Follow @PBRVirginiaDC 
Facebook + Periscope

Team Notes

Riverheads is the Region B champion and has won their last two games in a walk-off. The Gladiators have been one of the top teams all season and feature sophomores Braeson Fulton (James Madison) and Grant Painter (James Madison) at the top of their lineup.

West Point is the Region A runners-up after entering the Region tournament as the 11 seed. The Pointers are led offensively by Zac Gonzalez who has hit .391 this spring with 5 home runs. Landon Kelly threw a shutout in the Region semifinal and has a 1.49 ERA in 33 innings this spring.

Northumberland is the Region A champion and is on an 11 game winning streak, having not lost since April. Collin Saunders threw a complete game in the Region semifinals to beat Essex and he and Nick Basye have given the Indians a good one-two punch on the mound down the stretch.

Central-Lunenberg is the Region B runners-up and has played well down the stretch despite a few early losses to Class 2 schools.

Galax is the Region C champion and scored 34 runs in winning their three Region games. Lucas Dalton had hits in all three games and drove in six runs while throwing a complete game in the Region Championship game. John Key's bat has also been hot, with multiple hits in each Region game and six RBIs of his own.

Honaker is the Region D runner-up and the loss in the Region title game broke a 16 game winning streak. The Tigers had beaten Patrick Henry in their previous two meetings and have scored double-digit runs in 10 of their last 12 games.

Patrick Henry (Glade Spring) is the Region D champion and has won five in a row entering the State Tournament, including wins over Holston, Chilhowie, Honaker, and Eastside. Jackson Cruise, Connor Buchanan, and Isaac Eldreth have all been reliable on the mound down the stretch and are important two-way contributors.

Auburn is the Region C runner-up and their loss to Galax in the Region Championship snapped a 10 game winning streak. That loss was also the first time that the explosive Eagle offense was held to single digits since April. Auburn's lineup is dynamic from top to bottom and they can turn any game into a shootout.

 

Staff Picks

Nolan-Auburn and Honaker meet in one semifinal which should be a race to 15 with their offenses, which means it'll likely be a 5-4 game so give me Honaker. Riverheads ends the West Point Cinderella run but can't get past Northumberland's arms. Unfortunately those arms will not be available on Saturday, so I'll take Honaker defeating Northumberland.

Shank-I think Riverheads' bats and performance in games against bigger schools gives them an edge in the tournament. I think that the beat Honaker in a shootout for the Championship.

 

 

More VA/DC High School Coverage: