Nationals Arm Race

"… the reason you win or lose is darn near always the same – pitching.” — Earl Weaver

Final 2015 Prep Baseball Update: Virginia State Champions crowned, Player of the Year lists

26 comments

Madison HS is your 2015 6-A state champ.

Madison HS is your 2015 Virginia 6-A state champ.

Here’s our final post on High School baseball for 2015 in the area.  We previously posted updates on:

In this post, we will cover the various Player/Teams of the year that have been released, Virginia State tournaments and re-cap MD, DC and private schools.

All the Virginia state tourneys ran the weekend of 6/12/15 to 6/13/15.  All Virginia state brackets available from this link at VHSL.org.

Player of the Year Awards

Before we get to the Virginia playoff results, some player of the year and all-area teams have been announced.

Gatorade announced their State player of the year awards:

  • Maryland: Chopticon’s Ljay Newsome, who pitched the game of his life in the Maryland 3-A championship, won the award in Maryland.  He has yet to declare for a college but was drafted (26th round by Seattle).
  • Washington DC: St. John’s A.J. Lee won the award for the 2nd consecutive year.  Committed to Maryland.
  • Virginia: The Steward School (Richmond)’s Nic Enright won the award in Virginia.   He’s committed to Virginia Tech.

Louisville Slugger All-Americans announced; Ljay Newsome and A.J. Lee were named to the first team All-American.

Locally, some local player of the year awards:

  • The Washington Post’s 2015 All-Met announcement, with mostly familiar names that we’ve discussed in this blog this spring.  A.J. Lee was your All-Met player of the year.  Cody Morris named to his third straight All-Met team despite his Tommy John surgery.
  • The Baltimore Sun’s 2015 All-Metro Baseball Team.  Player of the year is Truman Thomas of Southern (2-time defending Maryland 2-A champ).  Ironically Morris was only Baltimore 2nd team.
  • Richmond 2015 All-Metro team: pending
  • Tidewater area
  • All 2015 6-A North region teams via InsideNova.com.  6-A North player of the year was Oakton’s Joe Rizzo, a *junior* who hit over .600 for the season.  He’s an early commit to South Carolina.
  • All 2015 6-A South Region team: co-players of the year Bodie Sheehan, First Colonial, a Lefty committed to William & Mary and Nathan Eaton, Thomas Dale, a SS/RHP committed to VMI.
  • All 5-A North: Marshall HS C Mitch Blackstone (Cornell commit) named the 5-A player of the year (he was also all-Met).
  • All 5-A South: pending
  • All 4-A North and 4-A south teams: pending
  • All 3-A East: Loudoun Valley’s Jack DeGroat (Liberty) the regional player of the year.
  • VHSL All-State Teams: pending
  • VISAA’s 2015 All-State teams, Division I, II and III
  • Maryland MIAA All-State teams: pending.

6-A State Finals: held at Robinson and Lake Braddock HS in Northern Virginia (which are odd-choices; Robinson and Lake Braddock’s fields aren’t exactly the nicest available fields in the area.  Nor do they have the largest stands.  But, those are the two biggest high schools around, so perhaps that’s why they were selected.  Of course, in previous years Fairfax HS was frequently used, with its ridiculously short LF porch, so maybe Robinson’s larger field is better.  Most people believe Madison has one of the nicest HS fields in the area … but it rarely gets selected as a host for some reason when the cycle for hosting comes back to NoVa).

  • 6-A North: Winner Madison (Vienna) (22-5) , runner-up Chantilly (20-6)
  • 6-A South: Winner Western Branch (Chesapeake) (22-3), runner-up First Colonial (Virginia Beach) (21-4)

6-A State Semis Results: Madison pecked away at First Colonial and ended up breezing to a 7-2 victory in the first semi.  Madison’s senior ace Brian Eckert (Radford commit) pitched 6+ innings of one run ball in his final appearance for the Warhawks.  In the nightcap, Chantilly got revenge from last year’s state final and pounded the defending 6-A champ Western Branch 8-3 to make the 6-A state final a rematch of the regional title game and an all-northern Virginia affair.

6-A State Final: In the state final, Madison’s junior lefty Matt Favero started the game … and he finished it.  Madison jumped ahead 3-0 but Favero got knocked out in the 4th after giving up 5 hits and 5 unearned runs.  Madison clawed their way back though, tying the game in the 6th and then loading the bases in the bottom of the 7th with no outs.  There, Favero came up and got the walk-off hit (twitter link to video of the hit) to clinch Madison’s 4th state title (2015, 2002, 1971 and 1968).  Kudos to Chantilly; two straight state finals; their coach (Kevin Ford) deserves his coach of the year accolades.

Madison’s feat is all the more impressive when looking at their lineup; outside of their ace lefty Eckert and one position player, the rest of their starting lineup in the state tournament are underclassmen.  They could be quite dominant in 2016.

6-A State champ: Madison (Vienna) with a 24-5 record on the season.

5-A State Finals: held at Robinson and Lake Braddock HS in Northern Virginia

  • 5-A North: Winner Stone Bridge (Ashburn) (21-5), runner-up Marshall (McLean) (21-5)
  • 5-A South: Winner Hickory (Chesapeake) (22-3), runner-up Freeman (NW Richmond) (19-6)

Stone Bridge plays at 3pm at Lake Braddock, Marshall at 7pm.

5-A State Semis Results: As with the 6-A tournament, the 5-A final will be an all-Northern Virginia affair as both local teams won.  Stone Bridge’s Brett Kreyer threw a one-hitter as Stone Bridge beat Freeman 6-0 in one semi.  Marshall took advantage of an ill-timed error that would have ended an inning and a rally and eventually beat the defending champ’s Hickory 7-4.

5-A State Final: In the state final, Stone Bridge fulfilled its “ewing theory” credentials by getting further without J.B. Bukauskas than they ever did with him, handling Marshall 9-4 for its first state title.

5-A State champ: Stone Bridge with a 23-5 record on the season.

4-A State Finals: held at Liberty University in Lynchburg.

  • 4-A North: Winner Jefferson Forest (Forest/Lynchburg) (19-7), Fauquier (Warrenton) (19-6), runner-up (by fft after the fact)
  • 4-A South: Winner Glen Allen (N. Richmond) (21-3), runner-up Hanover (N. Richmond)  (18-5)

4-A State Semis Results: Glen Allen took out Fauquier in the first state semi final 6-4, facing the Warrenton team after they had to forfeit their 4-A north final victory and settle for second place.  In the other semi, Jefferson Forest outlasted two-time defending state champion Hanover 4-3 in extra innings.

4-A State Final: In the final, Glen Allen scored four early and was never threatened, beating Jefferson Forest 9-3.

4-A State champ: Glen Allen (N. Richmond) with a 23-3 record on the season.

3-A State Finals: held at Liberty University in Lynchburg.

  • 3-A East: Winner Loudoun Valley (Purcelville) (22-2), Runner-up Lafayette (Williamsburg) (18-6-1) (note: these teams were declared co-champs; the positions must have been determined by a coin-flip).
  • 3-A West: Winner Monticello (Charlottesville), runner-up Rustberg (outside of Lynchburg)

3-A State Semis Results: In the first semi, Loudoun Valley upended Rustberg 6-0 with Liberty commit Jack DeGroat throwing a complete game 2-hitter with 17 strikeouts.  On the other side, Lafayette destroyed Monticello 11-0 to setup the state final that should have been the regional final.

3-A State Final: In the state final, Lafayette hit a solo homer for the winning run in the top of the 7th before closing out Purcellville’s Loudoun Valley 5-4 for Lafayette’s first ever state baseball title.

3-A State champ: Lafayette (Williamsburg) with a 20-6-1 record on the season.

Smaller Classifications: held in Salem and at Radford University.

  • 2-A match-ups: Strasburg (corner of I-66 & I-81) (25-1) vs Lebanon (SW corner of Virginia), Virginia High (Bristow) (24-2) vs Maggie Walker (Downtown Richmond).  In the semis, Virginia High ended Maggie Walter’s season 8-3, and Lebanon ended Strasburg’s excellent season 8-2.  In the 2-A West rematch for the state title, Virginia High bashed their way to a 16-8 victory to repeat as Virginia 2-A champs..
  • 1-A match-ups: Honaker (SW corner of Virginia) v Lancaster (King George peninsula), William Campbell (Gladys south of Lynchburg) vs Radford.  In the semis, the two 1-A east teams advanced for a rematch, wherein William Campbell turned the tables on Lancaster, winning the 1-A title 16-4.

Recent Virginia HS champs:  Before 2014, we just covered AAA, which now is split between 4-A, 5-A and 6-A divisions.

2014: see this post for 2014’s state tournament wrap up for all 6 divisions.

  • In 6-A, Western Branch d Chantilly 6-4.  McLean and Cosby were state semifinalists.
  • In 5-A, Hickory d Freeman 6-4.  Stone Bridge and the surprising Freedom-South Riding semi finalists.
  • In 4-A, Hanover d Millbrook 7-1.
  • In the smaller classifications, Loudoun Valley (Purcellville) won 3-A, Virginia High (Bristol) won 2-A and Northumberland (Heathesville, on the King George peninsula) won 1-A.

2013 AAA: Hanover d Great Bridge. Hanover’s super-junior Derek Casey (now at UVA) outlasts Great Bridge and their 1st round talent Connor Jones (now UVA’s Friday starter after spurning a likely late 1st round draft position).  Lake Braddock and Oakton beaten in the semis.

2012 AAA: Lake Braddock d Kellam 4-0. Lake Braddock lost to West Springfield in the regional title game but then blitzed to a state championship.

2011 AAA: Great Bridge d South County in the state final, giving the powerful South County its first and only loss on the season after starting the season 28-0.  Lake Braddock was the regional finalist and lost to Great Bridge in the state quarters.

2010 AAA: West Springfield d Woodbridge in the final, giving Woodbridge its only loss on the year. WT Woodson regional finalist.

Complete history of Virginia HS Champions: from VHSL’s website.  Covers all sports and has results for a century.

Maryland Recap

See previous post for MD state final wrap-ups.  Brackets here at the MPSAA website.

A quick list of past Maryland State champions by division:

The Maryland public high school seasons are now complete.

 

DC Public Schools/DCIAA/DCSAA Recaps

  • DCIAA: Wilson won its 23rd consecutive DCIAA regular season title, extending its city league winning streak in the process.  DCIAA tournament supposedly ran through 6/3/15, though I cannot find any evidence that it occurred.  Perhaps it has been replaced in total by the DCSAA tourney.
  • DCSAA:  In the DCSAA final, Gonzaga beat St. Albans 2-1 at Nats Park on a controversial interference call that turned a tag-out at the plate into the decisive run.

 

Private Leagues: WCAC/MAC/IAC and VISAA/Maryland Private

All local area Private schools’ seasons are now complete.

Local and National High School Baseball Ranking Lists:

  • Washington Post All Met Sports Final Baseball top 10: Updated/finalized 6/17/15 at the end of the spring prep season.  Madison 1, Gaithersburg 2.  If I had ranked them, I likely would have gone Madison 1, Gaithersburg 2, Spalding 3, Stone Bridge 4, Chopticon 5, Chantilly 6, Loudoun Valley 7, St. Johns 8, Oakton 9 and Marshall 10.  Battlefield HM.  I was pretty close.
  • Baltimore Sun Final Rankings page : dated 5/25/15: They also have Spalding #1, then Calvert Hall, St. Marys, 4-A finalist Severna Park and then 3-A finalist Mt. Hebron.  Reservoir 6th.
  • Hampton Roads Baseball top 10 page: dated 5/19/15: Western Branch #1, then Grassfield, Hickory and First Colonial.  Needs updating.
  • Baseball America’s High School top 50 (Final ranking 6/17/15): Madison #24 in final poll, Stone Bridge #42.
  • USA Today High School top 25 (most recent ranking 6/17/15): Madison at #36, Liberty Christian #43, Spalding #44 and Western Branch #49.
  • MaxPreps top 25/top 50 lists, which has a hand-picked and a computer/power ranking list.  6/15/15 rankings.  No DC/MD/VA teams in MaxPrep’s “Excellent 50.”  Highest ranked teams in the extended rankings are Liberty Christian at #71, Chopticon at #95.  Madison is in the #400s, making one question these rankings slightly.

Resources:

Written by Todd Boss

June 15th, 2015 at 8:38 am

Posted in Draft,Local Baseball

Tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

«
»

26 Responses to 'Final 2015 Prep Baseball Update: Virginia State Champions crowned, Player of the Year lists'

Subscribe to comments with RSS or TrackBack to 'Final 2015 Prep Baseball Update: Virginia State Champions crowned, Player of the Year lists'.

  1. Bostick, Difo, and Turner all at AA. Difo headed to Syracuse, or Bostick to 3b/super UT role?

    Should be interesting. Might be the top 3 position player prospects in org right now.

    Wally

    16 Jun 15 at 7:18 am

  2. And Cutter demoted to AA. INF overload. Not sure what they’re doing. Makes me wonder if we might see Difo or Bostick get a look in the OF.

    KW

    16 Jun 15 at 8:03 am

  3. That’s what I meant by super UT. The infinite search for the next Zobrist 🙂

    If that’s what they do, I’d think Bostick gets tried first

    Wally

    16 Jun 15 at 8:51 am

  4. If you were the Nats, wouldn’t you put Turner at AAA at this point? who do you think needs more AA seasoning?

    Todd Boss

    16 Jun 15 at 9:22 am

  5. Four Nats draftees signed so far: http://m.mlb.com/news/article/130246508/2015-draft-signing-and-bonus-tracker

    All for underslot.

    Todd Boss

    16 Jun 15 at 9:52 am

  6. If the Nats had a viable team at Syracuse, Turner might have been sent there, but they don’t. The Chiefs are 21-44 and loaded with has-beens and never-wuzzes. There are a few guys there like Martinson and Ramsey who have shown some signs of life, but really, other than a few of the pitchers (Cole, Jordan, Grace, E. Davis, maybe “Beer League” Martin), most everyone is there for emergency purposes only.

    If you count Skole and Goodwin as still viable, the Nats now have basically all their top hitting prospects as Harrisburg. They probably hoped to have Giolito and Lopez joining the party now as well, but they haven’t proven ready of being fast-tracked. So the Senators actually have several late-20s guys eating innings there. But all in all, Harrisburg is the healthiest situation where they could put Turner.

    KW

    16 Jun 15 at 12:12 pm

  7. The HS OF two picks before Perkins signed for $1M, so that should help establish a reasonable parameter for our guy. The Nats now have a little extra cash after signing the 9th and 10th rounders for $25K apiece.

    I wonder if all the college kids will be sent to Auburn as a matter of course, or if they’ll push some of the college hitters on the Hagerstown because of how bat-poor the system is.

    KW

    16 Jun 15 at 1:22 pm

  8. Hey, they got Perkins signed, and underslot too. Not sure who they are saving money for, but it will be interesting.

    Turner at SS, Bostick in LF and … wait for it…. Cutter at 2b in Harrisburg. Difo not in the lineup. Btw, for those in the ‘Giolito isn’t tearing it up’ camp, his FIP at POT is 1.44, but his rocking .414 BABIP is killing his ERA. I also read somewhere that one of the national shops have him at #1 overall prospect now, with all of the promotions.

    Wally

    16 Jun 15 at 9:12 pm

  9. Good news on Perkins. Like you, I’m not sure what the saved cash is far. Stevenson was an overdraft and should be thrilled with slot money.

    I think Difo might be dinged. He did leave the game early last week. The Senators got 2-hit last night, though. On the positive side, Voth had a very strong start, giving up only three hits and no runs over seven.

    KW

    17 Jun 15 at 5:28 am

  10. Yeah, who the heck are they saving money for? Maybe 11th+ rounders??

    http://m.mlb.com/news/article/130246508/2015-draft-signing-and-bonus-tracker

    As of 8am 6/17/15: Signed: Perkins (93k under), Rivera for exact slot, Hearn (32k under), Crownover (70k under), Borne (27k under), Kerian (125k under), and Guilbeau (125k under).
    That leaves (of top 10 rounders) unsigned: Stevenson (LSU still playing), Wiseman (Vanderbilt still playing), Glover of Oklahoma State (probably coming soon since they’re out of CWS).

    That total savings so far is 379k. Of the guys remaining, I cannot imagine any of them going for more than slot frankly. So, yeah, who the heck is the money for? Is the answer 13th rounder Schrock? He was a decently ranked talent out of HS but he doesn’t exactly profile as a superstar (a 5’9″ second baseman? without power or speed?). 15th rounder Mooney? does he need a bit more money? They picked a highly ranked HS lefty Nick Sprengel in 31st round; committed to San diego. Would he sign for 500k?

    Todd Boss

    17 Jun 15 at 8:36 am

  11. Noticed that Difo wasn’t in the lineup last night.

    Btw, I downloaded the “First Pitch” app from milb and it is absolutely fantastic. You can get notifications at the end of each of our affiliates games with the score, you can easily get box scores without having to click 20 times on milb.com (as I used to do when I helped write natsfarm.com articles).. i love technology. Only thing you cannot easily get is the player stats.

    Todd Boss

    17 Jun 15 at 8:54 am

  12. Difo pinch hit yesterday. I still think he must be dinged. There’s no way they’re intentionally starting Cutter ahead of him.

    Turner had three hits yesterday, including a double, and stole two bases. He’s legit. Of course so is Souza . . .

    KW

    18 Jun 15 at 4:57 am

  13. Souza is weird. I’ve only been tracking him from a fantasy perspective and he’s been completely streaky. One week best hitter in the league, then two weeks of being the worst hitter in the league. Right now his slash line reads: .222/.323/.444 … which gives him an OPS of .767, which I’d normally think would be mediocre to poor but with offense down so much in the AL this year actually gives him a 114 OPS+ right now. Amazing. He may hit 30 bombs. I dunno; would you rather have a SS that looks like he could hit .300 in the majors or a .220 hitting 30-homer power guy who is 3rd in the league in strikeouts, on pace for more than 200 (!) for the year.

    I dunno. Don’t get me wrong, I liked Souza, liked his power. But we see what it costs his lineup right now.

    Todd Boss

    18 Jun 15 at 9:23 am

  14. When I played around with Souza’s numbers before the trade as an experiment with major-league equivalences, I came up with a peak positive of 25-30 HRs and a peak negative of around 200 Ks. I didn’t think it would be possible to achieve both at the same time!

    In hindsight, the Nats certainly could have used him in LF this year, but with Turner and Ross both exceeding expectations and timelines, and with Souza struggling to make contact, I doubt Rizzo has any regrets. Now if he could only figure out how to get back that $9M wasted on McLouth . . .

    There’s an interesting comment on Luke’s site today by a reader who was at the Harrisburg game yesterday and talked with the host family of the Dominicans who are playing there. According to the family, the Nats haven’t talked to Difo about their intentions for him since Turner’s arrival. The comment made it sound like Difo thinks that Turner is starting ahead of him. Weird. The bigger question in the grand scheme of things is why is Cutter playing ahead of Difo at 2B?

    KW

    18 Jun 15 at 12:39 pm

  15. Cutter’s demotion to AA had odd timing, no doubt. Why demote a 2B the same day as you obtain a SS? Unless Difo is hurt. Was there any indication of that?

    Right now, Syracuse’s DP combo is Hague (newly promoted) and Burriss. Makes sense to promote Hague; he was hitting well in AA and Dykstra was hitting .185 in AAA.
    Harrisburg’s MI combo was Renda and Difo. Now Renda traded, Difo should move to 2B and Turner plays SS. But if Difo hurt, then Dykstra as a temp fill-in makes sense.

    Todd Boss

    18 Jun 15 at 1:37 pm

  16. Isn’t the cynical view that a trade is close? I mean, Cutter isn’t playing over anyone with a pulse, right?

    Wally

    18 Jun 15 at 3:29 pm

  17. Difo finally played yesterday, at 2B, with Cutter at 3B and Skole moving to 1B.

    On the draft front, beyond the top 10, according to Andrew Lee’s Twitter, he has signed. The Nats drafted him as a pitcher, but I’m also intrigued by him as a power hitter, which they need more. I couldn’t find any update on Schrock, the other player in the next 10 who interests me.

    KW

    19 Jun 15 at 7:39 am

  18. I think it’d be tough to dig up info on all the non top 10 guys. I’ll just wait until the team makes an announcement and/or BA or MLB reports it. You could spend hours digging around the internet, twitter, facebook, instagram, etc.

    Speaking of instagram; love that technology and the way of the internet “caught” Sandoval looking at his cell phone while he was on the john and that the Red Sox felt compelled to do something about it. I mean, really? Really? 20 years ago it would have been Wade Boggs reading a magazine, 50 years ago it would have been Ted Williams reading the paper. Who frigging cares??

    Todd Boss

    19 Jun 15 at 9:32 am

  19. Glover signed, for $34K over slot. So the only top 10 folks still out there are the two CWS guys. Very little drama this year thus far.

    I know it’s a fool’s errand to worry too much about the final 30. Lee interested me as a hitter, though (6’5″ 225). Schrock was the top middle infielder they took. I was also interested in Kevin Mooney, the UMD closer; a Balto Sun article from yesterday said he’s negotiating, and he sounds like he really wants to sign.

    I find it curious that the Bosox fans seem disappointed in what they’re getting from Panda since his slash line is essentially the same as it was last year. The same can’t be said for Hanley, but then is anyone surprised? The Escobar rental vs. a big FA signing looks better all the time.

    Rosenthal hints that Billy Beane talked with the Nats about Michael Taylor in exchange for Zobrist and/or Clippard. Considering how thin the Nats are in the OF, I doubt that chat went very far. I do still wonder whether Taylor will be ready for prime time by next year, though.

    KW

    19 Jun 15 at 1:59 pm

  20. I just have a feeling that Rizzo is going to go for broke this year. No idea what that may mean in terms of specifics, but he likes big names, someone he has a connection with. Chapman has been speculated on. Upton? Something like that.

    And it will cost big.

    Wally

    19 Jun 15 at 3:47 pm

  21. Well, I think Ross is rapidly entering the untouchable category. He might be making someone like Cole available, though, and he would be a valuable trade chip.

    KW

    19 Jun 15 at 9:46 pm

  22. Ross; uh yeah. Everyone talks about Turner, but damn doesn’t Ross look like a rotation guy for the next 6 years? I’m going to write a post about it.

    Todd Boss

    20 Jun 15 at 8:09 am

  23. New posted about Ross. I know i’ve been slacking on MLB coverage; its a busy time for HS and college ball. As soon as CWS I’ve got some more content to post about the Nats and where we are.

    Todd Boss

    20 Jun 15 at 10:05 am

  24. […] 2015: See this post for 2015’s state tournament wrapup for all 6 divisions: […]

    Prep Baseball Update #3 2016: Virginia Regional Results & State Tournament fields at Nationals Arm Race

    7 Jun 16 at 9:14 am

  25. […] 2015: See this post for 2015’s state tournament wrapup for all 6 divisions: […]

    2016 Prep Baseball Update #4: Virginia State Champions crowned at Nationals Arm Race

    13 Jun 16 at 9:12 am

  26. […] 2015: See this post for 2015’s state tournament wrapup for all 6 divisions: […]

    Prep Baseball Coverage 2019; DC, MD, VA Regional and State Champs at Nationals Arm Race

    13 Jun 22 at 10:02 am

Leave a Reply