked and they shut the Mavericks out.

Atlantic Shores-The 2017 Division II runners-up have gone 16-2 to finish strong after stumbling out of the gates a bit this spring. The Seahawks have the distinction of having a win over Benedictine, so they have proven they can beat anyone in the State. Seniors Reid Celata, Tanner James, and Jonathan Sawyers (Old Dominion) and junior Mitchell Kelly form a deep, experienced rotation. All of those players contribute on offense as well, and the have been boosted by the emergence of Braxton Zivic at the plate as well. 

 

PBR Staff Picks:
Nolan-Miller School defeats Highland. The very real scenario exists where Atlantic Shores could upset Miller in the semifinals if they miss Murray on the mound. That being said, I still think Miller will get to the championship game and Murray will just be too much for a young Highland team in the Championship game.

Shank- Miller School defeats Steward. Miller has played one of the tougher schedules in the state with the purpose of being ready for this time of the year. Their depth on offense and defense is hard to beat. The big guns, Murray and Hackenberg, will be there when it counts as they have all season but, I think the wild cards will be Jeremy Wagner and Ethan Chenault, who have both contributed in a big way this season to do so again. Hackenberg has had a dominant season. If I was an opposing coach, I'm giving this guy an all-expense paid trip to first base every at-bat.

 

DIVISION III

The storyline this year in Division III has been the back-and-forth that has gone on between the top four teams, having all beaten each other up a bit while positioning themselves for the tournament. Southampton Academy has won the State Championship each of the last three years, and it will be interesting to see if they can run the gauntlet to repeat again or if someone else can capture the title.

Teams to Watch:

Walsingham Academy-The Trojans are the top seed entering the tournament and have split their two games with Southampton this season, losing early in the season in 11 innings and winning another one-run game a few weeks ago. The Trojans have a pair of elite hitters in the middle of their lineup in junior Zach Stanko (Longwood) and sophomore Tanner Schobel (Virginia Tech). Schobel is having an outstanding spring, hitting over .450 with 5 home runs.

Southampton Academy-The three-time defending champions enter the tournament as the two seed and have a 2-2 record against the other three teams in the top four, with all of the games being decided by two runs or less. Seniors Ian Mizelle and Michael Smith pace the offense with batting averages over .450. Mizelle has also had a strong season on the mound and the Raiders have gotten big contributions from sophomore pitchers Trey Dundlow and Cameron Belter as well.

Fuqua School-The Falcons have only played 15 games so far this spring giving them a slight disadvantage in reps at this point in the season. They have the best hitter in the field with senior Hunter Gilliam (Longwood) bringing power to the middle of the lineup. Fuqua brought back most of its team that finished 2017 as the Division III runners-up, with Colton Copley and Christian Adams also being key players for them.

Carlisle School-The Chiefs have had an interesting season to follow from afar. They have nearly defeated Miller School and Collegiate and beaten Southampton Academy, yet they were blown out in their one meeting with Fuqua. Sophomore Trey Carter is an elite 2-way talent who will be ranked very highly in our prospect rankings after our next update. He has delivered at the plate this spring, leading the Chiefs in batting average, but has struggled with command on the mound. Junior Tyler Nuckols has been their top arm and has shown the ability to put together a dominant outing on the mound. Freshman Garret Kangas has emerged down the stretch as another good option on the mound.

 

PBR Staff Picks:
Nolan-Its hard to pick against the defending champs, but I think that Walsingham will capture the crown this year, beating Southampton in another tight game. The final four should be a lot of fun as any of these teams could end up as the champ.

Shank- This really is a flip of a coin, but I am going with Fuqua defeating Walsingham in the Championship. Watching Fuqua earlier in the season, they find ways to win and will get their revenge against Southampton this year in the semi finals. This will be a fun final four to watch.  

 

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