VHSL Class 5 Region C Preview

Briar Woods
The 2017 State Champs put together a 20-win season in 2019, but came up just short of a State Tournament trip, falling in the Region C semifinals. The Falcons will lose Aidan Willard (Mary Washington) to graduation, but still have a pretty stacked lineup back otherwise. The core of the lineup will be anchored around seniors Nathan Cmeyla (Dartmouth), Nick Famiglietti (UMass-Amherst) and junior Evan Smith (West Virginia). Filling out a deep lineup are seniors Cole Kumpf (Wagner) and returning leadoff hitter Jacob Weaver (Lincoln Memorial). Look for seniors Chris Torre (Washington & Lee) and Ian Smith and junior Drew Petitt to also push for bigger roles this spring. The Falcons have question marks on the mound as they lack a true ace, but senior Kyle Lewis (Marymount) has a lot of projection and could step into that role, and Cmeyla could also contribute some innings later in the season for Briar Woods.

Freedom (South Riding)
The Eagles battled graduation, a tough schedule, and some injuries in 2019 to put together a winning season, but ultimately had their season come to an end in the Region quarterfinals against Briar Woods. Ben Williamson (William & Mary), Michael Meglio, and Drew Caroline (CNU) have graduated, taking three bats out of the top of the order, but otherwise Freedom has a lot back this spring. Junior Casey Cook (North Carolina) will return for a full season and rejoin fellow junior Josh Liu in the order. Seniors Cole Novoa (Abraham Baldwin JC) and Luke Mawyer (Mary Washington) will move into bigger roles this spring. On the mound, Bryce Eisenreich and Ben Wroniwicz have graduated, but junior Connor Kolarov (William & Mary) emerged down the stretch in 2019 and has ace potential this spring, and sophomore Darren Osborne could also contribute for the Eagles on the mound.

Lee
The Lancers earned a Region bid in 2019 and fell to Broad Run, bringing their season to an end. The Lancers have some key pieces back this spring in junior leadoff hitter Myles Pittman as well as sophomore two-way contributor Edward Frye as they look to battle towards a winning season.

Potomac Falls
The Panthers reached the Region C semifinals in 2019 before their season came to an end at the hands of Broad Run. Andrew Gerhart (Mary Washington) has graduated, depriving the Panthers of their number three hitter from last year, but most damaging of all is the departure of lefty Nate Savino (Virginia), who opted to skip his senior season and early enrolled at Virginia in January, where he has made appearances for the Wahoos. In their absences, Potomac Falls will move forward with senior Jack Campbell and junior Matt Weber as the remaining pieces from the top of last year's lineup. Weber has taken a step forward this offseason with a big velocity jump, and he will get the chance to fill the ace shoes that Savino vacated.

Riverside
The Rams had an interesting 2019 season, starting very highly ranked and then struggling out of the gate to an 0-5 start amid tough competition and a slew of injuries. Things changed after spring break as the Rams reeled off 14 straight wins, captured the Region 4C Championship, and reached the Class 4 State Title game before losing in a walk-off to Lafayette. This marked the second time in three years that Riverside had finished as a State runner-up, and this year will mark the second time they have moved up a classification the following season, moving to Class 5 this spring. The Rams will be gutted in their lineup by graduation, losing their top four hitters with the departures of shortstop Carson Swank (Yale), centerfielder Sajon Belser (College of Charleston), Nick Connolly, and John Heltebran. One of the key developments in their late-season surge was the emergence of righty Wyatt Lunsford-Shenkman (East Carolina), who returns this spring for his junior year and will get a full season at the top of the rotation. Back in the middle of the order will be senior Ryan Brokaw, and junior infielder Patrick Sheffield returns as does junior outfielder and pitcher Michael Walsh. Stone Lasseigne and Steven Trone are a pair of interesting sophomores could make their presence felt this spring for the Rams as they look to fill their vacated lineup spots.

Rock Ridge
The Phoenix had 2019 season, missing the Region C tournament. The offseason was also not kind as Josh Harbinson (Wake Tech CC) graduated and juniors Brandon Clarke (Alabama) and Sam Davies moved to newly-opened Independence High School, depriving Rock Ridge of the core of its lineup and its top two returning arms. The Phoenix will move forward into a rebuilding 2020 as they work hard to make the Region tournament and fight for a .500 record in a tough District.

Stone Bridge
The 2015 State Champs got hot in the Region C tournament in 2019, ending rival Briar Woods' season in the semifinals and then defeating Broad Run to take the Region Championship. Their season ended in the State Quarterfinals at the hands of Halifax County. Graduation has gutted the top half of the Bulldogs lineup, with Paul Moore (Walters State CC), Mitchell Colombo, Derek Planty, and Daniel Antonucci departing. Seniors Tyler Scott and Ryan Provencal do return as does talented junior Zach Mazur. Look for senior Alex Jenkins (Hood) to potentially see his role increase this spring. On the mound, Colombo and Lawson Calhoon have graduated, but seniors Dalton Hines and Kyle Lewis are back and should provide some quality veteran innings for Stone Bridge.

Thomas Jefferson S&T
The Colonials finished 2019 with a winning record and a Region C tournament berth, falling in a shootout in the quarterfinals to Potomac Falls. The Colonials will be hurt by graduation this spring with the loss of top arm and bat Todd Hartman (Johns Hopkins) as well as Zach Hershey and Max Lee. Senior Rohan Cherukuri will be back in the lineup this spring as TJ looks to put together another winning campaign.

Woodgrove
The Wolverines had a strong winning season in 2019, but got upset in the District playoffs by Loudoun County and failed to qualify for the Region 4C Tournament, ending their season early. Woodgrove lost a few massive pieces to graduation with the departure of pitcher Nick Lockhart, who was a Virginia Tech commit but signed with the Rangers after being drafted last June. Also gone are key lineup pieces Brady Drawbaugh (Mount St. Mary's), Peyton Dean, Tim Blankenship, and Johnathan Marquart. Despite those losses, Woodgrove is pretty well stocked as the Wolverines move from Class 4 to Class 5 for the 2020 season. There is plenty of talent on the mound, with junior Christian Hile (Furman), senior Thomas Haller (Washington & Lee), and freshman Chris McCullers (West Virginia) all in the mix to contribute on the mound, with Hile coming off of a strong sophomore season as the number two behind Lockhart. Hile and McCullers should also be parts of the offense, which will be strong around an infield that features seniors Wyatt Miles (George Mason), Jared Molnar (Charleston WV), and Ethan Dezarn.