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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, the Concorde District again sent a team to the State tournament, this time sending two. Westfield defeated Centreville to win the Region D championship and the Bulldogs reached the State championship game before finishing as runners-up to Lake Braddock. Patriot and the 2018 Region D Champ, Battlefield, were both knocked out in the Region semifinals. The Concorde District is also home to the 2016 and 2015 State Champs, Chantilly and Madison.

Realignment has made Region D smaller going forward, with the Cedar Run District teams departing and moving to Region B. As five teams, including Battlefield, Osbourn Park, and Patriot went out, Wakefield comes in as they move up from Class 5 to Class 6. Wakefield remains in the National District, which is split between Regions C and D as well as having two schools remaining in Class 5.

 

Top Prospects in the Region

Name	School	Class	Position	Commitment
Casey Bach	Centreville	2021	LHP
Will Bean	Gonzaga	2020	SS	West Virginia
Jason Cheifetz	Westfield	2022	RHP	James Madison
Ryan Dooley	South Lakes	2020	SS	VMI
Jacob Friend	Yorktown	2021	C
Jack Griese	Chantilly	2022	SS
Robert Kelley	Marshall	2020	RHP
Nathan Knowles	Yorktown	2021	RHP	William & Mary
Thomas Latham	Chantilly	2020	SS	Holy Cross
Nick Lottchea	Westfield	2021	OF	William & Mary
Teddy Merritt	McLean	2020	RHP	High Point
Nick Morgan	Oakton	2021	SS
Tyler Muscar	Westfield	2021	RHP	James Madison
Ryan Murphy	Madison	2020	RHP	James Madison
Michael Schultz	Madison	2020	RHP	College of Charleston
Drew Stieg	McLean	2022	OF	George Mason
Griffin Stieg	McLean	2022	OF	Virginia Tech
Jack Thompson	South Lakes	2020	RHP	VMI
James Triantos	Madison	2022	SS/RHP	North Carolina
Colin Tuft	Madison	2021	C	Virginia
Thomas Trinca	Centreville	2020	OF	George Mason

 

2020 Region D 

Concorde	Liberty	National
Centreville	Herndon	Marshall
Chantilly	Langley	Wakefield
Madison	McLean
Oakton	South Lakes
Westfield	Washington-Liberty
	Yorktown

The postseason here is interesting. The simple part is that the Concorde and Liberty Districts are each guaranteed three teams and the National is guaranteed one. If both National District teams finish high enough in their District, they both go. If only one finishes high enough, the fourth seeds from the Concorde and Liberty District will have a play-in game for who gets to be the eighth team in the Region tournament.

 

Concorde

No. 24 Centreville
The Wildcats are coming off of an outstanding 2019 season that saw them finish as the Region runners-up and make a State tournament trip. Unfortunately, they could not score against rival Westfield at any point and then fell behind Lake Braddock early in the State Quarterfinals and couldn't finish off their comeback bid. A couple of key pieces have graduated in ace Hunter Bell (VCU) as well as shortstop Derek Haynie (Hofstra). Aside from them, the bulk of the key players on the roster return. Seniors Eric Bohenek (Shippensburg) and Colby Shriner (CNU) will top the rotation while junior Casey Bach has the potential to force his way into innings as well. Offensively, the top six hitters return from last year, with seniors Bohenek, Thomas Trinca (George Mason), and Gavin Collins (Randolph-Macon) as well as Michael Welliver all back again this spring. Look for Centreville to be deep and good on the mound, very sound defensively and fundamentally, and to be a potent offense as they look to claim the District back from Westfield and make a run at a Region title and into June.

Chantilly
The 2018 Region runners-up and 2016 State Champs had a middling 2019 season, reaching the Region tournament but finishing a game below .500 after being eliminated in the first round by Marshall on a walk-off. Some talent graduated off of the roster during the summer, with Dylan Siesky (Lafayette), Patrick Whittingham (Penn State-Berks), Connor Pennell (CNU), and Nicholas Zampiello all graduating. That group was the core of the rotation and all but Zampiello were key bats for the Chargers as well. Some guys do remain, Thomas Latham (Holy Cross) had a power spike last year and will be back in the middle of the lineup along with fellow senior Shane Dux. Judson Ward and Nick Carper both return as well and will slide up the lineup. Keep an eye out for sophomore infielder Jack Griese, who showed well in our Preseason events and could have an impact at some point this spring.

No. 15 Madison
The Warhawks were not able to repeat as District champs in 2019, but they did put together a strong spring and went to the Region tournament, only to be eliminated by former Liberty District rival South Lakes in the first round. The Warhawks lose the top of their rotation with the graduations of Matt Howat (William & Mary) and Josh Gjormand (Lynchburg). Despite those departures, the Warhawks will be loaded on the mound this spring with seniors Ryan Murphy (James Madison), Michael Schultz (College of Charleston), and Mason Satterfield (Washington & Lee). Madison also added the 2019 WCAC Player of the Year to their roster with the transfer of sophomore shortstop and pitcher James Triantos (North Carolina). Offensively, Chris Polymeropoulous (Roanoke) is back and Colin Tuft (Virginia) will return to the middle of the lineup in May, when he will join Triantos in forming a talented middle of the lineup punch. A lot of the 2019 lineup did graduate, so new players will need to step into roles, look for senior Fitz Halloran (Lynchburg) to potentially fill one of those vacated spots. The Warhawks are stacked on the mound and have offensive talent, if the bottom half of the lineup can produce, they will threaten to win a Region D title and should contend for their first State Championship since 2015.

Oakton
The Cougars had a tough 2019 season and ultimately missed a trip to the Region D tournament. Lefty Seth Richards (Villanova) graduated, leaving a gap in the rotation for Oakton. A quartet of seniors will be key players for the Cougars this spring in Julian Heitman, Michael Michallas (Roanoke), Davis Kelley, and Matthew Ford (Washington & Jefferson). Another important player in the lineup will be talented junior shortstop Nick Morgan. Michallas and Ford have some experience on the mound and will be among the pieces their for the Cougars, who look to get back into the Region tournament this spring.

No. 9 Westfield
The Bulldogs are the defending Region D champs and finished 2019 as the State runners-up, falling to Lake Braddock in the Championship game. The 2019 Westfield pitching staff may have put together the best team performance in Virginia baseball history, as they combined to throw a stunning 16 shutouts over the course of the season, including shutting out rival Centreville four times. Ace Joe Clancy (UMBC) authored a stellar season, nearly winning PBR VA/DC Player of the Year, but he and Danny Leo have graduated, depriving the Bulldogs of two key bats and arms from their 2019 squad. Despite those losses, the Bulldogs are built to win again in 2020. The lineup will again be built around junior leadoff many Nick Lottchea (William & Mary) as well as seniors Justin Ritz (Mary Washington) and Derek Furr (CNU) and junior Kevin Mackmin. On the mound, Furr will help fill some of the lost innings, and look for talented youngsters Jason Cheifetz (James Madison) and Tyler Muscar (James Madison) to move into larger roles this spring. While it is unlikely that the Bulldog pitching staff will be able to match the feats that were performed last year, the 2020 rotation has a ton of talent and Westfield lineup is again good, expect the Bulldogs to put together a strong Region title defense this spring and again challenge for a State Championship.

 

Liberty

Herndon
The Hornets put together a .500 season in 2019, only finishing one game below when adding their Region D loss to Battlefield to their record. Michael and Colin Jones have graduated, taking two key pieces out of the Hornet lineup. Also lost to graduation is pitcher Colin Hagerup. Seniors Eddie Ozycz and Hayden Wilson return to the top of the lineup and will be the key pieces to the Herndon offense in 2020. Senior Evan Mills also returns and should move up the lineup this spring. On the mound, Jackson Coen and Kyle Henson contributed in 2019 and should see their roles expand this spring.

Langley
The 2019 Saxons finished with a losing record, but were hurt by a rough spring trip, ultimately posting a winning record against Northern Virginia competition. Unfortunately, Langley was upset in the Liberty District tournament by Herndon, and missed the Region D tournament as a result. Gone from last year's squad is Jack Hoeymans and Nick Gasparis, who were the core of the Saxon lineup. Langley does bring back a big piece in senior Will Bean (West Virginia) who will slide up the lineup this spring. On the mound, junior Will Long is back and sophomore Scott Coker is an interesting prospect to keep an eye on this spring.

No. 16 McLean
The Highlanders won the District in 2019, but were upset in the Region Semifinals by Centreville, ending what had been a stellar season a bit early. The bulk of that Highlander team is back this spring, and they are among the favorites in a stacked Region D. On the mound, senior Teddy Merritt (High Point) is back, having been a rotation mainstay since his freshman year. Behind him, there are plenty of options including senior Alex Pawlowski (Marymount) as well as Griff Wegmueller, Jake Lynes, or sophomore Evan Fontaine, all of whom will get chances to fill the spot behind Merritt. In the lineup, just about everyone is back aside from Jackson Kantor. Senior Drew Stieg (George Mason) and sophomore Griffin Stieg (Virginia Tech) will both return to the outfield alongside senior Anthony Farmakides (Randolph-Macon). Senior Tio Graybill will be back at shortstop and look for senior Noah Hersh (Hood College) to be behind the plate this spring after missing some time in 2019 with an injury. As always, McLean will be sound defensively, add that to a veteran lineup with an ace on the roster and depth on the mound and you have all of the ingredients for the Highlanders to be one of the top teams in Virginia this spring.

South Lakes
The Seahawks finished with a .500 record in 2019, advancing to the Region D tournament and upsetting Madison in the first round before falling to Patriot in the quarterfinals in extra innings. While Clayton Long (Idaho) and Braden Huebsch have graduated, senior Ryan Dooley (VMI) is back as the centerpiece of the offense along with Garrett O'Connor. Max Nathan is also back and will slide up the lineup and form a strong core to the order for the Seahawks. Huebsch doubled as the Seahawks' top arm, but 2019 number two Jack Thompson (VMI) is back for his senior season and will move to the top of the rotation. Look for Ryan Ertlschweiger to see his role expand on the mound this spring for South Lakes.

Washington & Liberty
The Generals managed to pull off the school name switch without changing much, swapping Liberty in for Lee last summer. The 2019 Generals came out of the gate well for their new coaching staff before ultimately struggling for most of the season, picking up a few big wins but not doing enough to make the Region D tournament. The Generals lost their 3-4-5 hitters to graduation with departures of Jack Winslow, Trey Haley, and Sam Nichols. They do bring back their table-setters this spring, with both Sean Werfel and Liam Holland returning. Junior Jacob Arrowsmith should move up the order and could have an impact there. On the mound, senior Sam Dozier (Lebanon Valley) is back and will likely top the rotation again this spring.

Yorktown
The Patriots continued their recent run of success in 2019, finishing as the Liberty District runners-up and putting together a 17-win season before running into eventual Region Champ Westfield in the quarterfinals. Graduation has taken a whack at the top half of the Patriot lineup, with Ben Koomey (RPI), Jonah Margosis, and Josh Jones have all graduated. Senior Alec Ellison (Rocherster) will likely move up the lineup, and fellow seniors Quinlan Montgomery (Stony Brook) and Peter Ogden return as well to give some experience to what will be a new core to the lineup. Junior Jacob Friend was a standout at our February events and has a chance to be an impact bat in the middle of the order for Yorktown this spring. On the mound, Aiden Henning (CNU) has graduated, but junior Nathan Knowles (William & Mary) is back. After a season of being used primarily as a multi-inning closer so that he was available in any game, look for Knowles to move into Henning's spot in the rotation and compete with Merritt for the title of the top arm in the District. Yorktown has plenty of talent on the roster, look for the Patriots to challenge McLean in the District and be dangerous in the Region D tournament in 2020.

 

National

Marshall
The Statesmen went 16-7 and again won the National District championship in 2019. They advanced to the Region quarterfinals before being defeated by Battlefield and seeing their season end. The Statesmen return senior ace Robert Kelley for another season and senior Jake Pigeon should follow him up in the rotation this spring. In the lineup, much of the offense returns, with Alex Hakim being the only key graduate. Kelley, Danny Hoffman, Corey Lauer, and Andrew Margiotta are all back in the top half of the lineup. Pigeon, Andrew Milhorn, and Drew Hiller all also saw significant time last year and are back for another season. Marshall's lineup should again be good 1-9 and with Kelley topping the rotation, the Statesmen are again the favorites to win the National District and will challenge for the Region D championship.

Wakefield
The Warriors had a tough 2019 season, missing the Region 5C tournament. Seniors Alex Stamatopoulos and Zach Bako graduated, taking two of the Warriors' top players off of their roster. Max Lane returns to the middle of the lineup and junior Oliver Grove should slide up the lineup this spring for Wakefield.

 

 

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