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Over the coming months, Prep Baseball Report Virginia/DC will take a look back at the 2015 season for each school that finished the spring in the final 2015 Power 25. In each article, we will not only recap the successful seasons of these 40 schools, but highlight the individuals who drove that success and preview what the outlook is for each team in 2016.

39. glenvar highlanders

 

Season Recap: The Highlanders won their first 16 games this spring en route to compiling a 20-3 overall record. Glenvar won the River Run Conference 38 Championship before falling 1-0 in the first round of the 2A West Regional tournament. The Highlanders were led all year by a dominant pitching staff that struck out a lot of batters and defense that caught a lot of balls.

Key Performers:

+Zach Duncan (RHP, 2016, Gardner Webb): Duncan has been a varsity pitcher since his freshman year and was a part of the Highlanders’ 2013 State Runners-up squad. Duncan wore the hat of ace most of this year and has been half of a tremendous 1-2 punch throughout his career at the top of the Glenvar rotation.

Matthew Puliam (RHP, 2017): Puliam was the new face on the Glenvar varsity pitching staff this spring as he picked up innings early in the season while Steele recovered from a series of minor injuries. He more than held his own and looks to be the latest entry in Glenvar’s history of producing quality pitchers.

+Kevin Steele (RHP, 2015, Roanoke): Steele’s season was hampered by a series of minor injuries early on. He and Duncan have been the Highlander’s twin aces since 2013, and when he was able to get on the mound he pitched to his reputation.

Connor Watt (P, 2016): Watt and Puliam were key to Glenvar’s success this spring as they allowed the Highlanders to not overload Duncan and cope with Steele’s injuries while still being able to put dominant arms on the mound.

2016 Outlook: The Highlanders will lose half of the pair of aces that have anchored their pitching staff for the last three seasons as Steele begins his career at Roanoke, but they will still have an ace in Duncan and quality depth behind him in Watt and Puliam. Glenvar should again be one of the better teams in 2A West in 2016 as the Highlanders look to return to the State Tournament.