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Team Notes

Page County is the Region B Champion and hasn't lost since March. The Panthers have a dominant one-two punch on the mound in Tristan Eppard and TR Williams, with both pitchers having over 100 strikeouts this spring and WHIPs under 1.00. Tristan Gordon paces the offense with .494 batting average and 35 RBIs. Page has seven hitters over .300 this season and Jake Day is also over 30 RBIs in a very balanced offense.

Maggie Walker is the Region A runner-up and if you look at their overall record, its not that impressive, but as the lone Class 2 school in a District made up of 4s and 5s, its understandable. Matthew Haines has been their go-to option on the mound. Cole Ragone and Jackson Downs have had strong springs at the plate, both hitting over .400 with three home runs each.

Goochland is the Region A Champion and hasn't lost since before Tax Day. The Bulldogs offense is led by John King, who is hitting .500 at this point in the season, and Wyatt Murray, who is hitting .462 with 33 RBIs. The Bulldog offense is also deep behind Murray and King, with the team having hit over .350 so far this spring. Murray and Tyler Gentry also give Goochland a 1-2 punch on the mound to rival anyone in the tournament. Murray is 8-0 with a 0.52 ERA this spring and Gentry has allowed just 18 hits in 30 innings while posting a 1.63 ERA.

Stuart's Draft is the Region B runner-up and was down five with three outs left in their season in the Region semifinal before rallying to win in extra innings and advance. The Cougars are the lone team to beat Page County this spring, winning a 1-0 game in March. Henry Cooke comes into the State Tournament with a hot bat, going 9-11 in the Region Tournament with the game-tying home run in the semifinal.

Chatham is the Region C Champion and aside from one week in early May, has been dominant all spring. The Cavaliers have depth in their rotation but the big arm of junior AJ Potojecki (Longwood) is capable of dominating any of the offenses in the tournament. Chatham's offense is capable of going off to as they had a stretch in April when they scored double digits in six straight games.

Tazewell is the Region D runner-up and has seen the emergence of Sidney Willis this spring be a big part of their success. Willis has a 1.39 ERA in 65 innings with 124 strikeouts this spring, and he will be a tough matchup for any opponent. Austin Parker has also had a strong season on the mound with a sub-2 ERA in 43 innings as the second option on the mound. Willis also leads the team in RBIs while Zak Tatum leads the team in batting average and Austin Parker has been hot in the playoffs. 

Virginia is the Region D Champion and has beaten Tazewell three times so far this spring. The Bearcats have surged down the stretch after a slow start playing a handful of games against bigger schools. The Bearcats have won 7 in a row and 12 of their last 13. Zach Griffith has been dominant on the mound down the stretch. The Virginia's offense has been pretty consistent, with the only times that they haven't scored at least six runs in the last 6 weeks having been their two most recent losses.

Appomattox County is the Region C runner-up and three of their five losses this spring are to Chatham. The Raiders rely on an explosive offense and have scored double digits in every one of their wins since the beginning of May. Henry Rasmussen will take the mound in the first game and is coming off of a 12-strikeout 5 inning performance in the Region tournament. Jacob Johnson and Hunter Mohr have had hot bats during the playoffs and drive the middle of the Raider lineup.

 

Staff Picks

Nolan-This is a hard group to pick because the semifinals should be outstanding. I think all of the region champs advance to the semifinals with the Chatham-Tazewell game being the best matchup during that round. Then give me Virginia and their recent playoff history defeating Chatham with Potojecki potentially not available on the mound. Goochland and Page will be a heck of a semifinal and both teams have that arm to win, but I'll take Page and TR Williams in a tight one. For the Championship, give me Page County defeating Virginia. Page has too many returning All-State players not to get over the hump.

Shank- I am going to go with Virginia High defeating Goochland in the championship. Virginia pulls offa bit of an upset squeaking by Chatham in the semifinal, while Maggie Walker pulls of an up set of Page, but can't make it past Goochland in the semifinals.

 

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