2022 VHSL Preview: Region 6A
March 9, 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 D Champ James Madison defeated Region B Champ Colgan to capture the Class 6 State Championship. Cosby won Region A and Lake Braddock won Region C in the 2021 season, earning State Tournament berths. Region runners-up were Grassfield, Battlefield, West Springfield, and Chantilly.
Region A uses an 8-team tournament, four teams from the East and four teams from the West. Power points are used to determine those seedings.
TOP PROSPECTS
6A
| Name | High School | Position | Year | Commitment |
| Sean Aronson | Kellam | C | 2022 | |
| Evan Burt | Harrisonburg | RHP | 2022 | VCU |
| Preston Crowl | Franklin County | 3B/RHP | 2023 | Virginia Tech |
| Blake Dickerson | Ocean Lakes | LHP | 2023 | Virginia Tech |
| Harrison Didawick | Western Branch | OF | 2022 | Virginia |
| Joseph Fredericks | Grassfield | LHP | 2023 | West Virginia |
| Caleb Grizzard | Cosby | LHP/OF | 2022 | Old Dominion |
| Ethan Hamill | Thomas Dale | RHP | 2022 | Cornell |
| Aiden Harris | Manchester | 3B/RHP | 2024 | Virginia |
| Collin Hughes | Cosby | C | 2022 | Longwood |
| Donavan Jeffrey | Manchester | 1B/RHP | 2025 | |
| Max Kuhle | Ocean Lakes | LHP | 2022 | James Madison |
| Matthew McGovern | Thomas Dale | OF | 2024 | |
| Ayden Schnarrs | Cosby | SS | 2024 | |
| Brayden Simpson | Cosby | SS | 2022 | High Point |
| Conner Spears | Thomas Dale | 1B | 2023 | |
| Chase Swift | Thomas Dale | OF/LHP | 2024 | Virginia Tech |
| Tavon Williams | Ocean Lakes | OF/RHP | 2023 |
TEAMS TO WATCH
6A
Cosby
Coming off of a regional title in 2021, the Titans look to repeat in 2022. Cosby returns one of the better and more efficient arms in the state with ODU commit Caleb Grizzard. They will have to make up for the loss of the other part of the two headed monster, as Everett Vaughan has graduated and is now at High Point. The Titans are very offensive and play with a ton of energy. Senior leaders like Grizzard, Brayden Simpson (High Point), and Collin Hughes (Longwood) will more than likely produce their fair share of offense and should be joined by sophomores Ayden Schnarrs, Seth Truesdale, and potentially some other talented young players like Jacob Moore.
Franklin County
Franklin County lost some key pieces like Michael Williams (Radford) and John Michael Holley from last year’s squad. The Eagles return the core of their arms in Riley Hill (Transylvania) and Future Games alum Preston Crowl (Virginia Tech). Pitching will pace this team and if they can manage to piece the offense together, they will once again be in the mix in June.
Grassfield
A few weeks ago many would have said that Grassfield was not as strong as the 2021 version of the Grizzlies, but with a recent addition of a big time arm Grassfield could once again be in the thick of it come June. WVU commit Joseph Fredericks has recently joined the Grassfield program and will join Steven Ritchie (Ferrum) and the young arm of Bradley Zayac as a few of the potential innings eaters for the Grizzlies. If they can find a way to replace the offensive production they lost from 2021, then they will make another run at a region title in 2022.
James River- Midlothian
The return of senior Mikey Banch Caliz (Richard Bland) will be beneficial for thee Rapids in a variety of ways, but maybe none bigger than on the mound. James River has youth and athleticism up and down the lineup, but will need Caliz and Bryce Vick (Stevenson) to pitch some big innings on the mound. Another arm that could help the Rapids is senior right hander Reece Hamilton. Some names to watch on the offensive side outside of Caliz are Judd Zegarra, Sean Smith, Jackson Rowe, Callum Early, and Wells Butler.
Ocean Lakes
Ocean Lakes has one of the best pitching staffs in the state with Max Kuhle (JMU), Peter Philips, Nate Chown, Tavon Williams, and newcomer Blake Dickerson (Virginia Tech) They have depth, talent, and the ability to shut down any offense. The biggest question remains, can they score enough to win the big games? Their heart and soul from last year’s offense was Carson DeMartini (Virginia Tech). With his departure, will Trevor Selph (Eastern Mennonite) and company produce enough runs to push them over the top in the big games? If they can score a couple a game then look for Ocean Lakes to make a push into June.
Thomas Dale
After a strong regular season in 2021, the Knights look to build upon their successes. Returning arms in Ethan Hamill (Cornell) and Chase Swift (Virginia Tech) should log the important innings in 2022. They will have to replace the bats of Johnny Oates (Hampden-Sydney) and Jamari Pooler (Wilson), but Swift, Matthew McGovern, and Conner Spears should help handle some of the heavy lifting in the middle of the order.
Western Branch
Western Branch is a scrappy, young team that has some holes to fill, but with senior leaders Harrison Didawick (UVA) and Hunter Johnson (Randolph-Macon) the Bruins have the offense in the middle to win games. They lost a lot of innings on the mound from last year’s club and will be very inexperienced on the mound, but if they can compete on the mound the offense is more than capable of scoring enough to win.