2022 VHSL Preview: Region 6C
March 10, 2022
As the season approaches, we will go around the Commonwealth and DC and preview the action to come this spring, our first full season since 2019. In each preview, we will breakdown how teams qualify for the Region Tournaments, the Top Prospects in each Region, and Teams to Watch.
In 2021, Region D Champ James Madison defeated Region B Champ Colgan to capture the Class 6 State Championship. Cosby won Region A and Lake Braddock won Region C in the 2021 season, earning State Tournament berths. Region runners-up were Grassfield, Battlefield, West Springfield, and Chantilly.
Region C got a facelift from how it looked for the last few cycles, actually reverting a bit back to its pre-2014 look. Gone is the Gunston District and now the Region is made up solely of the Patriot and National Districts, with the bulk of the National District moving up from Class 5 to Class 6 to bring the entire District up. West Potomac moves into the Patriot District where they will be with teams they had been for decades beforehand.
Region C is an all-in 16-team tournament. All members of the Region make the bracket and teams are seeded based on their District finish and then paired with the opposite seed from the opposite District. National 1 with Patriot 8, National 3 with Patriot 6, and so on.
TOP PROSPECTS
6C
Name | High School | Position | Year | Commitment |
Reese Crochet | Alexandria City | LHP | 2022 | George Washington |
Jacob Dial | Edison | SS | 2024 | |
Jake Drumm | Lake Braddock | SS/RHP | 2024 | |
JB Manarchuck | Lake Braddock | RHP | 2022 | Mount St. Mary's |
Kenny Michaels | Hayfield | LHP | 2023 | |
Trevor Orth | South County | RHP | 2022 | Roanoke |
Brody Shawn | West Potomac | RHP | 2023 | Wake Forest |
Ben Smallwood | WT Woodson | RHP/OF | 2023 | |
Aidan van Baars | Robinson | RHP | 2024 | |
Quincy Via | Lake Braddock | OF | 2022 | Marymount |
TEAMS TO WATCH
6C
Hayfield
The Hawks are coming off of one of the most successful seasons in recent program history, finishing second in the Gunston District. They have some pieces still in place to build off of that this spring. On the mound, junior lefty Kenny Michaels returns, look for juniors Nick Griffin and Owen Kashawlic to also fill innings as well. Offensively, junior Eric Powell and seniors Sucre Guzman and Ethan Snyder (Lycoming) also return to a lineup that should also feature Kashawlic and Colin Souther.
Lake Braddock
The 2021 Region Champs lost a big chunk of their core, players who had been major parts of their 2019 State Championship Team, to graduation. Gone are Ryan Cuadros (College of Charleston), Grant Hartman (CNU), Max Jensen (Cornell), Andrew Schaeb (George Mason), Ben Sopko (Washington College MD), and Michael Weidinger (William & Mary) as well as 2021 head coach John Thomas. The new-look Bruins do have some holdover talent to build around, look for the rotation to feature senior JB Manarchuck (Mount St. Mary's) and for sophomore Jake Drumm to be a big part of what Braddock does in the coming years. Toolsy hyper-athlete Quincy Via (Marymount) will also move up into the middle of the lineup this spring.
WT Woodson
The Cavaliers reached the Region semifinals in 2021 before falling to Lake Braddock. Woodson has some key pieces back this spring and they should be a strong team that will challenge to make a run in the playoffs. Junior two-way player Ben Smallwood returns after a breakout 2021 season that saw him emerge as Woodson's top arm and a key bat. Seniors Connor Krahulec (Juniata) will join Smallwood in the offense and senior David Josyln (Eastern Mennonite) will flank him in the rotation this spring for the Cavaliers.
West Potomac
The Wolverines dominated the Gunston District throughout its existence and now return to Patriot District with the school's historical District rivals. West Potomac, as always seems to be the case, will be led by an electric arm topping the rotation, this time in junior righthander Brody Shawn (Wake Forest). Junior Luke Cardman will be among the handful of others in position to slot in behind Shawn in the rotation. West Potomac will need to hunt for some offensive consistency, but the depth of arms should give them plenty of time to sort that out before the stretch run.
West Springfield
The 2018 State Champs reached the Region Championship in 2021 and were robbed of a State Tournament trip by Covid. For the most part, the team was young aside from twin senior aces Liam Golden (Navy) and Jake Roberti (Louisburg CC), who carried the team in the playoffs, but who have both graduated. The offense should be paced this spring by the returns of senior Joseph Harris and junior Eric Fila. There is depth in the rotation options to replace Golden and Roberti's innings, and junior Henry Pastel got some work last spring and could get one of the first shots at the rotation this spring.