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Annually, VHSL Region 5C may be one of the toughest regions in the state and it gets no easier in 2024. While Glen Allen and Deep Run departed for Class 6, two very strong teams make their way into 5C to replace them. James River (Midlothian) and Matoaca are new faces to this region, although just a few years ago Matoaca was a part of it before moving to 4B for a short period. Freeman and Godwin look to be the class of the region again, but there are a couple contenders closing in behind them.

VHSL 5A Region C Preview:

Douglas Freeman

2023 Record: 19-5 *Lost in VHSL 5A State Quarterfinals*

The Mavericks won the state title in 2022, lost in the state quarters in 2023, and are primed for yet another title hunt in 2024. Coach Moore and the Freeman Mavericks will return five starters and five arms from last year’s team. The two headed monster for this team resides in Lee Sowers (UNC) and Cayman Goode (VCU). Both players will be MLB Draft follows this spring and give this team experience, talent, offensive firepower, and a top end arm that can beat any team, on any night. This is an upperclass heavy team, touting six contributing seniors, a tooled out junior, and some talented underclassmen that could get some time on this year’s squad. Sowers will be joined by Ryan Bland (Gettysburg), who with Sowers brings the most experience of any rostered player. Bland has two way impact for this club and should be joined by Willie Sellers to complete the top three of the rotation with Goode. Sowers and Bland will have plenty of talent to accompany them in the lineup, with Ryder Warren (Lynchburg), Cross Kingsbury, and Finn Whipple (UVA) rounding out some of their impact offensive weapons. This is as complete of a team in the Richmond area that there is and they should benefit from that balance.

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James River (Midlothian)

2023 Record: 19-4 *Lost in 6A Regional Semifinals*

While Glen Allen moved out of 5C and moves up to 6A, the Rapids move down to what is a larger, but potentially easier path to the state tournament. However, the Rapids will have to potentially deal with two strong teams in Douglas Freeman and Mills Godwin in order to get there. James River finished 18-4 last season and their season ended at the hands of Grassfield in the region semis in a nine inning game. While they will have to replace some arms on the mound, the Rapids return seven starters from last year’s team. Those returners in the lineup are highlighted by Liberty commit Callum Early, as well as Sean Smith (Mary Washington), Reed Olowiany, Judd Zegarra, and Connor Quigley. While they did lose Owen Riley (VMI) to graduation, they return Wil Creech (Hampden-Sydney) who was arguably their most consistent starter/arm in 2023. Sean McCann (Haverford) will potentially have a chance for more innings, but the Rapids will need to find some depth on the mound if they want to compete for the 5A Region/State titles. There is some strong underclass talent, but with a senior heavy team, we will wait and see as to how they fit in.

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LC Bird

2023 Record: 7-14

Bird had some interesting victories in 2023, taking down Midlothian and Clover Hill in a span of two weeks, but the rest of the season they struggled to hold down opposing offenses. While the Skyhawks do return a handful of positional starters, they only bring back two arms. With pitching being a weak point in 2023, Bird will need to find some quality depth on the mound if they want to compete in what is possibly the hardest region in all of VHSL 5A. Tony Jones Jr., Aiden Desha-Smith, Tyler Kiefer, Matthew Thompson, and transfer Jodany Almonte should be key pieces in the lineup; while Caden Furbush and Almonte should be two of the better arms on staff.

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Louisa

2023 Record: 16-6 *Lost in VHSL 4A State Quarterfinals*

The Lions were 16-6 in 2023 and made a run to the 4A state playoffs before their season ended at Tuscarora in the quarterfinals, but they take the jump up to 5A in 2024. Daniel Harlow and Cody Defeo are two seniors that could be pivotal pieces for the Lions in 2024. There is a little bit of a youth movement with the Lions, as they have some talented underclassmen coming through that can impact the lineup. Jayden Thompson and Eric Davis are two sophomores that should be impact players this spring and are long term stars for Louisa. The Lions always seem to have an arm or two that they develop to be solid arms at the high school level and develop them as potential college arms, so we should not discount the staff, but they will need to have some depth to make it out of a tough 5C Region.

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Matoaca

2023 Record: 16-6

The Warriors should be as good as they have been in quite a while and possibly as good as they will be for the next few years. Leadership, experience, a potential explosive offense, and some depth on the mound. What are they missing? A frontline, shutdown arm. Depending on how the staff is used, Matoaca has five to six arms that they can use throughout their schedule. While they don’t have a true premier starter, they have guys who fill it up, get outs, and compete in the zone. The kicker will be when they face some of the better talent, will the offense be able to produce enough to allow that staff to work from the front and take some pressure off. Jacob Lee (VCU), Gavin Kennedy (King), Lucas Edwards (Radford), and JT Brown are some of the names to know with this group. You have complimentary pieces like Claude Ranson (Mary Washington,Seth Harrison, and Gray Thacker that round out the offense. On the mound guys like Lee and Kennedy could throw some innings, but when they are on the mound their absence at their defensive position could leave a void. Connor Valerio (Hampden-Sydney), Colin Langster, Gabe Clayton, and Hayden Black could be some of the important arms for the Warriors as they try to fight their way back into the hunt for a 5A title.

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Midlothian

2023 Record: 12-10-1

After an up and down 2023 season, the Trojans won’t have to replace a large number of graduating players, but they will have to replace some very important ones. Hank Blanton and Spencer Lloyd have moved on to the college level and their production on the mound will be missed. Who is going to pitch for the Trojans in 2024? That is the #1 question that will have to be answered. They have some potential talent to compete on the mound, but some of the arms haven’t carried heavy work loads and have been dinged up at times with a lighter number innings, so they will need to manage their load and stay healthy. An arm we saw recently that brings some intrigue is 6-4 left hander, Benton Tatum. Positionally, there is some talent. Chase Chambers (Hampden-Sydney), Evan Miller, Brady Paul, and Cole Caffall should be the positional leaders and pivotal lineup pieces this spring, but they will have to produce runs in order to offset the lack of experience and depth on the mound.

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Mills Godwin

2023 Record: 21-4 *Lost in VHSL 5A State Semifinals*

The Eagles are the defending Commonwealth Classic Champions, Region 5C champions, and state semifinalist. Most importantly, the Eagles return arguably the most pitching depth of any team, in any classification, in the state. Hank Piersol (VCU), Luke Smyers (Alabama), Zach Boyd (William & Mary), Hunter Ross (William & Mary), and Charlie Gunn (CNU) are the top arms in the rotation. There is more depth behind them, but these are the arms that should lead the way. Limiting opposing offenses will not be the issue, the issue will be finding a way to score runs versus some of the premier arms they face. Jackson York and Eric Capps will be two returning bats in the lineup that will have to be consistent producers for the Eagles to have a successful 2024 season. In addition to those two, Piersol and Smyers bring their own offense to the table that should be welcomed faces in the middle of the order. This is a senior heavy team, but there are two underclassmen that should be pivotal parts of this offense and team. Sophomores Matthew Hartsfield and Alex Boyd should fit into the infield in some capacity. Hartsfield is probably the more offensive of the two, with Boyd being a very strong defender that is a switch hitter at the plate. Godwin will need to find some breakout players at the plate, and if they can do that, you could find them hoisting a trophy in early June.