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Welcome to our 2020 VHSL Previews. In each preview, we will give you a brief recap of the 2019 season along with the breakdown of each Region and what the rules are to qualify for postseason play under the new alignment. We will also highlight the top prospects in each Classification, as well as some teams to watch during the 2020 season.

In 2019, Hickory rumbled through a dominant regular season and won the Region A championship over Menchville, but the Hawks would suffer their second loss of the season in the State Semifinals to eventual champ Stafford. Narrowly missing State tournament berths were Maury and Princess Anne, both of whom lost in the Region semifinals.

Realignment did a number on Region A, as Hampton, Menchville, and Warwick depart Class 5 for Class 4. Coming into the Region will be Bayside, Cox, First Colonial, Granby, Woodside, and Deep Creek, all of whom are coming down from Class 6. After all of that movement, this Region is in the conversation for best top to bottom in Virginia this spring, and the Region tournament should be very entertaining.

 

Top Prospects in the Region

Name	School	Class	Position	Commitment
Ethan Anderson	Frank Cox	2022	C	Virginia
Tyler Bowes	Hickory	2020	RHP	Radford
Cade Brewer	Salem (Beach)	2020	C	Old Dominion
Bryson Dansberry	Nansemond River	2020	OF	Radford
Zach Dzarnowski	Hickory	2020	C	UMBC
Ethan Firoved	First Colonial	2020	LHP	Virginia Tech
Clay Grady	Nansemond River	2022	SS	Virginia Tech
Devin Hicks	Bayside	2020	RHP	Old Dominion
Tyler Horton	Princess Anne	2020	LHP	Radford
Jordan Irizarry	Princess Anne	2021	LHP	Campbell
Kennedy Jones	Maury	2021	OF
Alvin Keels	Maury	2022	SS	Miami
Cooper Newell	Hickory	2022	RHP
Pedro Orta	Granby	2020	RHP	Norfolk State
Malcolm Perry	Nansemond River	2021	OF
Colton Robinson	Salem (Beach)	2020	LHP	VMI
Drew Stanley	Hickory	2020	RHP	Longwood
Camrin CC Sturgeon	Kecoughtan	2021	1B
Myles Webb	Granby	2020	OF	Randolph-Macon

***Cade Brewer has transferred to Atlantic Shores***

2020 Region A

Beach	Eastern	Peninsula	Southeastern
Bayside	Granby	Bethel	Deep Creek
Frank Cox	Maury	Gloucester	Hickory
First Colonial	Norview	Kecoughtan	Indian River
Green Run		Woodside	Nansemond River
Kempsville
Princess Anne
Salem (Beach)

*Italicized teams played in a 2019 Region A tournament

With an expansion in the number of teams in Region A, the tournament will expand from eight teams to ten in 2020. All of the teams will be ranked by power points and the top ten will make the field, with the top six beginning play in the quarterfinals and teams 7-10 having to play into the quartefinals.

 

Region A Teams to Watch

Frank Cox
The Falcons finished 2019 as the Class 6 Region A runners-up and advanced to the State Tournament where they were knocked out in the quarterfinals. The 2017 Class 6 State runners-up will move down to Class 5 for the 2020 season and will also lose shortstop South Trimble (George Mason) to graduation. Back this spring though will be a pair of All-State honorees in big-time sophomore bat Ethan Anderson (Virginia) and junior outfielder Sam Slevin. Also returning this spring will be junior pitcher Nathan Hawley, who emerged as a go-to option on the mound last spring. Junior John Bastians should add another bat at a corner infield spot and freshman infielder and pitcher Michael Irby showed well at February events and could contribute at some point this spring for a Falcons team that should contend for a Region title this spring.

First Colonial
The Patriots had a strong 2019 season, going 17-5 before ultimately falling in the Region 6A tournament to Cox. 2018 Region 6A champs move down to Class 5 this spring and should again be at the top of the Beach District and a contender for a Region championship and State berth. First and foremost, they bring back their top arm in senior lefty and First Team All-State honoree Ethan Firoved (Virginia Tech) to top the rotation again this spring. No. 2 arm Matt Crane has graduated, but senior righty Alex LePow (NC Wesleyan) could fill in some of those lost innings. In the lineup, Stephen Davis and Preston Meyer have graduated, but junior Ryan Peterson is back in the middle of the order, Firoved is back as well, and senior Avery Byrum is back in the middle of the infield. Sophomore Jacob Gentzler could also end up contributing at some point this spring for a team that will definitely be in the mix in late May or June.

Granby
The Comets put together a 16-5 season in 2019 and reached the Region 6A tournament before Kellam knocked them out in the quarterfinals and ended their season. Granby slides down to Class 5 for the 2020 season and while they lose All-State outfielder Hunter Cole (VMI), they do have a few interesting pieces back in a pair of seniors. Back in the rotation mix is righty Pedro Orta (Norfolk State) and back in the lineup is toolsy outfielder Myles Webb (Randolph-Macon). Look for Granby to earn a Region bid and fight for a State Tournament spot in 2020.

Hickory
The Hawks were State Semifinalists in 2019 and finished the season 23-2 overall. While Hickory lost Mason Dunaway (James Madison) and Jared Snellinger to graduation, the Hawks figure to be back in the mix again in Class 5 in 2020 as they bring back a strong core of seniors. Pitchers Tyler Bowes (Radord) and Drew Stanley (Longwood) are back as well as two-way player Scott Crosson (CNU). Crosson will be joined again in the lineup by fellow seniors Zach Dzarnowski (UMBC) and Alex Gulisano (Eastern Mennonite) as well as the big bat of junior Thomas Watermolen. Look for junior Zachary Chadwell to also offer a potential two-way contribution. A player to watch this spring will be sophomore righty Cooper Newell, who has the potential to be the latest in a recent run of high-end pitching prospects to play for the Hawks. Hickory is again loaded to bear and will fight for another shot at State Championship to add to their 2014 title.

Indian River
The Braves put together a winning season in 2019, but fell short of a Region 5A playoff berth. They will be hurt by the loss of two-way contributor Sam Alheit (Roanoke) as well as pitcher Gavin Levinson. A pair of seniors will key the lineup this spring with the returns of Robbie Hatcher and Ryan Corr. Both will again be important lineup pieces and will see their roles expand to the mound as well this spring. Junior Anthony Oporto will be a key player who should also see his role increase at the plate and on the mound this spring for the Braves as they push for a Region Tournament berth.

Kecoughtan
The Warriors had a tough start to the 2019 season but came on strong late in the year, ultimately falling short of a Region tournament berth, but potentially building some momentum towards 2020. Back in the lineup this spring will be junior CC Sturgeon as well Justin Husby and Khalil Claxton. 

Maury
The Commodores followed up a State Tournament berth in 2018 with a pretty good season in 2019, winning over 15 games and cruising into the Region 5A tournament, where they advanced to the semifinals before running into Hickory for the second straight season and this time having their season come to an end. Graduated will be shortstop John Bonner (King) and twin aces Ben Capehart (VMI) and Dalton Barham (Norfolk State). The core of the lineup is back as senior Jacob Jackson, junior Kennedy Jones, and sophomore Alvin Keels (Miami) return to the center of offense that scored plenty in 2019 already. Seniors Vincent Bashara and Nolan Manzer should be able to step into some of the innings on the mound and Maury should be ready to roll again in 2020.

Nansemond River
The 2016 State Champs returned to the Region tournament in 2019 for the first time since their title. The pieces are in place for the Warriors to build off of that appearance and challenge for a State Tournament spot in 2020. Senior Bryson Dansberry (Radford) and junior Malcolm Perry will cover a ton of ground in the outfield and bring game-changing speed to the lineup. Sophomore shortstop Clay Grady (Virginia Tech) is another speedy defender who has a chance to hit for a very high average and put his speed to work on the bases. Juniors Ben Grady and Gavin Gregory figure to also contribute as well, with Grady filling another infield spot and Gregory adding some innings on the mound. Nansemond River is going to defend well and score some runs this spring, if they can find consistent quality innings they will be in the mix for a Region Championship in 2020.

Princess Anne
The Cavaliers had a strong 2019 and reached the Region A semifinals before their season came to an end at the hands of Menchville. The Cavaliers should be strong again in 2019 with their top two arms back as well as the centerpiece of their lineup in senior shortstop Omar Gonzalez (Patrick Henry CC). Princess Anne should have a dynamic one-two punch on the mound that will make them tough to beat this spring with return of lefties Tyler Horton (Radford) and Jordan Irizarry (Campbell). Both lefties also will return to the lineup for a team that should again challenge for a State Tournament berth.

Salem (Beach)
The Sundevils put together a strong 2019 season, winning 16 games and earning a spot in the Region 5A tournament before falling to Maury in the quarterfinals. Salem is not going to lack for talent as they look to repeat and build off of their success last spring in 2020. Senior catcher Cade Brewer (Old Dominion) will be back to anchor the lineup and the defense.and senior lefty Colton Robinson (VMI) will head the rotation for the Sundevils this spring.

***Cade Brewer has transferred to Atlantic Shores***

 

 

 

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