Prep Baseball Report

Previewing Tonight: June 1 Regional Semifinals



----Virginia We Got it Covered - Virginia.jpg

Follow @PBRVirginiaDC
By John Nolan
Assistant Director of Scouting/Content Management 

6A South
Ocean Lakes at Cosby, 4:00
Both teams pulled upsets in their semifinal games. Ocean Lakes has beaten some very strong teams in the last few weeks, with wins over First Colonial and Grassfield. Cosby got off to a slow start this spring, suffering through a four game losing streak in early April. The Titans responded, going 8-1 down the stretch, and have proven that they can win any type of game, having won a 1-0 pitcher's duel over Lee-Davis and a back and forth 12-10 game against Manchester during that stretch.
 

 

C.D. Hylton at Western Branch, 6:00
Both teams burned their top arms on Tuesday in Fox Semones (James Madison) and Korey Klak (Western Branch). Look for Hylton to go with Ryan Billy for the start with Trey Shepard (Walters State CC) as another option.

 

5A North
No. 24 Halifax County at No. 23 Mountain View, 6:00
With almost a week off since the quarterfinals last Thursday, all pitchers will be available for both teams. Look for the Comets to go with junior lefty Andrew Abbott (Virginia) and the Wildcats to choose between seniors Jacob Menders (Shippensburg) and Dylan Hall (Virginia Tech).
 

 

Potomac at No. 15 George C. Marshall, 6:30
As with the other semifinal in this region, both teams have had plenty of time to rest their arms. Look for Marshall to go with senior righty Steven Johel (Coastal Carolina) and for Potomac to start Brandon Caycedo (Marymount).
 


5A South
Glen Allen vs. No. 22 Mills Godwin, Deep Run HS, 7:00
This will be the fourth time these teams have met this spring and a rematch of last week's Conference 11 Championship game, which saw the Glen Allen offense explode in the first inning en route to a 16-3 win. The Jaguars won the 4A State Championship in 2015 and have mostly had good first spring at the 5A level. If the Jaguar bats are hot, they are a real tough team to beat. Godwin won the first two meetings between these teams, holding Glen Allen to just one run total over the two games. 

  

Nansemond River vs. Indian River, Hickory HS, 6:00
Nansemond River has been one of the most talented teams in the State all spring, but struggled out of the gate as its top two arms missed time with minor injuries. Since their return, the Warriors have surged down the stretch to win their last eight games. Indian River has proven all spring that they can shut down a good lineup. The Braves will likely turn to the second half of their one-two punch on the mound tonight with Jamie Spainhour getting the ball.


4A East Quarterfinal
Lafayette at Great Bridge, 5:00
We will get to see Andre Lipcius (Tennessee) against Michael Bienlien (NC State) at some point this week.

4A West
No. 3 Liberty Christian at No. 16 Millbrook, 6:00
Liberty Christian had a dominant win over John Champe on Monday night. Millbrook needed two days to defeat Loudoun Valley to reach this game. The Pioneers will likely start junior Anthony Simonelli (Coastal Carolina) and the Bulldogs will likely go with senior Garrett Price (Liberty) in what is one of the best matchups of the evening.

  

Salem at No. 11 Kettle Run, 6:00
Kettle Run needed extra innings to defeat Jefferson Forest on Monday. Salem struggled to come up with big offense against Loudoun County in their win Monday night, but did a good job of manufacturing runs with small ball. Look for the Cougars to start senior Hayden Lilek.

 

2A East
Maggie Walker at Madison County, 7:00
Madison County is the Conference 35 Champions and survived extra innings to defeat Page County on Monday. Madison has gotten hot at the right time, finishing the season second in the Conference, but Mountaineers are riding a five game winning streak right now. Maggie Walker is the top seed out of Conference 33 and the Governor's have benefited from playing some big schools in their non-conference schedule all spring. When facing 2A competition, Maggie Walker has pitched very well all spring.

 

Goochland at Strasburg, 7:00
Goochland comes into the game 19-3 overall and riding an eight game winning streak. The Bulldogs' pitching staff has thrown shutouts in six of those game, including the last four. Strasburg is the Conference 35 runners-up and the Rams' bats have been hot lately, scoring double-digit runs in each of their last three games. In spite of all of that offense, the Rams did lose to Madison County in the Conference 35 Championship game.

 

3A East
Brentsville District at Poquoson, 5:00
Poquoson needed extra innings on Tuesday to advance to the semifinals. Brentsville's bats exploded for eleven runs. Look for junior Dillon Coopperrider to start for the Tigers.

 

Colonial Heights at William Monroe, TBD
Colonial Heights also needed extra innings to win Tuesday and advance to this game. William Monroe won a tight game against Hopewell on Monday after narrowly beating Brentsville in the Conference 28 Championship last week. 

 

2A West
Randolph Henry vs. Grayson County, Tazewell Sports Complex, 5:00
Grayson County enters the semifinals coming off of butchering of Union on Monday. The Blue Devils are 18-4 on the season, with three of their losses coming to the two teams in the other semifinal. Randolph Henry is 20-2 on the season and is on a ten game winning streak. The Statesmen have a pair of wins over Goochland and have only allowed more than three runs four times this spring, including both of their losses.

 


Glenvar vs. Virginia, Tazewell Sports Complex, 7:30
Glenvar rallied on Monday to win a sloppy game over Dan River. The Highlanders should be able to turn to senior ace Zach Duncan (Gardner-Webb) for the start. Virginia is the two-time defending 2A Champ, and won on Monday against Lebanon, proving that the third time can be the charm after losing to them twice earlier this season. The Bearcats are hot right now, having won their last nine games, scoring 89 runs during the streak.

 

1A West
Auburn vs. Fort Chiswell, UVA-Wise, 4:00
This game pits the Conference 45 and Conference 46 champions against each other. Fort Chiswell comes into the game 18-3, with two of its losses to larger Grayson County. Look for senior Bryson Booher (Concord) to start for Fort Chiswell. Auburn comes into the game on a seven game winning streak, with four shutouts in that span.

 

Eastside vs. Honaker, UVA-Wise, 7:00
This game features the Conference 47 and Conference 48 champions. Honaker has had a rough stretch in tournament play, getting upset early in the Conference tournament, but maintaining its top seed as the regular season champ. The Tigers advanced to this game despite losing on Monday after Galax violated the pitching rule. Eastside won both the Conference 48 regular season and tournament, and has only given up two runs total in its three playoff games so far.

 

 

Top Prospect Showcase North