Commonwealth Games: Players to Watch
July 18, 2019
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This weekend, players and scouts will descend on Liberty University for the annual Commonwealth Games. Coaches have put together four teams representing four regions of Virginia, the North, West, Central, and East, and these teams will compete this weekend to capture the 2019 Gold Medal. The North is the defending Gold Medal squad and won in 2016 as well, with the Central having won in 2017.
The teams will have a workout for scouts on Friday during the day, then will play a round robin Friday night and Saturday, playing three games total and facing each team. The results of those games will determine the seeding for Sunday's medal round. Our staff will be on hand to scout the workout Friday and Friday evening's games, but we will have periodic updates throughout the rest of the weekend.
Here are some players to watch from each squad:
North Team
Name | Position | High School | Class | Commitment |
Ryan Dooley | SS | South Lakes | 2020 | VMI |
Eddie Eisert | SS/RHP | Bishop O'Connell | 2020 | NC State |
Teddy Merritt | RHP | McLean | 2020 | High Point |
Thomas Trinca | OF | Centreville | 2020 | George Mason |
Joe Vogatsky | RHP | Kettle Run | 2020 | James Madison |
The North team is stacked in general, but especially so on the mound even with losing James Triantos (North Carolina) and TR Williams (Virginia Tech) just before the event. Eisert is an option to close and Merritt and Vogatsky will top a group that is still deep and includes South County's Tre Williams, Yorktown's Nathan Knowles, Highland's Blake Fisher, and Riverside's Wyatt Shenkman. Eisert, Triantos, Dooley, and Trinca will form the core of the lineup along with Briar Woods' Nathan Cmeyla and Page County's Tristan Gordon.
Central Team
Name | Position | High School | Class | Commitment |
Christian Chambers | SS | Midlothian | 2020 | James Madison |
Brandon Eike | RHP | Powhatan | 2020 | North Carolina |
Hayden Harris | 2B | Atlee | 2020 | Longwood |
Will Riley | SS | James River (Midlo) | 2020 | VMI |
LaTroy Whitaker | RHP | Matoaca | 2020 | Radford |
Allan Williamson | RHP | Cosby | 2020 |
The Central is also strong on the mound, with Whitaker and Eike at the top and a deep group behind them including Lee-Davis' Connor Sorokowski, Godwin's Josh Trentadue, Patrick Henry (Ashland)'s Wyatt Stanley. Chambers, Harris, and Riley give the Central a strong group defensively up the middle and some nice centerpieces to the lineup.
West Team
Name | Position | High School | Class | Commitment |
Jalen Buster | SS | Cave Spring | 2020 | Radford |
Jackson Cherry | OF | Jefferson Forest | 2020 | |
Addison Clark | OF | Carlisle | 2021 | |
Braeson Fulton | C | Riverheads | 2020 | James Madison |
Jared Glinski | C | Brookville | 2020 | |
Grant Painter | SS | Riverheads | 2020 | James Madison |
Michael Williams | SS | Franklin County | 2021 |
The West is stacked offensively, with Buster, Clark, Cherry, Glinski, Williams, Painter, and Fulton easily forming the strongest lineup core in the tournament. The key to the West's success will be on the mound, where Carlisle's Garrett Kangas and Jefferson Forest's Connor Maggi will be in the mix.
East Team
Name | Position | High School | Class | Commitment |
Ryland Brown | OF | Greenbrier Christian | 2020 | |
Carson DeMartini | SS | Ocean Lakes | 2021 | Virginia Tech |
Aidan Foley | OF/LHP | Western Branch | 2020 | |
Trent Jones | OF/RHP | Cape Henry Collegiate | 2020 | |
Reid Long | RHP | Western Branch | 2020 | |
Ethan Ott | 1B | Greenbrier Christian | 2021 |
The East team has some nice pieces in the lineup around DeMartinia, with Ott, Brown, Foley, and Jones as well as some addition depth in First Colonial's Ryan Peterson. Guys who could be key in the mix on the mound in addition to Long and the two-way players will be Nansemond River's Ben Grady, Norfolk Christian's Gardner Meeks, and Atlantic Shores' Nick Mattfield.