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By John Nolan
Assistant Director of Scouting

Regional tournaments have finally come to a close throughout the Commonwealth after a wet week wreaked havoc with the tournament. Hopefully, Mother Nature will be more cooperative this weekend as teams pack up their buses for the Spring Jubilees that are being hosted again this year by Radford University, Liberty University, and Robinson Secondary. Championship Saturday is looming large in the windshield, so here is a look at the State Tournament fields in each classification.

The 6A Semifinal games will be played at Robinson Secondary School in Fairfax on Friday, June 12. The State Championship Game will be at Robinson on Saturday, June 13 at 7:00.

NO. 10 first colonial vs. no.20 james madison, 3pm

First Colonial is the Coastal Conference regular season champions and the South Region Runners-up and is 21-4 at this point in the season. The Patriots had a tough draw in the first round of the Region tournament, facing the loaded pitching staff of No. 11 Grassfield. First Colonial’s offense and South Region Player of the Year Bodie Sheehan (2015, William & Mary) were up to the task in that game as the Patriots advanced. First Colonial then knocked off Forest Park and lost a tight game in the last inning to Western Branch in the Regional Championship. The Patriots have an experienced line-up that has been anchored this spring by First Team All-Region honoree Riley Clifford (2017) and Second Team selections Austin Henry (2015, Christopher Newport) and Justin Cook (2016, Richmond).

James Madison is the Liberty Conference 6 Champions and the Northern Region Champions and enters the State Tournament on an eight game winning streak. The Warhawks won in impressive fashion over Chantilly in the Northern Region Championship game, capping off a week that also saw them outlast No. 21 Battlefield in extra innings. The Warhawks have a solid lineup that is anchored by All-Region performers Owen Socher (2015, William & Mary), Pete Nielsen (2016), and Bryan Harthun. The Warhawks also have a dominant one-two punch on the mound in lefties Brian Eckert (2015, Radford) and Matthew Favero (2016).

NO. 22 chantilly vs. no.5 western branch, 7pm

Chantilly was the 2014 State Runners-up, falling in the Championship game to their 2015 semifinal opponent, Western Branch. The Chargers have come back with another strong spring, winning the Concorde Conference and winning their first five playoff games, including three wins over rivals Centreville and Oakton, before falling in the Northern Regional Championship game to James Madison. Chantilly is a sound defensive team that pitches well and has a balanced lineup. The offense this spring has been led by First Team All-Region leadoff hitter Andrew Kim (2015, Christopher Newport), Jared DiCesare (2016, George Mason), First Team All-Region performer Brett Norwood. The Chargers have depth on the mound and are anchored by ace and First Team All-Region Matt Hogle (2015) and their closer, DiCesare.

Western Branch is the South Region Champions and the defending 6A State Champions. The Bruins were dominant in their first two wins in the Region tournament, over Cox and Cosby, outscoring them 16-2. Western Branch faced a tough test against First Colonial, and had to rally from a seventh inning, 1-0, deficit to win the Region Championship. The Bruins have fought through an incredibly tough schedule to get to 22-3 at this point in the season. Western Branch’s lineup is anchored by First Team All-Region honorees Grant Maiorana (2015, Virginia Tech), Alex Abbey (2015, Christopher Newport), and Jordan Mason (2015, Christopher Newport) and the pitching staff is led by fellow First-Teamer Colin Selby (2015, Randolph Macon).