Three champs seek repeat
Cox, Cape Henry and Walsingham have the talent to contend again
Storylines Hampton Roads teams compete for state titles again:
Cox, Cape Henry and Walsingham won state championships last season, while three other teams (Greenbrier Christian, Smithfield and Poquoson) finished runner-up. Walsingham Academy tries to win its sixth consecutive VISAA title, Cape Henry its third, and Cox goes for its third Virginia High School League championship in four seasons. Other teams to watch include Western Branch (which won a state title in 2014 and 2017), Lafayette (2019), Nansemond River (2016) and Hickory (2014).
Zimmerman replaces a legend at Poquoson:
Coach Craig Zimmerman replaces Ken Bennett as Poquoson High’s coach. Bennett, who was 225-125 in 15 seasons, led the Islanders to two state championships and eight state semifinal appearances. Zimmerman, a former Islanders assistant, becomes just the third coach at Poquoson since the mid-1990s. The Islanders will contend for the Bay Rivers District title and state Class 2 title this season.
StoneBridge starts its baseball program:
StoneBridge School, of Chesapeake, begins its baseball program this season, and the Cavaliers have entrusted the program to former Princess Anne coach Jimmy Hunt. He stepped down from coaching in 2018 after 32 years. Under his leadership, the Cavaliers produced 53 college players and eight professionals, including Los Angles Dodgers pitcher Daniel Hudson.
Other new coaches: There’s a long list of new coaches in Hampton Roads this season. Matt Mitchell is the new coach at Hampton. His father, the late Danny Mitchell, was the Crabbers’ coach for more than 35 years. Matt Mitchell, who played for his father at Hampton, also played for Averett University and was an assistant at Norfolk State. Other new coaches include Shaun Todd (Great Bridge), Thad Berry (Norview), Jay Ruberti (Tallwood) and Trenton Lee (Bayside).
Support for Autism Awareness:
Several 757 teams will participate in an Autism Awareness game next month. Western Branch coach Roland Wright, whose son Nathan has autism, started the event several years ago. The following teams will play “Autism Awareness” games:
April 1 — Indian River vs. Green Run; Lakeland vs. Norview; April 9 — Western Branch vs. King's Fork; Landstown vs. Cox; April 16 — Great Bridge vs. Nansemond River; April 30 — Nansemond River vs. Deep Creek.
757Teamz Top 15
1. Cape Henry: Coach Chris Dotolo returns plenty of talent from last season's state championship team. But he knows it won't be easy to repeat. “I told our players, ‘When you win back-toback state championships, everyone will be coming after us, so be ready.'” Senior shortstop/pitcher and Old Dominion commit Tanner Schaedel (.462 batting average, 4 HRs, 35 RBIs; 8-0 with a 0.378 ERA) leads the Dolphins. They also have senior OF Andrew Hart (.387, 3 HRs, 37 RBIs), LHP Payton Friske (5-0, 2.79 ERA), UTL Nate Jensen, SS/P Colin Lebel, INF/ RHP Trajan Taylor, OF Reid Downs, INF Chris Martinez, C/ INF Ryan Hummel, LHP/1B Noah Hummel, RHP/OF Copeland Smith, LHP/OF Baylen Newcomb, C Owen Hawley and LHP Thomas Eicks. “Pitching will once again be our strength. We have a lot of depth and some power arms,” Dotolo said. “Defensively, we will be solid and should be able to score enough runs to win.”
2. Cox: The Falcons once again will be the team to beat in the Beach District and will contend for another state title. They have senior infielder Austin Irby (.355, 34 runs, 33 RBIs, 7 HRs) INF Conner Worth (.355, 17 runs, 13 RBIs), RHP Jake Colucci (6-0, 40 strikeouts) and OF/RHP Ryan Delaschmutt (1.05 ERA). They also add Cape Henry transfers Parker Wight, who was a firstteam All-Tidewater pick, and his brother, Garrison, a Louisburg College commit. Parker Wight, who committed to UNC Greensboro, was first-team All-Tidewater last season after he batted .418 with 40 RBIs, 40 runs and six homers.
3. Western Branch: Bruins coach Roland Wright returns 14 players from the Class 6 Region A championship team. He has coached many of them since 2014, including his sons, Jacob and Joshua. “I have had the privilege of coaching this group since 7U, so having one last ride with them and my sons is going to be a memorable experience,” he said. The Bruins are ranked No. 12 in the Southeast Region by Baseball America. Some of the key players are Lynchburg commit OF Jacob Wright (.325), VMI commit LHP Gavin Biernot (6-1), Randolph-Macon commit SS Joshua Wright (.305), Marymount commit 2B Seth Sadler (.275), 1B/ RHP PJ Tone (.310), OF Markise Smith (.290), C Parker Coyle (.280) and 3B Logan Adams (.320).
4. Grassfield: The Grizzlies, who lost in the state Class 6 quarterfinals, will once again be strong. Senior P Charley Higginbotham was 3-1 last season with a 0.27 ERA. Other key players are C/INF Ryan Hoeft (.304, 2 HRs, 24 RBIs), P/ INF Josh Long, OF/P Matt Sabale (.340), OF/P Pudgy Snoh (.360), OF Jayden Walker (13 runs), OF Jack Wecht (.294) and P Bradley Zayac (6-3, 1.51 ERA).
5. First Colonial: “After losing in the state tournament last year, the team is driven to return,” said
coach Scott Stubbe, now in his 20th season. “We have a talented team that should have a chance to return, and we are playing a challenging schedule that will make us better as the season progresses. Pitchers will lead us, and our experience on the offensive side will do the same.” His son, Wes, and Nic Morlang were both second-team all-region. Wes Stubbe batted .320 with 20 RBIs, while Morlang was 4-2 with a 2.20 ERA and 63 strikeouts. Other key players include 1B/P Keegan Haesler (.277, 13 R), IF Ryan Dugan (.281), P Brady Wilson (3-0, 1.42 ERA), P/OF Cade Howlett, P Aiden Parker, OF Kyler Edwards, INF Brady Gavin, INF/P Joey Karpovich, C Graydon Ambrose, INF Tyson Moravec and INF/P Jaethan Inman.
6. Hickory: The Hawks are the defending Southeastern District champions. Junior OF Brayden Bachman is a two-time All-Tidewater selection. They also have all-region players Jake Chadwell, Ryan Kennedy, Eli Kraft, Ben Redding and Andrew Vinerov. The key to the season, said coach Hank Kraft, will be pitchers Wyatt Simmons, Tommy Blackburn, Ryan Barks, Brady Dekker, Ryan Kennedy and Jake Cozart.
7. Walsingham: Ohio State commit Luke Harlow, the reigning VISAA Division III Player of the Year, will try to lead the Trojans to another state title. Last season, he batted .516 with 49 hits, 47 runs, 38 RBIs and 32 stolen bases. They also have George Washington commit Sean Sousa, Hampden-Sydney commits Davis Neighbor and Will Wyles, as well as C Brody Schultz, OF/RHP Ayden Evans, RHP Daniel Guntherberg and transfers Matthew Swanson (Jamestown), Drew Weddington (Jamestown) and Andrew Cole (Lafayette). “We're poised to make another strong run in the state tournament,” said Trojans coach Ian Heisel. “I have coached most of these kids since they were 9 years old.”
8. Greenbrier Christian: The Gators return 12 players from last year's team that lost in the VISAA Division II state championship game. Senior C Mikey Urbaniak, who was second-team All-Tidewater, batted .360 with 30 runs and 24 stolen bases last season. Greenbrier also has UNC Greensboro commit Bubba Sawyer (.333 BA, 36 runs, 29 SBs), Delaware commit Payton Shipman (.384,
39 RBIs, 35 runs), VMI commit Thomas Conrad (.415, 36 runs, 26 RBIs), Eastern Mennonite commit Brayden Pendleton (6-1, 1.51 ERA), P Tucker Rupe, C/P Cam Kaliher and 2B Jonathan Ashe. The Gators also have transfers Jack Bonney, who was first-team all-region at Maury, and Preston Luke, who was All-TCIS at Norfolk Christian. “We have made three consecutive VISAA state championship game appearances,” coach Patrick Nichols said about the Gators, who won it in 2021 and were runners-up in 2022. “All of the pieces are in place to make another run at a state championship in 2024.”
9. Nansemond River: The Warriors won the Class 5 Region B title last season and advanced to the state tournament before losing a semifinal in extra innings. “I believe this team can win a state championship,” said Nansemond River second-year coach Ty Rivers. The Warriors return 1B Drew Barbosa (.361, 30 hits, 25 RBIs) and LHP Buddy Baker (4-1), who was second-team All-Tidewater. They also have OF Aden Judge, RHP Cam Bauswell, SS Konner Johnson and infielder Mikey Rodgers.
10. Maury: The Commodores have senior P/INF Brycen Hamilton (.327, 5 HRs), senior OF John
Allen Stillwell (.356), junior SS/P Hunter Gillespie, junior 3B Derek Baker (.344), junior Landon Carraway, sophomore 1B/OF Lee Garris and sophomore 2B/P Landen Hall. “We'll go as far as our pitching staff will take us,” said Commodores coach Robbie Butler.
11. Bethel: Cayden Ochsenfeld — coach Chris Ochsenfeld's son — was the Peninsula District Player of the Year after going 4-1 with a 0.91 ERA and 60 strikeouts. His cousin, Liam Ochsenfeld, is a catcher and designated hitter who batted .330. Other key players are CF/P Ty Overstreet (.423), C/UTL Austin DeBusk (340), P/1B Joe Harris (.345) and P/INF Conner Lamb (3-0, 2.54 ERA, .375,16 RBIs).
12. Great Bridge: Wildcats firstyear coach Shaun Todd said he's going to need contributions from everyone for Great Bridge to have a successful season. He will rely heavily on seniors 1B Adam Blackstone, C/INF Conner High and OF Calvin Mabry. Also, watch for junior 3B Adam Bartley, sophomore SS Casey Cuddyer, sophomore OF/INF Andrew Griffin and freshman P/1B Cole Cinnamond.
13. Menchville: Monarchs coach Phil Forbes has a mixture of veteran players and a group of good young players. Senior pitchers
Zach Davis and Landon Turner — both first-team All-Peninsula District last season — will be keys to the team's success. Other players are C Chance Jones, LHP/OF/1B James Blotter and RHP/3B Luke Woodard.
14. Granby: The Comets have the pieces in place to make a strong run, led by senior pitcher and Davidson commit Daniel Smith, who was All-Tidewater and all-state as a sophomore. They also have C Cayden Sagers and SS Hector Rivera — both Virginia State commits. Other key players are senior RHP Andrew Hill, Declan O'Toole, Brady Van Hoose, Will Findlay, Logan Kodolitsch and Connor Kendrick.
15. Gloucester: Coach Gus Morande is five victories away from 300 for his career. Senior INF/P Austin Shackelford, who was all-region last season, leads the Dukes. Other key pitchers are Christopher Newport commit Dylan Deyoung, Trevor Richardson, Landon Morris, Grayson Shield, Chase Carson and Colter Callis. The Dukes also have C Hank Hardaway, 1B Brayden Enoch, outfielders Hayden Simmons and Carson Teagle, and infielders Tyler Boulay, Chandler Howlett and Jordan White.
The next five: Landstown, Poquoson, Warwick, Churchland, Ocean Lakes.
Five players you should know
Tanner Schaedel, Cape Henry: The senior shortstop/pitcher and Old Dominion signee was the All-Tidewater, VISAA and TCIS Player of the Year last season as he led the Dolphins to the Division I state title. He batted .462 with 35 RBIs and 28 runs. On the mound, he was 8-0 with a 0.38 ERA and 49 strikeouts.
Zach Davis, Menchville: The senior outfielder/pitcher was firstteam All-Tidewater, first-team All-Class 5 Region B and first-team All-Peninsula District. He was 8-0 with a 0.76 ERA and 84 strikeouts. He led the Monarchs to the district title and helped them finish the regular season unbeaten as the No. 1 team in the final 757Teamz rankings.
Luke Harlow, Walsingham: The senior outfielder and Ohio State commit was the VISAA Division III Player of the Year after he led the Trojans to the state title. Harlow, who was firstteam All-Tidewater, batted .516 with 49 hits, 47 runs, 38 RBIs and 32 stolen bases.
Cayden Ochsenfeld, Bethel: The senior pitcher was first-team All-Tidewater, first-team All-Class 5 Region A and the Peninsula District Player of the Year. He was 4-1 with a 0.91 ERA and 60 strikeouts.
Eli Tyndall, Poquoson: The junior shortstop/pitcher was firstteam All-Tidewater, first-team All-Class 2 as he led the Islanders to the Class 2 Region A title and to second place in the state. He batted .360 and was 8-1 with a 1.95 ERA on the mound.