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Welcome to our 2019 VHSL Previews. In each preview, we will give you a brief recap of the 2018 season along with the breakdown of each Region and what the rules are to qualify for postseason play under the current alignment. We will also highlight the top prospects in each Classification, as well as some teams to watch during the 2019 season. We continue our VHSL Previews for the 2019 season by taking a look at Class 5, focusing on Region D. Region D is geographically massive, the Commonwealth District is strongly represented with five schools, but then the rest of the Region is spread all over Virginia.

In 2018, Potomac claimed the Region Championship before ultimately finishing as the State runners-up, making that Potomac's second State Tournament trip in the last three years.. Halifax County reached its second straight State Tournament as the Region runners-up, but saw their season end in the State Quarterfinals. The last three Class 5 State runners-up are in this Region, Potomac in 2018, Halifax County in 2017, and Mountain View in 2016.

All twelve schools make the Region D tournament and have a shot to advance to the State Tournament, regardless of how their season goes until late May. For the sake of organizing the Region, it has been divided into two halves, a North and South. The North features Potomac and the five Commonwealth District schools, the 'South' features all of the other schools. Each side of the tournament bracket will be seeded using power points and then the tournament will be played until there are two teams left in the North and South. At that point they are re-seeded to play the semifinals.

In 2018, Potomac and Mountain View reached the semifinals from the North and Halifax and Albemarle reached them from the 'South', only to have the re-seed flip Albemarle to face Potomac and Halifax to face Mountain View. The end result in 2018 was a team from the North and the 'South' both advancing to the State Tournament, but it is possible that this re-seed could allow both representatives to come from the same half.

 

Top Prospects in the Region

Name	School	Class	Position	Commitment
Josue Cumba	Potomac	2019	RHP/SS
Julian Cumba	Potomac	2019	SS/RHP
Jackson Foreman	Brooke Point	2020	SS
Andrew Harlow	Halifax County	2019	RHP	Radford
Brody Mack	Potomac	2019	OF/LHP	William & Mary
Jett Shue	Albemarle	2020	SS/RHP
Tucker Sullivan	Stafford	2020	RHP/SS
Michael Tolson	Stafford	2019	RHP/OF
Christian Worley	Halifax County	2020	RHP	Virginia Tech
Britt Yount	Mountain View	2021	RHP

 

2019 Region D

Commonwealth	Other Districts
Brooke Point	Albemarle
Massaponax	Halifax County
Mountain View	Harrisonburg
North Stafford	Orange County
Stafford	Patrick Henry (Roanoke)
	Potomac
	William Fleming

*All teams played in a 2018 Region D tournament

 

Team Outlook

Albemarle
The Patriots had a strong 2018 season and reached the Region semifinals before Potomac ultimately brought their season to an end. The graduation of senior Scott Reid (CNU) will be a blow on the mound and to the lineup. Also graduating from the lineup are Connor Moriarty and Alex Petroka. A key piece that will be back this spring for Albemarle will be strong-armed shortstop Jett Shue, who could slide into the middle of the lineup and also contribute on the mound.

Brooke Point
The Blackhawks entered the 2018 Region tournament as the sixth seed in the North, but an upset win over Stafford sent them to the quarterfinals before Mountain View knocked them out in extra innings. Key pieces back this spring for Brooke Point include a pair of infielders in senior Josh Lupo and junior Jackson Foreman. Sophomore Ryan Bellamy should lead the rotation as well as add a bat to the lineup. A key new face for the Blackhawks could be freshman Owen Bellamy, who could carve a role out for himself behind the plate, in the infield, or on the mound.

No. 18 Halifax County
The 2017 State Runners-up and 2018 Region Runners-up were detailed earlier this week in our Power 25 countdown. As always, the Comets are stacked on the mound with seniors Drew Harlow (Radford), Alex Lowery, and Troy Ferrell (Roanoke) as well as junior Christian Worley (Virginia Tech). Offensively, the loss of catcher Clay Lloyd will hurt, but Harlow, Lowery, and Shaun Perkins (Patrick Henry CC) are all back off of strong seasons offensively.

Harrisonburg
The Blue Streaks moved up from Class 4 to Class 5 in 2018 and entered the Region tournament as the three seed in the 'South'. They reached the quarterfinals before Albemarle knocked them out. Harrisonburg brings back three key pieces in its lineup this spring in speedy senior outfielder Owen Stewart (Alderson Broaddus), shortstop Jose Rocha (Patrick Henry CC), and Marcus Robinson-Jenkins. Stewart and Rocha also will be back as the Blue Streaks' top two arms and Harrisonburg should be in the mix again late in the Region tournament this spring.

Massaponax
The Panthers reached the Region quarterfinals in 2018 and lose two of their arms to graduation with the departure of Ryan Cloude and Ryan Arruano. The do get back senior lefty Benjamin Stovall (Elizabethtown). Cloude and Arruano were key pieces to the lineup. Look for senior outfielder Nikolas Branch (Bryant & Stratton) to potentially step into a larger role this spring.

Mountain View
The Wildcats reached the Region semifinals with a young roster in 2018 and are poised to be in the mix again late in the season in 2019. Some key pieces have graduated from the lineup with the departures of Sean Leeks, Joshua Menders (Hagerstown CC), Nolan Johnson, and Garrett Reams. Even with all of those seniors in lineup last spring, one of the big stories for the Wildcats was the emergence of a pair of freshmen, one of whom was pitcher Britt Yount, who finished the season with 12 straight scoreless innings. The other freshman who made his presence in the lineup and behind the plate felt was catcher Cameron Murray. Another piece that will be back in the lineup this spring is senior infielder Andrew Neff (Concord). Also in the mix on the mound this spring will be senior Brandon Lindauer (Washington College MD). Look for sophomore two-way player Nicolas Rodriguez to possibly contribute for the Wildcats this spring.

North Stafford
The Wolverines were knocked out in the first round of the Region tournament in 2018 and saw Cody English and Grayson Sims (Mars Hill) graduate from the top half of their lineup. Some key pieces are back this spring in top senior arm Owen Ledford (Roanoke). Back in the core of that lineup will be senior infielder Cody Carter (King). Look for senior Michael Bennett (Patrick Henry CC) to see an increased role this spring as well.

Orange County
The Hornets reached the Region quarterfinals in 2018 and bring the core pieces of their lineup back this spring in a trio of seniors, Tucker Hensley, Canon Davies (Mary Washington), and Keenan Williams (UNC-Pembroke). That group will form a tough heart of the lineup for an Orange County team that should put up some runs. Davies also will pitch some for the Hornets, and what they do on the mound will be a key to how successful they are this spring.

Patrick Henry (Roanoke)
The Patriots had a down season in 2018 but still entered the Region tournament as the South fourth seed. Their season came to an abrupt end as Orange County knocked them off. Senior arm Carter Plunkett should be in the mix for significant innings for them this spring.

Potomac
The Panthers play their regular season in the Class 6 Cardinal District before coming to Class 5 for the playoffs. This will be their last season in Class 5 as they will move to Class 6 with next year's realignment. That being said, Potomac was one of the top teams in the Cardinal District in 2018 and won the Region D Championship before ultimately finishing the season as Class 5 State Runners-up. Graduated from that team is shortstop Scrappy Cleveland, centerfielder TJ Reney, and number two arm Blake Gatewood (Prince George's CC). Despite those departures, Potomac keeps their most important player in staff ace and three-hitter Brody Mack (William & Mary). Filling out the rotation and returning on the infield will be the Cumba twins, Josue and Julian. Back doing the catching will be junior Braden Mack and also senior Adrian Touch. That group on the mound and core in the lineup will make Potomac again one of the top teams in Northern Virginia and in Class 5.

Stafford
The Indians had a solid bounce-back 2018 season after losing a lot to graduation from their outstanding 2017 team. They did see their season end abruptly again as they were upset by Brooke Point in the first round of the Region tournament. Stafford has the makings of a strong team again this spring with a rotation that will feature junior two-way standout Tucker Sullivan and senior Michael Tolson with Robbie Baker also in the mix. Sullivan and Tolson have potentially explosive arms and could become a dominant 1-2 punch as the season progresses. The outfield should be a strength with senior Tristan McAllister (Charleston-WV) and centerfielder Elijah Lambros as well as newcomer Caleb McAllister. Stafford is poised for a strong season again this spring and has the potential for a deep playoff run. 

William Fleming
The Colonels had a rough 2019 but saw their win total increase from 2018 before their season was ended in the Region first round by Harrisonburg.

 

 

More 2019 Previews