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VHSL Class 5 Previews: Region D

Briar Woods Falcons  

2024 Record: 10-11

There were bumps in the road for the Falcons finishing up the season with a 10-11 record. They do bring back their core from 2025. Maxwell Henry, Max Lawson (Longwood), and Gage Strucko (Dodge City CC) return with their experience at the top of the order. Jacob Eckhaus, Bryce Stanford, Sean Tracey, and Colin Waning all return with varsity innings from 2024. Sophomore Daniel Sanchez is intriguing and could possibly be a piece on the mound for the Falcons. Finding depth in the lineup will be key to give the pitching staff run support throughout the spring.

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Independence Tigers  

2024 Record: 13-9

A 2-5 start to 2024 was certainly a new experience for the Tigers. While only being around a handful of years, Indy is a program that has been littered with winning and good players. While the roster was talented in 2024, it was very young and inexperienced. The Tigers turned it around, winning five of the last six and advancing to the Class 5 State tournament. There is a lot to be excited about for 2025. Indy returns essentially everything from last season, including two do it all upperclassmen in Chase Obstgarten and Colton Hicks. Michael Bowden, Brady Yates, Shane Howie, Quinn Pak, Aidan Spagna, and Joe Joe McDonald are just a few of the big contributors from last season. The lineup is deep with versatility and athleticism. While the staff does not necessarily have a shutdown, frontline arm, they do have experience and depth. Carter Schuster (Wingate), McDonald, Zach Brennan (Tufts), and Edward Ridolfi are a few names that should join Obstgarten and Hicks on the mound. They have as much returning as just about any team in Regions C & D and will be a very tough out come late May and early June.

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Lightridge Lightning Bolts  

2024 Record: 18-6

The Bolts lost some very big pieces from their 2024 team, including the middle of the field. James Nunnallee, Tyler Rowling, and Donovan Newell all move on to their respective schools at the next level and leave a couple big voids. While Jimmy Burpoe is more than capable of handling a heavy load in the infield, the loss of Nunnallee will be a major void behind the plate, and more importantly in the box. Burpoe, Ben Drinkwine (UNC-W), Matt Coleman, and Andrew Webb should play significant roles in the lineup this season. Lightridge returns some of their better arms in Mason Sproat, Dylan Herr, Webb, and Coleman. What will it take for another deep run in Class 5? A healthy, and consistent, pitching staff would be a big step in that direction, especially with the loss of some of the offensive production that is lost with those graduating seniors.

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Riverbend Bears  

2024 Record: 17-8

The Bears were one of the hotter teams in April and that carried on into the postseason where they found themselves in the Class 5 state tournament where they fell in the semifinals to the eventual state champions First Colonial. They return their ace Luke Alexander (James Madison) and he looks to continue in that role for 2025. Brady Campbell (St. Mary’s), Jordan Higgins (Apprentice), Ben Neal (Christopher Newport), and Aidan Zovak (Florida Southern) are seniors that return to the lineup with experience. Behind Alexander on the mound is junior Caleb Rist who threw important innings last spring. Well coached, gritty, and used to winning, but developing more mound depth could be a key deciding factor to making another state tournament appearance.

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Riverside Rams  

2024 Record: 11-12

It was a streaky season for the Rams in 2024. Their season ended with five straight losses, only scoring seven total runs in that time span. So first things first, offense will need to take a step forward this season, especially in a tough Region D. The offense returns a handful of names to know like Dylan Amos (Maryland), Chet Kosnar (Franklin & Marshall), Trey Graydon (Gardner-Webb), Aidan Schaefer, Charlie DePippo, and Graydon Munsey. While they do return a fair number of offensive contributors, they did lose a lot from the front half of the order. On the mound, Tyler Kelly threw his fair share of innings as a senior and his absence will leave a void on the mound. Who will pick up his contributions? Amos, Graydon, Andrew Sobieray (Washington College), and Kosnar should all be names to remember for this staff.

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Stone Bridge Bulldogs  

2024 Record: 14-12

The Stone Bridge Bulldogs saw their season come to a close at the hands of Mills Godwin in the state tournament. While they were just a few games away from a title shot, the Bulldogs return over half of their lineup for the 2025 season. They should be led offensively by Nicholas Rock, Calin Burns, Luke Thoreson, Jack Clarke, and Jake O’Donnell (Regent). Three big inning arms are back for 2025 and should once again be major contributors on the mound. Bubba Sandoval (Bridgewater), Calin Burns, and Matthew Belger bring back a wealth of experience from last season. Belger is one of the top uncommitted PITCHERS in the state and Calin Burns played a huge role on the mound and at the plate last season. The Bulldogs will have some big shoes to fill with some of their departures coming out of the front half of the lineup and locked down some middle of the field positions, but they have the arm experience and athleticism in the lineup to once again challenge in Region D.