Browsing: Baseball

Chesterfield Baseball Club’s National team recently won their state tournament, going undefeated against the state’s top talent. Members of the team are as follows: Hadikell Bruno, Angel Cardona, Kyle Evans, Matthew Gravitt, Donovan Griffin, Elijah James, Bo Leamer, Jack McCall, Taylor Neff, Chase Nicely, Brady Remington, Grayson Schultz, and Eric Watson. The team is coached by Glenn Schultz, Jim Leamer and Derek Griffin.

The Chesterfield Baseball Club 10U Mustang All Stars traveled to the PONY Virginia State tournament in Windsor, Virginia June 23-25 where they went undefeated and won the state title. The team’s bats were on fire. They scored 75 runs while only giving up 27. Top row from left – coach David Lipes, manager Mark Lindsay, coach Jay Lipchak; middle, Nathan Berry, Landon Lipes, Tai Bowler, Kristian Geter, Jack Gasiorowski, Cooper McCormick; bottom, Owen Rogers, Blake Lindsay, Riley Royster, Caiden Jones, Logan Lipchak.

Nathan Eaton, a 2015 graduate from Thomas Dale High School and a rising junior at Virginia Military Institute, recently received a long-awaited phone call. He had been selected by the Kansas City Royals in the 21st round of the Major League Baseball draft. In a draft heavy with speed and college players, Eaton fit the bill for the Royals. He stole 36 bases for the Keydets last season, and served as the team’s lead-off hitter, rapping .287 and scoring 51 runs. He was the third pick of the day for VMI in what was a historic draft for the school.…

In a sports world growing more and more obsessed with specialization, Matoaca High alum and Randolph-Macon College graduate Rick Spiers made a career from doing exactly the opposite. “When he was in high school, he did everything well but didn’t go anything great,” said Randolph-Macon coach Ray Hedrick. “He really wanted to be a dual threat player, and we offered him that opportunity.” Despite playing seven different positions and hauling in a load of accolades, Spiers didn’t receive a college offer outside of the Yellow Jackets. “I did feel overlooked,” Spiers said. “Obviously, every athlete has Division I dreams, and…

Last Wednesday, Thomas Dale High alum Collin Fleischer made history. In what ended up being a dramatic walk-off 9-7 victory over Virginia Tech, the senior got the VMI Keydets’ bats started with a solo home run in the first inning. That round-tripper gave him 42 for his career at the Southern Conference college and set a new school standard. “Collin is one of the strongest kids to come through Thomas Dale,” coach Chris Marshall said. “I figured his power would continue at VMI. I remember when he played for me that everybody in the park would stop to watch him…

    AFCA of Chicago won the Bronco-11 World SEries at Harry DAniel Park defeating Simi Valley, Calif. In the final, Zion Ross batted .692 for the tournament, blasting five home runs and driving in ten runs, winning the triple crown in each major offensive category. Amir Gray hit .615 with a home run for the Chicago based team, while Robert Tate Jr. rapped 10 hits in 17 at-bats in what was a formidable offensive attack. Chesterfield Baseball Clubs fell in a slugfest to the eventual champs 13-11 to open the tournament. Ethan Minter and Chase Swift homered and Catcher…

The Conference 3 Player of the Year and 6A South region co-Player of the Year put together quite a senior season. After signing to play at VCU in the fall, Hunter Vay continued to impress this spring, and he further proved he is a Division I talent. Vay finished the season with a .542 batting average and .640 on-base percentage. His overall offensive production at the plate and ability to consistently get on base was huge for the Knights. He hit three home runs and knocked in 19 runs. The three-time first-team All-Conference catcher has made big plays throughout his…

For baseball, Chris Marshall and the Knights have gotten off to a 4-1 start as of press time. They’ve gotten big-time contributions from two of the hottest bats in the state, Drew Camp and VCU pledge Hunter Vay, along with two ace-like arms, Tyler Bailey and Evan Lester. Thomas Dale has wrapped up victories over Atlee, Colonial Heights, Manchester, and Dinwiddie, with their lone loss coming to old-time Central District rival Prince George. In a competitive Conference 3, the Knights will take it a game at a time, with big match-ups on May 1 (at James River) and May 17…

Matoaca baseball Record: 20-4 Coach: Tim Haynes The Warriors had a strong season last year. Their impressive run ended by way of a tough loss to Glen Allen in the first round of the regional tournament. Left-handed pitcher Robert Fultineer and infielder Zach Clark have both graduated and leave some holes to fill. All-Conference selections Jacob Floyd (1B), John Bowles (OF), and Randolph-Macon commit James Womack (P) return for a senior-leaden Matoaca squad. The Warriors strength lies in their pitching rotation and defense. If they can get the bats going, they could have a tremendous season. Matoaca softball Record: 9-8…

LC Bird Boys  L. C. Bird fell to Potomac in the 5A state championship game, its second appearance in the state final. While they fell short of their goal, Skyhawks coach Troy Manns points out the learning experience all of his returning players got. Charles Falden, the team’s leading scorer; and Tahkey Williams, a tough wing who played in the post, are gone to graduation. Manns said the team is bigger and that they’ll be more aggressive defensively. Projected Starting Five Mario Haskett, senior Pinky Wiley, senior Tyrek Williams, sophomore Jyles Webster, senior Jaylen Dillard, senior Player to Watch: Johquin…