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By John Nolan
Assistant Director of Scouting

The 2015 high school baseball season came to a close last weekend as VHSL hosted their State Championships at three locations around the Commonwealth. Before we get to our final 2015 Power 25 breakdown, here is a quick recap of what happened at the State Championships:           

William Campbell defeated Honaker in the 1A semifinals and had a dominant win over Lancaster to finally capture a State Championship after losing in the Championship game each of the last two seasons. The Generals finish the season with a losing record, but that is due to a regular season schedule that is packed with talented 3A and 5A foes, which undoubtedly prepared them for a deep playoff run.           

In the other championship at Radford, No. 20 Virginia High School captured its second consecutive 2A State Championship, defeating both Maggie Walker and Lebanon soundly to finish the season 26-2.           

In Lynchburg, No. 10 Lafayette claimed the 3A State Championship after defeating a Monticello squad that had made a Cinderella run to the State Tournament and winning a outstanding, back-and-forth game, against No. 11 Loudoun Valley in the Championship. Andre Lipcius (2016, Tennessee) was outstanding on the mound and his brother Luc Lipcius (2016) hit the go-ahead home run in the top of the seventh inning for the Rams.           

No. 2 Glen Allen captured their first 4A State Championship in the school’s fourth year of varsity competition. The Jaguars defeated Fauquier in the semifinals and faced No. 21 Jefferson Forest in the championship game. Forest had defeated No. 18 Hanover the day before in a game that had been stopped twice for lightning, before coming from behind in the bottom of the eighth to walk-off to the Championship game. Jefferson Forest’s pitching staff was depleted by the extra inning semifinal, and Glen Allen was able to score runs in each of the first four innings, including five in the second to win the Championship. Holden Davis (2016) was spectacular in relief for Glen Allen, shutting down a Jefferson Forest offense that put up runs in each of the first two innings.           

No. 9 Stone Bridge captured the 5A State Championship, first defeating No. 26 Douglas Freeman in the semifinal as lefty Brett Kreyer (2016) threw a complete game shutout. Kreyer finished the season with five straight complete game victories without allowing an earned run, four of which were shutouts. The Bulldogs then drew 5A North rival No. 15 Marshall in the State Championship game, their third meeting this spring. The rubber match between these two was a tight game most of the way before Stone Bridge pulled away in the sixth inning to capture the Championship.           

No. 8 James Madison captured the final crown awarded on Saturday, winning the 6A Championship over No. 17 Chantilly, which finished as the runners-up for the second year in a row. The Warhawks defeated No. 12 First Colonial in the semifinal, riding the left hand of Brian Eckert (2015, Radford) to victory. Madison trailed Chantilly, 5-3, in the Championship game before scoring one run in each of the final three innings, capped off by Matthew Favero’s (2016) walk-off single.           

Prep Baseball Report Virginia/DC would like to tip our hats to the eleven champions within our coverage area this year: No. 1 Liberty Christian (VISAA I), No. 2 Glen Allen (VHSL 4A), No. 3 Greenbrier Christian (VISAA II), No. 6 St. John’s (WCAC), No. 8 James Madison (VHSL 6A), No. 9 Stone Bridge (VHSL 5A), No. 10 Lafayette (VHSL 3A), No. 20 Virginia (VHSL 2A), No. 24 Southampton Academy (VISAA III), No. 37 Gonzaga (DCSAA), and William Campbell (VHSL 1A). Additionally, Prep Baseball would like to congratulate all Conference and Regional Champions and the Class of 2015 on the completion of another wonderful season. We wish all graduates good luck on their future baseball endeavors and hope their love of the games carries on into the future.

For those of you returning to high school in the fall, we look forward to seeing you at an event this offseason, and seeing your school in the 2016 Pre-Season Power 25 next March.

To view the complete Power 25 Rankings, including the teams that are also being considered, CLICK HERE.