Baseball preview: Great Bridge, Hickory, Princess Anne are top teams

Posted to: High Schools Sports
Login or register to post comments

By Jami Frankenberry
The Virginian-Pilot
© March 5, 2008

PRESEASON TOP 10

1. Great Bridge: Coach Wiley Lee needs 13 victories to reach 200 for his career, and his defending Southeastern District champion Wildcats feature three ODU signees: P Phil McCarthy (9-0, 2.16 ERA in 2007), 2B Hunter Parrish (.398 batting average) and SS Brandon Shelton (.329). 3B Ben Smith has signed with Lafayette.

2. Hickory: There’s little room for error at the top of the Southeastern District, and a 1-2 pitching punch of Gary Ward (5-1, 2.12 ERA) and ODU signee Brett Harris makes the Hawks contenders.

3. Princess Anne: The Beach District race should be a tight one, but the Cavaliers’ roster boasts 15 upperclassmen, including ace Ben Tomchick (7-1, 2.57 ERA).

4. Western Branch: P Chad O’Connor (6-3, 1.02 ERA, 63 Ks) and 2B Paul Jaglowski (.482 batting average) highlight a senior-laden squad that should help the Bruins make a run at the Southeastern District title. O’Connor has signed with Virginia.

5. Cox: The defending Beach District regular-season champion shouldn’t fall far. The lineup features three players who last season hit better than than .400: Drew Wilkinson, Chris Taylor and Kyle Profilet.

6. Nansemond River: Junior P/OF Erickson Keeton (5-2, 1.45 ERA, 66 Ks) anchors a solid pitching staff, but the Warriors need to replace four-year starting catcher and team leader Justin Topping, who is now playing for VMI.

7. Greenbrier Christian: The Gators are coming off the program’s first private-school state championship since 2001.

8. First Colonial: A stout pitching staff led by Justin Smith (1-1, 1.67 ERA) and Shaun Gayhart (2-2, 1.94) should help the Patriots get back in the Beach District title chase.

9. Bayside: The Marlins are out to prove last year’s magical postseason run was no fluke. Fifteen players return from last season, including OF Zaine Jack (.418 batting average), a VMI signee.

10. Maury: Two top pitchers — junior Coby Cowgill (6-3, 59 Ks) and senior Karter Rivera (6-2, 1.06 ERA) and a power-hitting catcher in Marcus Breeden (.408, 6 HRs) — are expected to help the Commodores return to the top of the Eastern District.

Don’t count out

Granby: The Comets were a surprise Eastern Region runner-up and Group AAA state quarterfinalist last season, but this season’s pitching staff is young. Among the returning starters are senior OF Patrick Callahan (26 RBIs) and junior P Greg Abetz (6-2, 0.90 ERA).

Salem: Pitching and defense could make the SunDevils a factor in a wide-open Beach District race, and coach Pete Zell has three four-year starters to help: P/3B Dan Brion (.290, 3 HRs), SS Jimmy Grassano (.307 BA) and P/C Robby Newman (.360, 5 HRs).

Nansemond-Suffolk Academy: The Saints are coming off back-to-back first-round exits in the Tidewater Conference and private school state tournaments, but a seasoned group led by OF/P Isaac Ballou (.465) and P Matt Davenport (2.10 ERA), a William and Mary signee, has raised expectations.

PICKING THE LEAGUES

Beach District

1. Princess Anne

2. Cox

3. First Colonial;

4. Bayside;

5. Salem;

6. Kellam;

7. Kempsville;

8. Ocean Lakes;

9. Landstown;

10. Tallwood;

11. Green Run

Eastern District

1. Maury;

2. Granby;

3. Churchland;

4. Lake Taylor;

5. Wilson;

6. Norview;

7. Norcom;

8. Booker T. Washington

Southeastern District

1. Great Bridge;

2. Hickory;

3. Western Branch;

4. Nansemond River;

5. Indian River;

6. Deep Creek;

7. Grassfield;

8. Lakeland;

9. Oscar Smith;

10. King’s Fork

Tidewater Conference

1. Greenbrier Christian;

2. Nansemond-Suffolk Academy;

3. Norfolk Collegiate;

4. Bishop Sullivan Catholic;

5. Norfolk Academy;

6. Cape Henry Collegiate;

7. Hampton Roads Academy;

8. Norfolk Christian;

9. Walsingham;

10. Peninsula Catholic

Metro Conference

1. Hampton Christian;

2. Alliance Christian;

3. Isle of Wight Academy;

4. Atlantic Shores;

5. Denbigh Baptist;

6. Broadwater Academy;

7. Portsmouth Christian

DEFENDING CHAMPIONS

State Group AAA: James River

Eastern Region: Denbigh

Beach District: Cox (regular season); Kempsville (tournament)

Eastern District: Granby (regular season and tournament)

Southeastern District: Great Bridge (regular season and tournament)

State private schools: Notre Dame (Division I), Greenbrier Christian (Division II), Southampton Academy (Division III).

Tidewater Conference: Greenbrier Christian (regular season); Cape Henry Collegiate (tournament)

Metro Conference: Hampton Christian (regular season and tournament)

AROUND THE HORN

-- Cox 2B Drew Wilkinson is South Hampton Roads’ only returning first-team All-Eastern Region selection. Five first-team players — Kempsville P Neil Ramirez, Nansemond River C Justin Topping, Deep Creek 1B Chris Baker, Ocean Lakes SS D.J. Fitzgerald and Princess Anne OF Tyler Mann — graduated last spring. All-region OF Ty Morrison would have been back for Great Bridge this season, but he moved with his family to Hawaii.

-- Top returning batting leaders from last season: Western Branch’s Paul Jaglowski (.482 batting average); Maury’s Marcus Breeden (5 HRs) and Western Branch’s Jacob Pierce (5 HRs); and Ocean Lakes’ Pat Hall (29 RBIs).

-- Top returning pitching leaders from last season: Maury’s Karter Rivera (1.06 ERA); Nansemond River’s Erickson Keeton (66 strikeouts); and Great Bridge’s Phil McCarthy (8 victories).

-- Less than a month after suffering spinal cord damage in a car accident, coach St. Clair Jones has returned to the Kellam dugout. He was there for the Knights’ first scrimmage last week and is leaning on his assistants, including junior varsity coach Ryan Kurpiel and longtime volunteer Eddie Duke. Jones, using a wheelchair, “is involved as much as possible,” said Jim Moxey, Kellam’s athletic director. “He’s out there at practice and actively coaching. He hasn’t thrown batting practice yet, but I think that’s just around the corner.” A variety of fund-raisers have been planned to benefit Jones, and Kempsville is pitching in this Saturday with a ''100-inning intrasquad scrimmage’’ to raise money.

-- Bayside was the feel-good story of last postseason, advancing to the Beach District tournament championship game after a seventh-place regular-season finish. Eleven of the Marlins’ returnees are seniors, and coach Jason Hatcher says, “The players want more than district playoffs.”

-- Kempsville lost some key contributors to graduation after last season, including dominant righthander Neil Ramirez. Coach Paul Shows says Ryan Johnson (2-1) is the Chiefs’ No. 1 starter, and a new hitting dome helped prepare the team’s hitters during the offseason.

-- Southeastern District heavyweights Great Bridge, Hickory and Western Branch are braced for a fierce battle for the title. The Wildcats went 5-1 against their Chesapeake rivals last season, losing only to Western Branch in extra innings. All three have a go-to ace, so pitching depth could decide who’s left standing on top.

-- Grassfield coach Shaun Todd, a former Great Bridge assistant, has the task of melding players from three schools — Deep Creek, Great Bridge and Hickory — in the program’s first season. Included on the roster is former Hickory P/OF David Waller (2-2), a senior.

-- At Churchland, senior P Jeff Stanek (6-0, 1.20 ERA) returns after a dominant junior season, and he’s joined by a pair of .300-plus hitters in junior C Andrew Montague and senior OF Malcolm Skinner.

-- Also in the Eastern District, senior P/SS Robbie Costa (.433) highlights a Lake Taylor team with pitching depth and solid defense, and new Norcom coach Richie D. Thompson is optimistic that the Greyhounds can rebound from a winless season. At Wilson, John SanGiovanni is the new coach.

-- In the Southeastern District, Deep Creek and Indian River have experience, but both are counting on unproven pitching staffs. That, longtime Braves coach Steve West says, “is never good.” The Hornets’ lineup features senior C Mike McCutcheon (.383, 2 HRs), and junior C/IF Justin Shockley (.364) returns for the Braves.

-- In the Tidewater Conference, Norfolk Collegiate could be ready to move into contention. The Oaks are led by senior P/SS Philip Clark (.527 BA; 3-0, 2.50 ERA), an ECU signee. Junior 1B/P William Odell returns after missing all of last season because of elbow surgery. Norfolk Academy’s young squad includes juniors P John Beasley (5-2, 1.11) and INF Conor Dewey (.380, 5 HRs). At Norfolk Christian, assistants Doug Barnhart and Mike Milligan are leading the team as coach Charlie Baumgardner battles cancer and prepares for surgery March 17.

-- In the Metro Conference, Alliance Christian welcomes back eight starters from last year’s Division III state finalist team, including private school all-state players 1B/P Cory Nelson, 1B/P Martin Teig and 3B/P Joe Riggs. At Atlantic Shores, former Greenbrier Christian assistant Joe Agreste takes over and has a private school all-state performer in P/SS Chad Van Norman (.400 BA, 3.53 ERA). Isle of Wight Academy is loaded with returnees, including 1B Styles Major (.430) and OF J.D. Honeycutt (.400). Portsmouth Christian coach Jeff Bagent says the Patriots are rebuilding after losing five starters to graduation.

ADVISORY: Users are solely responsible for opinions they post here and for following agreed-upon rules of civility. Comments do not reflect the views of The Virginian-Pilot or its Web sites. Comments are automatically checked for inappropriate language, but readers might find some comments offensive or inaccurate. If you believe a comment violates our rules, click the "Report Violation" link below the comment.

Baseball Preview Correction

Submitted by brentvn on Fri, 03/07/2008 at 7:28 am.

In 2007 in the Metro Conference, Hampton Christian won the regular season, but Atlantic Shores won the tournament (you have Hampton Christian winning both).

Thanks.