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For the next two weeks we will roll out our Preseason Power 25. Three staff members voted on their version of the thirty best teams in the Preseason Power 25, with a possibility of 90 total vote points for each team. Since we released 25-11 last week, this week we will reveal two teams per day until we get through the complete Power 25 on Friday. Voting for preseason teams centers more around the depth of talent on that team, as well as where it stacks up within their region/area, as opposed to strictly predicting schedule outcomes. 

Generally, larger schools and classifications have a greater depth of player talent on roster. However, once the season begins and records begin to take shape, the Power 25 will be adjusted as needed. In addition to that, we will debut our Private School Top 10 around April 1st and Small School Top 10 around mid-April. 

While Freedom (South Riding) lost a ton of talent from their 2023 team, the Eagles bring back positional talent and some arm depth that will allow them to challenge for yet another Class 6 title. See the full preview on #6.

#6 Freedom (South Riding)     

The 2022 State Champions made a return to the Final Four in 2023 and were the Region Champs, but came short of repeating in a tight game against Westfield. They lost their trio of arms to graduation with the departures of Ryan Marohn (NC State), Luke Proehl, and Mason Butash (Penn State). They do bring a lot of pieces back in the lineup, including the number one prospect in the VA/DC 2024 Class, centerfielder Griffin Burkholder (West Virginia). The Eagles also bring back seven regular position player starters from last year's squad, including Justin Lanouette (Randolph-Macon), Shawn Arneja (Dickinson), Kyle Ausgotharp (Shippensburg), and Edwin Sanchez (Sienna). On the mound, Ryan Pugh (Virginia Tech) will slide into the top spot and compete for Pitcher of the Year. Lefty Liam Thyen could be a big X-factor for the Eagles in the rotation this spring as Freedom looks to continue its dominance of the Cedar Run District and make another State Tournament trip.

Final Thoughts:

"Ryan Marohn and Mason Butash are throwing weekend innings at their respective Power 5 school, so to replace their talent and production will be tough. Ryan Pugh has shown the stuff and arm talent to make him a tough matchup on any given night. They will need to find some help behind him and Liam Thyen could be just the guy. Losing Christian Carver may be as big of a loss as those arms were because he anchored the defense at short and was a sparkplug at the top of the order. They have some physicality in the lineup, but will need to identify some guys that will get on consistently for those bats to drive them in. If they can create some depth on the pitching staff they will once again be a crowd favorite to be back in the Class 6 State Tournament."

- Jason Burton (Virginia/DC Scouting Director)