NoVA Class 6 District Previews

Its May and in parts of Virginia/DC, playoff baseball is here. The WCAC will crown its champion this weekend and on Sunday, VISAA will release its State Tournament bracket. Regions 6C and 6D play larger tournaments than most other VHSL Regions and spread their tournaments out over 2 full weeks to help with pitching, so as a result they wrap their seasons up earlier and will begin District Tournament play this week. Here are some notes on each District and what to look for:

Cardinal District

There are still a few games left to play and the District tournament doesn't start until Monday, but the standings in this District have pretty much locked themselves into place for the most part. Potomac has finished in first in the District and will get a bye to the semifinals. Forest Park and Hylton finished tied for second and await tiebreaker to see who plays Freedom (Woodbridge) in the first round and who plays Gar-Field. Woodbridge and Colgan are locked into the 4/5 game. For Region bids, Potomac leaves Class 6 and plays in Region 5D, so the four Region 6C bids from the Cardinal District go to the top four teams after that, meaning unless a major upset occurs Woodbridge and Colgan will advance to the Region regardless of their result on Monday. As for the tournament itself, Potomac has Brody Mack (William & Mary) as the anchor of their team. Colgan has the most talented player in the league in junior Ryley Johnson (East Carolina). Woodbridge has the best one-two punch on the mound in Magnus Ellerts (Harford CC) and Jack Lamb (Bryant & Stratton) and the Vikings have finally started hitting lately. Hylton and defending District Champ Forest Park have young teams that are on the rise and their likely semifinal matchup will be a game to see.

Cedar Run District

Patriot won the District Championship, which is awarded to the regular season champion here, and will be the 1 seed in the Region 6D tournament. The Pioneers have displayed depth on the mound behind Riley Eikhoff (Virginia) as well as had youngsters Brian Wilson, Eli Serrano, Kyle Vandenburg emerge as key bats in one of the deeper lineups in Virginia. Stonewall Jackson (Manassas) takes on Osbourn for the final Region berth and a spot in the District semifinals. The big matchup in this tournament will be the 2/3 game between Osbourn Park and a slumping Battlefield team, with the winner locking up a Region home game and the loser likely having to play all of their Region games on the road. Expect Zach Agnos (East Carolina) to start that game for Battlefield. Osbourn Park enters the game on a tear and has a hot offense that beat Battlefield and Patriot to finish the season. The key player for the Yellow Jackets’ offense is freshman catcher AJ Shephard (Indiana).

Concorde District

Westfield finished first in the regular season and is guaranteed at least a second seed headed to the Region 6D tournament with the District Tournament champ taking the top seed in the Region. The Bulldogs have been led all spring by senior two-way player Joe Clancy and sophomore leadoff hitter Nick Lottchea as key parts to a rotation that has been dominant and a lineup that is deep and relentless. Madison and Centreville have been in the mix at the top of the District all season as well and their semifinal game should be a good matchup of senior aces Matt Howatt (William & Mary) from Madison and Hunter Bell (VCU) for Centreville. Chantilly and Oakton will battle for the last Region 6D bid and a shot at Westfield in semifinals, keep an eye on Chantilly which has back most of a roster that got hot in May of 2018 and ran to the State quarterfinals after a mediocre regular season.

Gunston District

West Potomac won the regular season and is the prohibitive favorite to win the District Championship as well. The Wolverines have a strong one-two punch on the mound in Jimmy Curley (High Point) and Adam Fischer. The real story in this tournament is whether anyone can knock off West Potomac. Annandale will take on Mount Vernon for the fourth Region 6C tournament berth, with West Po, Hayfield, and TC Williams already having their tickets punched. The Titans ran the table aside from when they played West Potomac and would like another crack at the Wolverines and shot at the Region top seed.

Liberty District

This is an interesting District Tournament as this District has been very competitive and compelling all spring. McLean finished the season 14-1 down the stretch to seize the top seed in the District Tournament after a slow start and guarantee a home game in the Region 6D tournament. The Highlanders have been led by District player of the Year Jackson Kantor as well as freshman Griffin Stieg (Virginia Tech) and junior pitcher Teddy Merritt. Yorktown also gets a bye and has a Region bid locked up, having started the season 6-0 in District play before fading a bit in the last few weeks. The Patriots have been buoyed by the emergence of sophomore District Pitcher of the Year Nathan Knowles on the mound, with Josh Jones and Ben Koomey (RPI) forming the core of the lineup. Langley will take on Herndon and Washington & Lee will face South Lakes in the first round, with the winners getting the other two Region D tournament berths.

National District

We will hold off on Region implications for a moment, because this District is weird. Marshall as usual has been the top dog in this District and gets a bye to the semifinals as the top seed. Ace Robert Kelley (UMBC) is among the top arms in Northern Virginia and is a big key to the Statesmen’s success. Justice has beaten up on everyone in the District except for Marshall and enters as the two seed with a first round matchup against Wakefield. Lefty Dean Kampschror (Virginia) gives them a good option on the mound and the lineup can put up runs. For Regions, Marshall will go to the Region 6D tournament as whatever seed they finish the District tournament, and assuming Justice defeats Wakefield, they will lock up a spot in the Region 6C tournament, also with the seed they finish in the District tournament. The remaining schools in the District are competing for three bids to Region 5C. Thomas Jefferson S&T will face Edison and Falls Church will face Lee in the other first round matchups, with the winners locking in Region 5C bids, and the third bid going to the highest remaining seed from the regular season of the Class 5 teams.

Patriot District

Lake Braddock ran away with the District in the regular season and aside from a really bad night against West Springfield, were pretty much unchallenged in the regular season. Senior Lyle Miller-Green (George Mason) was named District Player of the Year and Pitcher of the Year, mashing 8 home runs so far while also going 3-0 with 5 saves as a multi-inning closer. The Bruins have depth on the mound and in the lineup and are easily the favorites to win the District and take the top seed in the Region 6C Tournament. West Springfield finished second on a tiebreaker and the defending State Champions get a bye to the semifinals and have their Region bid assured. The Spartans have hit all spring but have been inconsistent on the mound, but seeing their bats get hot and carry them far would not be surprising. Robinson lost that tiebreaker and will get Woodson in the first round for the chance to play West Springfield in the semis. Fairfax and South County will play in the 4/5 game, with a Region bid and a shot at Braddock on the line. Robinson, like West Springfield has hit, and a big part of South County's success this season has been the emergence of junior Trey Williams on the mound.