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By John Nolan
Assistant Director of Scouting/Content Management 

No. 4 Chantilly
Chantilly is the Concorde Conference and 6A North Region champions. The Chargers are 23-2 on the spring with their only losses coming to Stone Bridge and Mountain View. The Chargers have beaten Battlefield twice, including the Region Championship game, as well as also surviving to beat Patriot and West Potomac with walk-offs earlier in the Region tournament. 

The Chargers have two good senior arms in ace Jared DiCesare (George Mason) and lefty Forrest Wagner (Roanoke) as well as some good depth guys behind them. This group of seniors is making their third trip to the State Tournament and they play clean, fundamental defense as a team.

The lineup is led by leadoff man Jared Enders (Holy Cross) and DiCesare in the two-hole. Shortstop Brett Norwood and catcher Matt Padeway (Salisbury) round out the rest of a potent top of the lineup. The Chargers execute well from one to nine and do not have any easy outs in their lineup.

No. 21 Cosby
Cosby is the Conference 3 and 6A South runners-up and has had a hot second half of the season, going 10-2 down the stretch after a 4-5 start to run the Titan’s overall record to 14-7. The second half of Cosby’s season has seen numerous comeback wins, including a 12-10 win over Manchester after trailing 10-2. They also came back in the bottom of the seventh in the Region semifinal to win with a walk-off. 

Cosby has a deep stable of arms this spring, with four pitchers throwing more than twenty innings for the Titans. Sophomore John Kish has a 2.74 ERA and Grant Squyars has a 0.74 ERA out of the bullpen.

Cosby’s offense has been led in the middle by a pair of seniors. Luke Paczewski (Bridgewater) is hitting over .500 and Conference 3 Player of the Year Christian Hague (Mary Washington) is hitting .450. Junior Ryan Clawson is hitting .467, giving the Titans a very good middle of the order. Sophomore catcher Ethan Williams, Brandon Miltenberger, and Brandon Rash round out an explosive offense. Freshman shortstop Cade Swisher has been a defensive key for the Titans.

No. 11 C.D. Hylton
C.D. Hylton is the Conference 4 runners-up and the 6A South Region champions. The Bulldogs are 19-6 on the season and have wins over rival Forest Park, Mountain View, and a Region tournament sweep of Manchester, Western Branch, and Cosby. 

On the mound, Hylton has a three-headed senior monster that was dominant in the Region tournament. Normal starting shortstop Fox Semones (James Madison) has been used more down the stretch, and has a 0.22 ERA in 32 innings, with 49 strikeouts. Ryan Billy leads the team in innings and wins, with 7, while putting up a 1.29 ERA. Trey Shepard (Walters State CC) leads the team in strikeouts with 62 and has a 2.13 ERA himself.

At the plate, Semones has also keyed the offense, hitting .451 on the season with 22 RBI. Senior Christian Colangelo (Mary Washington) has also had 20 RBI and junior Colin Verberg is hitting well over .300 for the Bulldogs. Senior Blake Coleman (Maryland-Eastern Shore) has provided a lot of athleticism on the bases and in the outfield this spring.

No. 6 Battlefield
The Bobcats are the Cedar Run Conference 8 champs and the 6A North Region runners-up. Battlefield went undefeated against its conference opponents, including a three game sweep of rival Patriot. Battlefield also picked up a big win in over Centreville in the Region semifinals to clinch its State berth. The Bobcats are 22-4 so far on the season and they have set the record for most wins in a single season in program history. 

The Battlefield pitching staff is loaded and is led by All-Met and All-Region Player of the year, Jake Agnos (East Carolina). Agnos has gone 10-0 this spring with a 0.45 ERA and 126 strikeouts. In Agnos’ opening day start against Hylton, he threw a no-hitter. The Bobcat rotation has plenty behind Agnos, with fellow seniors Keagan McGinnis (Virginia Tech) and James Beasley.

The Bobcat offense is anchored in the middle by thumpers Tyler Solomon (Vanderbilt) and Brady Harju. Harju leads the team with a five home runs and thirty RBIs. Solomon has a .571 on-base percentage and has driven in twenty runs. Juniors Brent Boggs (VMI) and Brandon Austin have also had big springs for the Bobcats offensively and defensively.

 

Our Staff Picks:

Sammy Serrano:  I think this is a tough bracket to pick.  There is a chance that Fox Semones surprises Battlefield on Friday to upset the Bobcats.  He has been pitching in the mid to high 80's with a above average breaking ball in recent weeks.  Hylton is an athletic team that has a chance to use their speed to cause problems on the base paths.  But then there's Jake Agnos.  He is one of the most dominant pitchers that I have seen at the high school level.  Whenever Agnos is on the mound, Battlefield has to be the prohibitive favorite.  In the other semi-final, Cosby always is a tough team to beat, but I don't see Chantilly losing.  I think that Chantilly continues to rely on solid pitching, outstanding defense, and will grind out at-bats to advance to the Championship Game.  My Pick...Toss Up!

Jon Kaufman: Battlefield

John Nolan: This group of Chantilly seniors have been on this stage each of the last two years. I've learned my lesson from picking against them in the Region, plus I think they benefit by missing Agnos as the two Prince William powerhouses go head to head in the semifinal. I am going to go with Chantilly defeating Battlefield to capture the program's first State Championship.

Josh Steinberg: Battlefield

What you thought:

Who do you think will be the #6AStates Champion? @hyltonbasebll @CosbyBaseball @Tilly_Baseball @GoBHSBaseball

— PBR Virginia/DC (@PBRVirginiaDC) June 6, 2016