2022 VHSL Preview: Region 5B
March 7, 2022
As the season approaches, we will go around the Commonwealth and DC and preview the action to come this spring, our first full season since 2019. In each preview, we will breakdown how teams qualify for the Region Tournaments, the Top Prospects in each Region, and Teams to Watch.
In 2021, Region A Champ Frank Cox defeated Region C Champ Woodgrove to capture the Class 5 State Championship. Mills Godwin won Region B and Mountain View won Region D in the 2021 season, earning State Tournament berths. Region runners-up were First Colonial, Glen Allen, Riverside, and Albemarle.
Realignment has hit Class 5 pretty hard this year as most of the Regions look very little like they did last year. Regions 5C and 5D were combined into the new Region 5D. The Richmond schools that made up Region 5B are now together in 5C. Finally, what had been a massive Region 5A of Peninsula and Beach schools has now been split in half into the new 5A and 5B.
The Region 5B tournament is a six-team tournament that uses power points to seed it.
TOP PROSPECTS
5B
| Name | High School | Position | Year | Commitment |
| Judson Clements | Menchville | RHP | 2023 | |
| Jordan Crosland | Nansemond River | SS | 2023 | Maryland |
| Grayson Fitzwater | Nansmeond River | 1B | 2022 | VMI |
| M. Tyler Gorbett | Menchville | RHP/C | 2022 | UVA Wise |
| Clay Grady | Nansemond River | SS | 2022 | Virginia Tech |
| Brycen Hamilton | Maury | RHP | 2024 | |
| Aden Judge | Nansemond River | OF/RHP | 2024 | |
| Cullen McKay | Maury | RHP | 2022 | Virginia |
TEAMS TO WATCH
5B
Maury
Maury lost a ton of talent off of the 2021 squad. The departures of seniors Antwan Walton (ODU) and Kennedy Jones (UNC-G), in addition to transfers Tre Keels (WVU), TayShaun Walton (Miami), and Cameron Johnson, give a lot of holes to replace. With names like Matthew Phillips (USC-Upstate), Brian Jones, Carson Goad, and Brycen Hamilton the offense should be more than capable of producing runs, which they may not have to produce many, with some of the arms that they have. Cullen McKay is the headline arm for Maury and is quite possibly the biggest draft sleeper in the state. The UVA commit bolsters a low 90’s fastball to go along with a breaking ball that is a legitimate out pitch. On paper the 5B Region title may run through Nansemond River, but when Cullen McKay is on the mound he has the ability to cancel any offensive threat that is in the opposing lineup.
Menchville
After making the move to Class 5, Menchville will have a tougher road out of the region this year, but with arms like Judson Clements and M. Tyler Gorbett (UVA-Wise) it could make that path a little smoother. They will need to have some offensive presence outside of Gorbett, but they have the arms to keep them in games.
Nansemond River
The perennial power is back once again and they are packing plenty of athleticism and explosiveness in 2022. The Warriors are loaded up and down their lineup. Clay Grady (Virginia Tech), Jordan Crosland (Maryland), Cameron Johnson, Aden Judge, Chase Magrisi, Grayson Fitzwater (VMI), Quenton Gaddist, and Ayden Stuffel (CNU) have Nansemond River as the most complete offensive team in the beach and possibly the state. They will need to get Ayden Stuffel some help on the mound, but if they can figure out the pitching they will be a very tough out in June.