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Team Notes

Deep Run is the Region B champions after entering the tournament as the eighth seed. They've had a head-scratcher of a season with some great wins but also some unexpected losses. The Wildcats seem to have put it together as they shut down top-seeded Godwin in the quarterfinals and then blew out Freeman before beating Prince George. Senior David Hanson has emerged as the Wildcats' ace and has beaten stacked Hanover and Godwin teams in his last two starts. Carson Jones (Virginia) has had a breakout season at the plate and fellow juniors Eli Weisner and Brooks Mazey have been key bats too down the stretch.

Maury is the Region A runners-up and technically enters the game on a two-game losing streak. The Commodores had lost their Region semifinal to Hickory last week before the Hawks had to forfeit due to violating the pitch count rule. The Commodores got a strong start from Patrick Rogan in the Region quarterfinals and also have gotten good work from Ben Capehart this spring. Maury may be in the playoffs because of a mistake, but they certainly belong and have shown the ability to beat good teams this spring, an example being when Rogan outdueled Kris Artis and beat Granby in early May.

Menchville is the Region A champions and the Monarchs enter the State Tournament on a 15-game winning streak. The Monarch offense has been consistent all spring, having only been held to less than 4 runs twice during the winning streak. Ahmaad Goldson and Brandon Rodgers have emerged as the top two options on the mound with Philip Forbes also in the midst of a strong season. Offensively, all three lead the way hitting over .400 with Goldson and Forbes also among the team leaders in RBIs.

Prince George is the Region B runners-up and their loss in the Championship game snapped an 18 game winning streak as the Royals went unbeaten in April and May. Offensively, the Royals are keyed by the bat and speed of Tevin Tucker (West Virginia), with Michael Peterson (Longwood) and Justin Starke (VMI) hitting behind him and providing good bats with pop there as well. On the mound, the Royals have seen Buck Forbes emerge as their go-to option on the mound with Hunter Carden and Jonathan Walton (Ferrum) rounding out a solid rotation.

Freedom (South Riding) is the Region C champions and is riding an 11 game winning streak into the State Tournament. The Eagles are loaded and have been one of the on-paper favorites to win the State Championship all spring. The lineup is experienced and talented with Will Schroeder (North Carolina), Kyle Schofield (Frederick CC), and Jack Fitzgerald (George Mason) forming a formidable middle of the order. On the mound, Jonathan Fisher (Christopher Newport) and Ben Wroniewicz have been a very good 1-2 combo and Schroeder can come into close if needed.

Halifax County is the Region D runners-up and was the 2017 State runners-up, falling in a 14-inning classic to Briar Woods. The Comets have been good all season and have built their success on a dominant pitching staff that has a team ERA of 1.84 this spring. Senior Carlton Redd leads the team in innings and wins and junior Alex Lowery has emerged as the second starter with junior Drew Harlow (Radford) available to bring gas out of the bullpen. Harlow has 70 strikeouts in 30 innings this spring. Christian Worley (Virginia Tech) has seen limited innings but could be an x-factor for the Comets on the weekend. At the plate, Dylan Clark and Brayden Moore lead the team offensively and have both hit over .400 this spring. Shaun Perkins and Dawson Watts share the team lead in RBIs.

Briar Woods is the Region C runners-up and defending State Champs. The Falcons have the best single-game option on the mound in senior Wilson Ayers (Navy), who was outstanding down the stretch last year and is doing the same again this year. Jake Rayfield (Christopher Newport) has emerged as a very good second option as well. The offense has surged as the season has progressed with the emergence of senior centerfielder Eric Falconer and sophomore Nathan Cmeyla. Catcher George Rosales (Fairleigh Dickinson) has also shown some power this spring as Briar Woods is very much a threat to repeat as Champions.

Potomac is the Region D champions and won the regular season Cardinal District championship despite the entire rest of the District being Class 6 schools. Brody Mack is the team's top arm and provides pop in the middle of the lineup. Brandon Cleveland and Julian Cumba provide speed on the bases in front of Mack and Josue Cumba pitches in the second slot for the Panthers. Potomac has a knack for finding ways to win and will be a tough out.

 

Staff Picks

Nolan-There are some interesting early matchups here, especially in the bottom half of the bracket. I think Freedom will get past Halifax simply because the Comets don't use their big arms enough. I want to take Potomac for a run, but Ayers will get the Falcons past them. I think Deep Run stays hot in the matchup of Cinderellas and I lean Prince George in an outstanding quarterfinal matchup. In the semis, I don't think Freedom makes it three in a row over Briar Woods with the Falcons winning with Rayfield on the mound. Prince George gets it done this time over Deep Run in the semifinals and I think that Prince George outhits Briar Woods for the Championship. Although I would like to reserve the right to flip that if Ayers' pitch count is low Tuesday and he can pitch in the Championship.

Shank - First off, kudos to Briar Woods and what they have done with essentially an entire new team from last years championship team. A heck of an accomplishment and one that should not go unnoticed. I see a rematch brewing in one semifinal with Halifax and Briar Woods going at it again, but this year Halifax gets the better of Briar Woods. I think we will see a rematch of the region B championship in the semifinal, and that was such an exciting game, flip a coin. Whoever wins I think will take the title in 2018

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