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Class 6 State Quick Hits: Freedom vs Herndon

June 11, 2022
John Nolan
VA/DC Managing Editor, NOVA Scouting Coordinator

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Saturday afternoon saw an overcast day and the 2022 VHSL State Championship game between Freedom (South Riding) and Herndon. The game was played at a neutral site, John Champe HS, and was well-attended by all of the Northern Virginia Baseball community. Both teams had to burn a ton of arms to get to the title game, but each had an ace in the hole. Freedom started 2023 righty Luke Proehl (Virginia Tech) and Herndon went with 2022 righty Jackson Coen (Georgetown). 

The pitchers were the story of the game, especially early on. Both pitchers combined to allow just one hit in the first three innings as Coen struck out 5 in that time and Proehl struck out 7. 

Freedom was able to break through in the fourth. Mason Butash (Penn State) ripped a one-out single to center. He stole second and advanced to third when the throw got away. With the infield drawn in, 2024 Griffin Burkholder (West Virginia) hammered an RBI single to left to give the Eagles a 1-0 lead. 

That was all of the scoring in the first six innings. Proehl continued to dominate, and Coen continued to alternate between dominating and wiggling out of trouble as the game went to the seventh with Freedom clinging to its 1-0 lead, and Proehl carrying an intact no-hit bid.

In the top of the seventh, a pair of walks and a misplayed pop-up in no-man's land loaded the bases for Freedom with one out and ended Coen's day, with Liam Willson (Wake Forest) coming in relief for the Hornets. Freedom scored a second run on a wild pitch, but then Willson got a strikeout and a deep flyout to end the inning. Headed to the bottom of the seventh, the Eagles had a 2-0 lead.

Proehl's no-hit bid ended quickly, as the first hitter of the inning for the Hornets, Kyle Henson (Patrick Henry CC) ripped a double down the leftfield line. Proehl then picked up his eleventh and twelfth strikeouts before Graham Sears (Stevenson) singled to center to drive in Herndon's first run and put the tying run on base. Jonathan Morgan hit a rocket to left, but it hung up and was caught, ending the game and giving Freedom its first State Championship, with a final score of 2-1.

For Freedom, Christian Carver was 2-2 with 2 BB, Burkholder was 1-3 with an RBI, and Butash was 1-2 with a BB and a SB. Proehl went 7 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 12 K, 2 BB, 2 HBP. For Herndon, Coen went 6.1 IP, 2 R, 6 H, 10 K, 4 BB, HBP.