VA/DC 2020 D3 Recruiting Class Rankings
November 19, 2019
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The NCAA Early Signing Period started November 13th and runs through November 20th. Members of the Class of 2020 in most sports are allowed to sign their National Letters of Intent this week, which will solidify verbal commitments into signings. With arrival of the Signing Period, we get a chance to start to really look at the incoming classes each school in Virginia and DC has assembled and the potential impact those players will have when they get to college.
We have primarily been covering the Division I signing period and yesterday ranked the top 5 Division I signing classes. While D1 ball is alive and well in Virginia and DC, so is Division III baseball, with nearly 20 schools competing at that level. Many of the local schools have earned Regional bids in the last few years and Randolph-Macon and Roanoke have made recent trips to the Division III College World Series.
Today we will rank the current incoming classes for the Division III schools in Virginia and DC. None of these players are bound by an NLI, but they have verbally committed. Because of the later process of Division III recruiting, these incoming classes are much less complete than the Division I classes are at this point, so we will revisit these rankings a few different times between now and the summer.
***These rankings are based on the players who we have on record as having verbally committed to a school, at the Division III level these classes are not ever truly final until students report to campus in August***
TOP VA/DC RECRUITING CLASSES
| Rank | School | Total Incoming | State Top 100 | State Top 200 | Impact Players |
| 1 | Randolph Macon | 11 | 2 | 6 | Myles Webb, Peter Benavides |
| 2 | Lynchburg | 11 | 1 | 6 | Blake Fisher, Gavin Collins |
| 3 | Christopher Newport | 11 | 1 | 7 | Colby Shriner, Derek Furr |
| 4 | Hampden-Sydney | 9 | 1 | 5 | Ethan Snyder, Trent Jones |
| 5 | Roanoke | 7 | 0 | 3 | Jack Marshall, Chris Polymeropolous |
QUICK NOTES
-Randolph-Macon has a good class in the making. OF Myles Webb (Granby, VA) has some very loud tools and a big arm that could work on the mound. C Peter Benavides (Battlefield, VA) has a strong arm and is athletic for the position, with a chance to have a middle of the lineup bat. A deep group of arms with upside has committed in righthanders Andrew Ramos (Lafayette, VA), Wyatt Stanley (Patrick Henry-Ashland, VA), Cole Snead (Battlefield, VA), and Jacob Lawler (Battlefield, VA).
-Lynchburg has been busy in Northern Virginia, pulling in 4 players from our Top 120 rankings so far. SS/RHP Blake Fisher (Highland School, VA) is a potential legitimate two-way contributor at the D3 level and 3B Gavin Collins (Centreville, VA), C Riley O'Donovan (Bishop O'Connell, VA), and OF Eddie Gimbel (Highland School, VA) are all good pieces to add to the lineup. The Hornets also have an arm coming in with a lot of projection in RHP Nathaniel Mack (Tabb, VA).
-Christopher Newport has a smaller group coming in so far, but there is a lot to like about the guys they have committed. RHP Colby Shriner (Centreville, VA) is a good arm already with projection and a chance to be very good. Future rotation mates Jay Cassady (Lake Braddock, VA) and Jack Braley (Osbourn Park, VA) both also have upside and have shown the ability to pitch and get good hitters out in Class 6 as the aces of their respective staffs. OF/LHP Derek Furr (Westfield, VA) will contribute both ways at CNU and is an immediate impact bat.
-Hampden-Sydney's current incoming class is highlighted by a pair of very high-upside players. RHP Ethan Snyder (Louisa County, VA) and OF/RHP Trent Jones (Cape Henry, VA) both have a chance to throw very hard as they fill out. RHP Allan Williamson (Cosby, VA), RHP Ryan Portes (James River-Midlothian, VA), and RHP Nolan Manzer (Maury, VA) are also all solid arms that will make for a deep class. 1B Bennett Lloyd (Benedictine, VA) has the pop to be a centerpiece in the lineup and Jones has the athletic tools of a 3-spot hitter.
-Roanoke has the makings of a solid class coming together, 1B Jack Marshall (Miller School, VA) has a some serious raw power and C Chris Polymeropolous (James Madison, VA) is a good defender behind the plate with a bat that should hit for a good average with some extra-base potential. RHP Gardner Meeks (Norfolk Christian, VA) and LHP Ty Johnson (Norfolk Christian, VA) are both strike-throwers who compete and have the potential to gain velocity as they continue to grow and mature.
MORE SIGNING PERIOD COVERAGE