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Welcome to our 2020 VHSL Previews. In each preview, we will give you a brief recap of the 2019 season along with the breakdown of each Region and what the rules are to qualify for postseason play under the new alignment. We will also highlight the top prospects in each Classification, as well as some teams to watch during the 2020 season.

In 2019, Lafayette won the State Championship. They will not get to defend their title as the exit Class 4 and head back to Class 3. The Rams defeated Great Bridge in the Region A title game. Hanover won the Region B championship over Midlothian as the Hawks earned yet another State tournament bid.

Exiting Region A in the new alignment is Deep Creek and the defending State Champs, Lafayette. Entering Region A are Hampton, Menchville, and Warwick, all of whom come down from Class 5. In Region B Midlothian exits to Class 5, while George Wythe (Richmond), Lee-Davis, Orange County, and Spotsylvania come in. Wythe and Spotsylvania are coming up from Class 3 and Lee-Davis and Orange are coming down from Class 5. Spotsy won the 2018 Class 3 State Championship and Menchville has been a fixture in the Class 5 State tournament in recent years.

 

Top Prospects Regions A and B

Name	School	Class	Position	Commitment
Kade Abrisz	Menchville	2021	C
Kody Abrisz	Menchville	2020	IF/OF	Louisburg JC
Brett Allen	Lee-Davis	2021	3B/RHP	Umass-Amherst
Josh Boelt	Powhatan	2022	SS
Landon Bonneville	King's Fork	2022	C
Addie Burrow	Courtland	2020	OF	Virginia
Jack Carris	Monacan	2021	SS
Tyler Cotten	Grafton	2020	C	Charlotte
Tyler Davis	Menchville	2020	LHP	VCU
Brandon Eike	Powhatan	2020	RHP/3B	North Carolina
Philip Forbes V	Menchville	2020	RHP	James Madison
Anthony Gabello	Hanover	2022	RHP
Trey Gibson	Grafton	2020	RHP	Liberty
Scott Gilman	Patrick Henry (Ashland)	2020	C	Roanoke
Kevin Gunn	Dinwiddie	2021	SS/RHP	Longwood
Ethan Hensley	Great Bridge	2022	RHP
Landon Higgerson	Great Bridge	2020	RHP	Radford
Levi Huesman	Hanover	2022	LHP
Chase Hustead	Hanover	2022	RHP	James Madison
Cole Jenkins	Lee-Davis	2020	3B	VMI
Brett Jennings	Orange County	2020
Michael Joyce	Lee-Davis	2022	C/RHP	James Madison
Seth Keller	Patrick Henry (Ashland)	2022	SS/RHP	Old Dominion
Cole Macomson	Monacan	2022	RHP
Jaron McNeil	Dinwiddie	2021	OF/RHP	Virginia Tech
Cannon Peebles	Hanover	2022	C	Old Dominion
Mark Petko	Grafton	2020	RHP
Caden Plummer	Lee-Davis	2021	OF/RHP
Kyle Reviello	King George	2022	3B/RHP
Khalil Reynolds	Churchland	2020	RHP	Bryant & Stratton
Ethan Robinson	Monacan	2021	OF
Jackson Severt	Dinwiddie	2021	C
Ethan Snyder	Louisa County	2020	RHP	Hampden-Sydney
Wyatt Stanley	Patrick Henry (Ashland)	2020	RHP	Randolph-Macon
Carter Trice	Lee-Davis	2020	SS	Old Dominion
Connor Woodel	Powhatan	2021	3B

2020 Region A

Churchland	Denbigh
Grafton	Great Bridge
Hampton	Heritage (Newport News)
Jamestown	King's Fork
Lake Taylor	Menchville
Smithfield	Warhill
Warwick	Woodrow Wilson

Region A uses a power points system to seed a ten team Region tournament. The top 6 teams open in the quarterfinals while the bottom four have to play an extra game before the quarterfinals.

2020 Region B

North	South
Caroline	Dinwiddie
Chancellor	George Wythe (Richmond)
Courtland	Hanover
Eastern View	Huguenot
King George	Lee-Davis
Louisa County	Monacan
Orange County	Patrick Henry (Ashland)
Spotsylvania	Powhatan

Region B has divided into two halves, the North and South. Each half sends five teams to the Region tournament, with the five determined by power points.

 

Teams to Watch Regions A and B

 

Dinwiddie
One game away from back to back regional title games the Generals fell to Midlothian to end their 2019 season. With minimal losses from last year’s team, Dinwiddie is poised to make a run at 4B once again. They return all of their contributors on the mound in Kevin Gunn (Longwood), Colt Daulton (Virginia Wesleyan), and junior Codie Maitland. The offense will be paced by Gunn, Jaron McNeil (Virginia Tech), Jackson Severt, and Evan Hornsby (Bluefield). If the Generals can stay healthy they should have enough depth on the mound and experience at the plate, that will allow them to make a push in a tough region.

Eastern View
The Cyclones put together a solid 2019 before seeing their season end in the Region 4B tournament. A solid group is coming back this spring and View should be one of the stronger teams in 4B North. Senior Tillman Butler (Hampden-Sydney) will be back behind the plate and in the middle of a lineup that should also feature juniors Kelly Hackley and Will Harris. Senior Cooper Thomas gives the Cyclones a solid veteran arm headed into the spring as well.

Grafton
The Clippers return one of the best batteries in the state in Tyler Cotten (Charlotte) and Trey Gibson (Liberty). Throw in one of the top uncommitted arms in the state in senior Mark Petko and Grafton can compete with anyone. The middle of the lineup should be solid with Cotten and Gibson having the ability to drive in runs, but they will need to fill some voids around them to solidify the offensive piece. 

Great Bridge
The Wildcats finished as the Region A runners-up in 2019 and advanced to the State Tournament. Look to see them in play for another State berth this spring with return of senior ace Landon Higgerson (Radford). The potential for a dominant 1-2 punch on the mound is there for Great Bridge if talented sophomore Ethan Hensley can step into a bigger role for the Wildcats this spring. Senior Jake Perry (CNU) will handle the catching duties and provide a key bat this spring.

***Ethan Hensley has transferred out of Great Bridge***

Hampton
The Crabbers rolled through the 2019 regular season and were poised for a deep playoff run in Class 5, but there season came to an early end when Princess Anne knocked them off in the 5A quarterfinals. Hampton moves down to Class 4 this year and will move forward without Trey Morgan (VMI), who has graduated. A couple pieces return this spring, led by senior Cameron Belter (Virginia-Wesleyan). 

Hanover
The Hawks lost a ton of offensive production from their 2019 roster. Basically the only returning offensive player from 2019 is junior middle infielder Caydon Richardson. The lineup and pitching staff will benefit from having new addition Cannon Peebles (Old Dominion) behind the plate. While Hanover could possibly struggle to find consistent offensive production in 2020 the one mainstay is their pitching staff. The Hawks do not rebuild on the mound, they simply reload. After replacing 4+ arms from 2019 they should not miss a beat. Newcomers Levi Huesman and Anthony Gabello should be thrown right into the fire early for the Hawks and will be accompanied by a Future Games Team Mid-Atlantic member 2022 Chase Hustead (James Madison). The Hawks have the arms, but their success will more than likely lie in their offensive production. 

Lee-Davis
Lee-Davis’ 2019 season ended with an extra inning walk-off to senior laden Deep Run, but the Confederates will be back and better in 2020 as they slide down from Class 5 to Class 4. While they have lost Zach Lass (Richmond) to graduation, Lee-Davis returns senior infielders Carter Trice (ODU) and Cole Jenkins (VMI), as well as adding recent UMass-Amherst commit Brett Allen. Jalen Strattman, Dallas Hairfield, Caden Plummer, and CJ DiNapoli should contribute to the offense as well as on the mound. With Lass graduating the catching spot will be one of the few unknowns, but they have a very strong option in Michael Joyce (JMU) waiting in the wings. Connor Sorokowski along with Brett Allen could be the two front end arms for Lee-Davis, and as noted above, they have plenty of firepower to come out of the bullpen. This is as deep a staff and lineup as there is around and everyone needs to watch this team this spring as they try to get back to the Lee-Davis of old. 

Jamestown
The Eagles had a strong season in 2019 and advanced to the Region A semifinals before falling to Great Bridge. Ethan Weaver (CNU) has graduated, but senior Josh Ammons (Messiah) is back for a team that is always solid and in the mix in late May. 

Menchville
The Monarchs have been strong in recent years and have become a fixture in the Class 5 State Tournament, last year reaching it as the Region A runners-up before falling in the quarterfinals. This spring they drop down to Class 4 in the realignment. While Menchville lost top arm Ahmad Goldson (Louisburg CC) to graduation, the bulk of their very talented core is back for one more run at a crown. The rotation is again talented, with seniors Tyler Davis (VCU) and Philip Forbes V (James Madison) headlining the group. Forbes plays both ways and will again be a centerpiece in a deep lineup that also features seniors Dawson Guzik (Lynchburg) and Kody Abrisz as well as junior Kade Abrisz. 

Monacan
A very very young 2019 Monacan team will once again be young, but will have a season under their belt and some solid developing talent on roster in 2020. The Greenidge brothers, Jalen and Jaden, provided some offensive spark for the Chiefs last season and look to improve upon than once again this spring. Jack Carris should anchor the infield and be a steady glove at shortstop with the ability to do some damage at the plate. Ethan Robinson, along with Jalen Greenidge, will look to patrol the outfield and should be a key piece in the middle of the Chiefs’ order. If Monacan can provide some help on the mound to sophomore Cole Macomson, who was their workhorse in 2019, then this could be an exciting spring for a once again young Monacan club.

Powhatan
Powhatan had a solid 2019 season coming off of a 2018 State tournament berth. The Indians lost a lot to graduation but still put together a winning season and advanced to the 4B quarterfinals before their season came to an end. There is a lot to like about the Indian roster coming into this spring. The centerpiece on offense and in the rotation will be senior Brandon Eike (North Carolina). Rounding out the offense will also be juniors Connor Woodel and Caden Beil. Talented sophomore infielder Josh Boelt should find a way to contribute as well. Sophomore Hayden Wasson could also earn some time on the mound and in the outfield.

Patrick Henry (Ashland) 
The Patriots have some up and coming talent in the program, but they may still be a year or so away. Scott Gilman (Roanoke) and Seth Keller (ODU) will likely anchor the offensive lineup for Patrick Henry. They could also be battery mates as Keller, along with Wyatt Stanley (Randolph-Macon) very well may be the top arms for the Patriots. Guys like Jack Kaczmarek and Dylan Schloss may also factor into the mix with the pitching staff. They are young, but if they get the offense figured out I would not be surprised if they turn some heads come late May.

Warhill
The Lions had a rough 2019, but there are some interesting younger pieces on their roster that will make them worth following this spring. Junior righty Aiden Barry has a lot of upside on the mound and junior outfielder Jack Salamy and sophomore shortstop and pitcher Ryan Terrell also have the opportunity to provide impacts on a team that could be improved this spring.

 

 

 

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