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West Springfield and Lake Braddock are the traditional power here in Region C, but there are some new faces on the mound for a few teams that will give the Spartans and Bruins a couple of tough tests during the 2024 campaign. Can anyone take down those two powerhouses?

VHSL 6A Region C Preview:

Alexandria City

2023 Record 12-11

Alexandria City returns six positional starters, three arms, and gets a transfer arm into the program who wil certainly add to their ability to compete on the mound. Aidan O'Brien-Gonzalez (Davidson) brings his talent over to the Titans. He will be joined on the mound by talented sophomore Liam Jones, Jack Briscoe (Kenyon), and Noah Sternberg. JD Bowden is another sophomore that will have a chance to make his impact on the mound, as well as potentially in the infield at some point. Andrew Church and Sawyer McElhatton (Richard Bland) are upperclassmen who should impact this year's club as well. They have the arm depth and talent to compete, but the biggest question will be are they going to be able to score versus some of the better arms in the district and region. 

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Edison

2023 Record 10-11

Edison should be led by seniors Damon Chezek-Peters (Kenyon), Peter Kulik, and Jacob Dial. Chezek-Peters, Kulik, and the speedy Dial bring athleticism and versatility to the lineup, but the team will need to figure out who is going to take the big innings on the mound. Senior Paul Simonik should be a big part of that staff, but will need some help in order to build some mound depth for this squad.

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Hayfield

2023 Record 20-3

Hayfield dominated on the mound in 2023. The Hawks outscored opponents by nearly 150 runs in 2023, holding opposing offenses to 48 runs over a 23 game season. However, the Hawks lost standout arm Kenny Michaels (Wofford), as well as Palmer Griffin (Roanoke), Eric Powell (Mary Washington), Owen Kashawlic, and Colin Souther (City College of NY). The Hawks have a dynamic sophomore transfer in Jacob Bueno, but we will have to see where he lands on the roster this spring. Hayfield will need to overhaul a heavy senior class from last year and rebuild/reload quickly if they want to have a similar season.

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Lake Braddock

2023 Record 24-3 * Lost in State Quarterfinals*

The 2019 State Champs and 2021 and 2022 Region Champs made yet another State Tournament trip in 2023, seeing their season end in the quarterfinals in an instantly classic playoff game courtesy of Jonny Farmelo magic. The Bruins lose some key players to graduation in catcher and big bat Jack McCarthy (Mt. St. Mary's) as well as Evan Schick (Marymount) and Daniel Lipovski. Two key players return for one more run at a Championship in senior ace Jake Drumm (George Mason) and middle infield thumper Jamie Laskofski (William & Mary). Look for both to contribute on the mound and offensively, and they will have help from fellow seniors Henry Steene, in the rotation, and Padraig Hall (Denison), in the lineup. Juniors Matthew Mayer and Everett Sisk could push for more time this year and a pair of sophomores to keep an eye on are CJ Prentiss and Matt Schaeb. Lake Braddock and rival West Springfield have had a stranglehold on Region C and the Patriot District for years, look for that to continue as Drumm and Laskofski look to lead the Bruins over the hump in June this spring.

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Robinson

2023 Record 12-12

Robinson returns frontline arm, Aidan van Baars (Coastal Carolina) for his senior season. In addition to van Baars the Rams have a couple of dynamic bats with Kellen Clark (Lynchburg) and Connor Doherty (Delaware) leading the way. Tommy Henry could provide some depth on the mound and in the lineup. This is a tough region to navigate, so Robinson will need to add some depth behind van Baars in order to compete with the traditional powers of Region C.

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West Potomac

2023 Record 9-14

After a tough 2023 season, West Potomac returns six positional starters, including their entire outfield and middle infield. Alex Harris, Maddox Sheehan, and Michael Green should hold down the outfield. John Colligan (Ball State) and Barrett Baker should be the anchors in the middle infield. Colligan is a high end defender and top of the order bat, while Baker was a starter as a freshman and will only continue to improve with his experience and growth. Jackson Baker (Salisbury) should start at third base, adding another upperclass talent to an important position, but Baker's production does not stop there. The Salisbury commit will also be one of the primary arms for West Po. They also have a handful of underclassmen that will accompany Barrett Baker this year and in the future. While all of these things sound promising, they are missing one piece, a front line arm. Well don't look now, but they have surely found one. Top end talent comes in the way of left handed Virginia Tech commit, Austin Dean. Dean will be an immediate impact for this team and could also help with run production in the middle of the order. Watch for this team to make a massive jump in 2024.

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West Springfield

2023 Record 21-8 *Lost in State Quarterfinals* 

The 2018 State Champs and 2023 Region Champs made yet another State Tournament trip this spring under longtime head coach Jason Olms. The Spartans started eight seniors and the bulk of their innings last spring went to seniors, so they will need to reload this spring to continue to push rival Lake Braddock for control of Region C and the Patriot District. One starter who will be back is junior Kaleb Williams (VCU), who has started at third as a freshman and sophomore and will likely kick over to shortstop this year, although he is versatile enough to play anywhere in the infield. Senior catcher Henry Stewart (Richard Bland) had a big summer and fall and will add a second athletic and versatile bat to the Spartan lineup. On the mound, there are plenty of innings to go around and the rotation will be in flux early, but look for senior Alex Grehawick to be a steady veteran presence, and keep an eye on sophomore righty Aaron Dierks, who could be one of the biggest X-factors in the Region. Ignore the Spartans' early season record as they break in the new lineup and rotation and just know that they will be there pushing for another State Tournament berth by the end of the season. 

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Woodson

2023 Record 9-15

Woodson lost three college commits to graduation, including Ben Smallwood who helped anchor the pitching staff. Andrew Perks (Roanoke) has a chance to have a huge senior season, as he has the tools to be an all-state outfielder. Woodson bring back some other seniors, including Ethan Conklin, Sam Koutsouftikis, and Nate Moore. Jack McSorley, Gunnar Greenlee, and William Dean Reynolds are three juniors that should contribute. They will need to find some depth on the mound, but have some solid offensive pieces to get things going.