VHSL Class 3 Region C/D Preview
February 26, 2020
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Welcome to our 2020 VHSL Previews. In each preview, we will give you a brief recap of the 2019 season along with the breakdown of each Region and what the rules are to qualify for postseason play under the new alignment. We will also highlight the top prospects in each Classification, as well as some teams to watch during the 2020 season.
2019 was Fluvanna County's year as they took the State Championship. The Fluccos defeated Brookville in the Region C title game while an upstart Lord Botetourt squad won the Region D championship over Abingdon. Fluvanna took down Brentsville and Tabb in the State semifinals and Championship, respectively, to capture the crown.
Region C is growing in size from 2019 to to 2020 with the new alignment. New to the Region is Charlottesville, Liberty Christian Academy, and Wilson Memorial. Fort Defiance slides from the Valley to the Shenandoah District, but remains in Region C. Region D stayed close to the same size as last year, but did swap out some members while adding three new ones. Alleghany and Patrick County both headed out while Bassett, Carroll County, and William Byrd move into the Region in the new alignment.
Top Prospects in Regions C and D
Name | School | Class | Position | Commitment |
Jake Barker | Waynesboro | 2022 | OF/RHP | |
Eddie Blake | Staunton River | 2020 | C/RHP | Concord |
Aidan Brown | Staunton River | 2021 | OF | |
Hunter Brown | Brookville | 2020 | 3B | |
Grayson Bush | Monticello | 2020 | SS | Randolph-Macon |
Jalen Buster | Cave Spring | 2020 | SS | Radford |
Clay Clatterbaugh | Christiansburg | 2021 | RHP | Radford |
Luke Craytor | Western Albemarle | 2022 | OF/RHP | |
Ryan Cook | Fort Defiance | 2021 | RHP | James Madison |
Tyler Dean | William Byrd | 2021 | SS | Virginia Tech |
Colby Cunningham | Bassett | 2021 | OF/RHP | |
Reid Driskill | Brookville | 2022 | 2B/RHP | |
Brock Duff | Liberty Christian | 2021 | RHP | |
Grant Elliott | Tunstall | 2020 | OF | UNC Pembroke |
Isaac Fix | William Byrd | 2021 | LHP | |
Connor Fuhrman | Lord Botetourt | 2022 | OF | South Carolina |
Sean Gibbons | Hidden Valley | 2020 | LHP | Longwood |
Ethan Gibson | Abingdon | 2023 | SS/RHP | Virginia Tech |
John Glasscock | Fluvanna County | 2023 | RHP/OF | |
Jared Glinski | Brookville | 2020 | C/OF | Radford |
Nick Griffin | Turner Ashby | 2020 | RHP | |
Dylan Hattfield | William Byrd | 2021 | C | Virginia Tech |
Sullivan Holmes | Rockbridge County | 2022 | RHP/OF | |
Garret Huffman | Rockbridge County | 2021 | 3B/RHP | |
Chase Hungate | Abingdon | 2021 | SS | VCU |
MJ Hunter | Christiansburg | 2021 | SS | Radford |
Ethan Ketron | Abingdon | 2021 | LHP/OF | |
Brady Kirtner | Christiansburg | 2020 | RHP | Virginia Tech |
Andrew LaPrade | Rustburg | 2021 | SS/RHP | |
Zachary Mallia | Western Albemarle | 2020 | RHP | UNC Greensboro |
Colin Moore | Tunstall | 2021 | OF/RHP | |
Hunter Powell | Magna Vista | 2021 | C | |
Bailey Reynolds | Liberty Christian | 2020 | 3B | |
Witt Scafidi | Spotswood | 2021 | C | |
Tristan Shoemaker | Fort Defiance | 2021 | RHP/SS | |
John Simmons | Liberty Christian | 2023 | 3B | |
Dakota Sisson | Christiansburg | 2020 | OF | UVA Wise |
Dillon Stowers | Liberty Christian | 2022 | 3B/RHP | |
Bryce Suters | Broadway | 2021 | SS | James Madison |
Caden Swartley | Turner Ashby | 2023 | C | |
Quade Tomlin | Liberty Christian | 2020 | SS | Liberty |
Andrew Ward | Fluvanna County | 2020 | LHP | VCU |
Kevin Ward | Fluvanna County | 2020 | 1B | |
Holden Wilkerson | Cave Spring | 2021 | RHP |
2020 Region C
Jefferson | Seminole | Valley | Shenandoah |
Charlottesville | Brookville | Broadway | Fort Defiance |
Fluvanna County |
Heritage (Lynchburg) | Rockbridge County | Wilson Memorial |
Monticello |
Liberty (Bedford) | Spotswood | |
Western Albemarle |
Liberty Christian Academy | Turner Ashby | |
Rustburg |
Waynesboro |
***2019 Region C Tournament Team
Region C will have an eight team Region tournament going forward. This looks like one of the Regions that has a handful of different bracket possibilities that require a calculus degree to understand, but it appears that the Jefferson, Valley, and Seminole Districts are guaranteed at least two berths, with the Shenandoah District guaranteed one with the possibility of getting two spots depending on District finish. If the Shenandoah only sends one, one of the other Districts will get a third team on a rotating basis, with the Valley District having the extra team in 2020.
***After receiving clarification, Jefferson, Valley, and Seminole Districts do send two teams each with one slot to the better finishing Shenandoah District team. The eighth team will be a wild card determined by power points, and power points will be used to assign seeds.***
2020 Region D
Abingdon | Bassett |
Carroll County | Cave Spring |
Christiansburg | Hidden Valley |
Lord Botetourt | Magna Vista |
Northside | Staunton River |
Tunstall | William Byrd |
***2019 Region D Tournament Team
Region D uses power points to seed a ten-team Region tournament, with the bottom four seeds having to play into the quarterfinals before playing the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds.
Teams to Watch in 2020
Abingdon
The Falcons were the 2019 Region D runners-up and advanced to the State tournament, where they fell victim to eventual champ Fluvanna. Tanner Barrs (Radford) has graduated, but the Falcons have plenty of talent in the pipeline coming off of a year that was supposed to be a retooling season. A trio of juniors will be at the heart of the lineup, with outfielder Ethan Ketron and infielders Chase Hungate (VCU) and Luke Francisco providing a strong core. Ketron and Hungate will contribute on the mound, and look for freshman Ethan Gibson (Virginia Tech) to also possibly chip some innings in as the season progresses.
Broadway
The Gobblers had a strong 2019 regular season but came up short of a State tournament berth, running into Fluvanna County in the Region C tournament. Broadway should continue to be a team on the rise this spring with an offense that is built around junior Bryce Suters (James Madison) and some interesting younger talent that should continue to develop.
Brookville
The Bees were the Region C runners-up in 2019 and made the trip to the State tournament. Their biggest departure from 2019 was the loss of righthander Brock Duff, who transferred to Liberty Christian. The Bees are going to hit this spring, the lineup will be deep and is anchored around seniors Jared Glinski (Radford), Hunter Brown, and Chase Davis. Look for sophomores Kevin Breimann and Reid Driskill to also become key pieces in the lineup. Driskill should help out on the mound this spring for Brookville.
Christiansburg
The Blue Demons were one of the strongest teams in Region D all spring but saw their 2019 season end in the Region semifinals as the fell to Lord Botetourt. Look for Christiansburg to get over the hump and contend for a State title in 2020 as the Blue Demons are loaded. On the mound, senior lefty Brady Kirtner (Virginia Tech) is back as well as junior righties Clay Clatterbaugh (Radford) and Connor Brizendine. Key bats will be senior outfielder Dakota Sisson (UVA-Wise) as well as juniors Regan Harris and MJ Hunter (Radford). Some new faces that have a chance to contribute this spring include senior outfielder Landon Shaver and juniors Ian Perkins and Tripp Compton.
Fluvanna County
The 2019 State champs won Region C for the second straight year as well. They lost a key piece in State Player of the Year Jacob Critzer (Lincoln Memorial). Also gone to graduation is Ryan Groome (Virginia Wesleyan). Despite those losses, look for Fluvanna to have a chance to defend its title, primarily due to the return of senior ace Andrew Ward (VCU), who forms a dominant 1-2 punch on the mound with his twin brother Kevin Ward, as well as providing a pair of power bats in the middle of the Flucco lineup. Senior Toby Sherman adds depth on the mound behind the Wards and Trey Lyons is a good receiving catcher with some juice in his bat.
Liberty Christian
Moving down from Class 4, LCA was a State semifinalist in 2019, falling to Lafayette. The Bulldogs finish their four years in Class 4 with one State championship in three trips to the State tournament, and another runner-up finish. The Bulldogs suffered at the hands of graduation, losing top arms Christian Gordon (Liberty) and Emmanuel Johnson (Liberty) as well as bats Pell Collins (Liberty) and Jacob Williams (East Tennessee St). LCA still will have plenty on the roster this spring, with senior Quade Tomlin (Liberty) back as the focal point in a lineup that will also include seniors Bailey Reynolds and Travis Baxter. Look for junior transfer Brock Duff to take a leading spot in a rotation that has depth to replace the graduated talent. Senior Luke Ramsey, junior Will Thomas, and sophomore Dillon Stowers figure to contribute on the mound as well.
Lord Botetourt
The Cavaliers were a surprise Region D champ in 2019, getting hot in the playoffs after a solid regular season. They were only a surprise in that they arrived a year early as the Cavaliers are stocked with talent and should be in the mix again. Senior Brae Ferral is back after earning All-State honors, and he will be a part of a lineup that will feature sophomore Connor Fuhrmann (South Carolina). There will be some depth in the lineup as well from juniors Carson Peggins and Luke Richards.
Magna Vista
Magna Vista reached the Region D tournament in 2019 before seeing their season come to an end. There are some pieces in place for 2020 that will make the Warriors a tough out in late May this year as well. Juniors Hunter Powell and Conner Plaster provide some pop in the middle of the lineup along with senior Hudson Rowe. Powell and Plaster figure to contribute on the mound along with sophomore Taylor Holthausen.
Spotswood
The Trailblazers had an up and down 2019 and were bounced in the first round of the Region C tournament. There is some interesting young position player talent at Spotswood, led by junior catcher Witt Scafidi. Junior Tyler Stobbs and sophomores Noah Burtner and Luke Keister are all players who could contribute this spring to a Spotswood team that should get stronger as the season goes on.
William Byrd
The Terriers built on their late 2018 success in 2019, putting together a strong season and reaching the Region 4D semifinals before Liberty Christian won a pitcher's duel to end their season, a reverse of what had happened in 2018 when Byrd shocked unbeaten LCA. Byrd moves down to Class 3 this spring and they will be a title contender with the talent currently on the roster. Senior infielder Ethan Spracker and juniors Tyler Dean (Virginia Tech) and Dylan Hatfield (Virginia Tech) will anchor the lineup. Junior lefty Isaac Fix should pace the rotation on a balanced team that has playoff experience.
More 2020 Previews