Northern Region predictions?

My $.02:
Patriot - LB slight edge over WS
National - Yorktown (I've only watched a couple National teams play in the past couple of years)
Liberty - SB slight edge over Madison
Concord - tough call. Robinson, w/Centreville & Westfield in 2nd.

Anyone else?

In the Concorde District Herndon returns eight startes from a team that competed very well in the regular season last year.

Patriot - LB....I dont see anyone being close this year in the Patriot. West Potomac has as much talent as they've had in a long, long time. New coach for WS but I expect them to be very competitive. South County is going to be much better than a lot of people expect this year as well.

Liberty - Madison is by far the best team on paper. Plus they're the two-time defending champs with about 6-7 starters back and every single pitcher. McLean has the best pitcher in the region and another D1 signee behind him, but do they have enough offense? Langley, Stone Bridge, Marshall, and Fairfax will all be competitive. Should be a very strong year for the Liberty from top to bottom.

Concorde - Ill take Robinson. Lot of talent over there and Coach James from WS will get them playing to their potential before long. Westfield will be tough and I look for Herndon to get back in the NR playoffs this year.

National - Gotta go with Yorktown till someone beats them.

If I had to pick two teams in the NR finals right now Id go with Lake Braddock and Madison.

Agree - LB & Madison for the NR crown, but I had forgotten @ Herndon - put them in at the "dark horse" category...
As for the Liberty - SL & Langley will fill in the rest. Fairfax, TJ, Marshall will be in a tight battle for last place.

Herndon will compile a very good district regular season record due to their superior coaching. However their lack of talent will shine through in the playoffs and they will be one and done like they have been the last 2 years. Ky Parrott is a stud but the rest of their team isnt much. Concorde Predictions in order- Centerville, Westfield, Robinson, Herndon, Oakton, Chantilly.
The big question mark in the district is Oakton pitcher R.J. Garcia, who hasnt pitched in 6 months due to serious elbow issues, but when healthy had a 1.70 ERA last year. If Garcia can't pitch Oakton will literally have no pitching and my go winless in the district. If he can pitch, they may turn into the dark horse in the district

quote:

Originally posted by Jess1:
Agree - LB & Madison for the NR crown, but I had forgotten @ Herndon - put them in at the "dark horse" category...
As for the Liberty - SL & Langley will fill in the rest. Fairfax, TJ, Marshall will be in a tight battle for last place.

I agree with most of what Jesse and others have said. That said, watch for Marshall to surprise some people. I think they have more talent than most give them credit for.

If Madison plays to their potential, they will be very difficult to get by this year. Lake Braddock is always tough and should be again this year as well.

Agree with Doubleemup.....Marshall being tough shouldnt be a surprise this year though. They will be a factor in the Liberty.

Said this earlier but this is as good as the Liberty as been in a while. I think there are something like 8-10 pitchers signed with D1 schools in the district going into the year. (Marshall's Mackeith is one of them). Pretty impressive.

IIRC SB has another Kuzbel and another good sized LH pitcher. FWIW, wasn't Marshall's big pitcher (well over 6') a soph last year?

(I know, I should know names)

I think the "big" pitcher you are referring to is LHP Michael Evans (6'4"ish). I like him alot. They are a very athletic team. I have no idea whether they will compete for a district title. I just think they will do better than many expect.

Westfield lost key second basemen austin redman and rumors are that danny bulas will not be playing this year to due to outdoor spring track. Centreville is lacking much pitching

Bulas is playing and Centreville has Bach who sits 86 and 3 D1 recruits in the field. Centreville only lost one starter of note (Mark McCormick), reminds me alot of the 2011 Oakton team that won districts and lost to the Region runner up Lake Braddock squad 12-11

Where did Austin go?

ok first off, Bach does not sit 86. They have two fine kids kevin lachance (umbc) and bobby san martin (jmu) who. Austin Redmann is having surgery done on his shoulder and will be out for the season. Only pitching they will have is Drager (cnu) kyle corwin (cnu) and wade arduini. Also, Bulas IS NOT playing. He is doing spring track instead of baseball. Robinson seems to be fielding the best team in the concorde. Denis Mikush who gets near 90 (UMBC) Patrick Baker (JMU) who sits 88-90 and chase bailey (william and mary) who sits 86-87.

Would some of you Patriot League fans fill me in on a few items and correct or confirm me on others. I understand that Lake Braddock has a core of four or five absolutely outstanding players, none of whom are seniors. Am I correct?

To Jess 1 would ask, what is it about West Springfield that makes you more optimistic than others in predicting they will finish second.

I know West Potomac is bringing back most of their players, but do they have the pitching to put them at or near the top?

I have always been impressed with the South County coaching staff. Are there others that rival it in the league?

Finally, I think there is more balance to the league in the year coming up. With the exception of Lee, I could see almost every team having a chance in every game.

LB has (again, we're all talking opinions here) a number of returning players & good coaching. The only reason I'd give WS an edge over SC is (unquantifiable, I know) strength of program. There should be some really good games @ Patriot league this spring - hope to catch a few.
I'm sticking w/LB vs. Madison for the region - that would be one heck of a matchup...

Fairfax, while all three of those guys CAN be completely dominant, [they haven't shown they can do it consistently]*. Its hard to say Robinson is the favorite when that team will have the worst chemistry of any high school team. Also.. Texas Williams isnt a stud? Great fielder, fast runner. He is a 3rd star player for cenitreville that makes them the district favorite


*Edited by moderator to remove personal criticisms of players.

I have to agree with fairfaxball17 on this one. Robinson is without a doubt the most talented team in the concorde and has the best pitching staff in the northern region possibly the state with 3 D1 guys. Mikush was up to 88 in the summer with one of the best curveballs ive seen in a while. Baily topped at 87 and baker was up in the low 90s and is the #2 ranked prospect in the region behind sborz of mclean according to Perfect Game. And as for robinson having bad chemistry i think a lot of that will change with the addition of one of the top coaches in the state in John James. Its just hard to pick against that combo of talent and coaching. Centerville will contend but even with their 3 hitters they cant make up for their lack of talent on the mound

quote:

Originally posted by eyefortalent1:

quote:

Originally posted by novaball14:
I have to agree with fairfaxball17 on this one. Robinson is without a doubt the most talented team in the concorde and has the best pitching staff in the northern region possibly the state with 3 D1 guys. Mikush was up to 88 in the summer with one of the best curveballs ive seen in a while. Baily topped at 87 and baker was up in the low 90s and is the #2 ranked prospect in the region behind sborz of mclean according to Perfect Game.

OK, so Robinson will be lighting up the radar guns, but can these guys pitch? How did these pitchers do last year? How is their defense, can they hit?

JMU, UMBC and W & M think they can pitch...

I have a copy of the Robinson Baseball Media Guide and a copy of the stats from last year.

Baker (13 inn) and Bailey (1.33 inn) did not pitch that many innings for them last year. They have two other senior returning pitchers in lefty Dan Cochrane (30 inn) and Brandon Waite (12 inn), who may not throw in the high 80s, but can pitch. Conner Grabber graduated from last year’s staff and I believe is playing JUCO baseball at Frederick Community College. He was the only senior pitcher on last year’s staff, but never started a game until after half the varsity season was over.

Something else I found from the stats, Mikush pitched 50 inn last year and had 65 Ks. If he repeats last year’s 65 Ks, he would break the Robinson career school record for Ks, passing current MLBs Javier Lopez, Shawn Camp and Paul Clemens (on Houston's current 40 man roster). Robinson does have some history with turning out pitchers.

Robinson's concern this year will probably be their hitting. They only lost a few senior starters from last year, but they were still a very erratic hitting team.

As a member of the Centerville Varsity Baseball Team I would consider myself an adequate person for the subject
We played the Robinson Rams last year twice, and I have watched them play a few games during the concorde district tournament. I can honestly say that they are the most talented team that I have seen. They did have internal problems with attitudes especially regarding their senior pitcher Denis Mikush. Our coach personally was verbally insulted during one of our games by Denis Mikush and this caused him to write an email to the Robinson coaching staff. Also their so called "pitcher" Chase Bailey is a bunch of hype. He only pitched 1 inning last year and is a much better shortstop than pitcher. They have a very deep group of seniors this year and their pitching is by far the best in the Region. Denis Mikush, Patrick Baker, Dan Cochrane and Brandon Waite should carry them deep into the playoffs. Watch out for the Robinson Rams this season they should make some noise.

That is correct . Baker mikush and bailey did lack time on the mound last year and were not the most dominant but that was under a very poor coaching staff. I think with robinsons new and improved coaching staf they will continue to have the success they had in the summer which led to their d1 commits and all 3 of them are also very good 2 way guys. Probably all 3 of them will hit in college so Robinson will also be strong offensively. and like mr big said Waite and cochrane CAN pitch and will be a key part of their success too. If i remember correctly robinson struggled defensively last year with many errors so I think that will be the only question mark. Also how long will it take for them to get their confiedence back after the 2 previous seasons in which they struggled

quote:

Originally posted by novaball14:
That is correct . Baker mikush and bailey did lack time on the mound last year and were not the most dominant but that was under a very poor coaching staff. I think with robinsons new and improved coaching staf they will continue to have the success they had in the summer which led to their d1 commits and all 3 of them are also very good 2 way guys. Probably all 3 of them will hit in college so Robinson will also be strong offensively. and like mr big said Waite and cochrane CAN pitch and will be a key part of their success too. If i remember correctly robinson struggled defensively last year with many errors so I think that will be the only question mark. Also how long will it take for them to get their confiedence back after the 2 previous seasons in which they struggled

65 Ks in 50 in from one guy is "lacking"? Plenty of teams would like that kind of lacking I would guess...

Here's the latest prediction:

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Outside for practice anyone?

Centreville's got nothing this year, they lost their best coach in Chris Stanton, I heard he moved. They will be able to hit just fine but they have no arms which has been Spencer's biggest downfall in years past, he rides his best arms too much and has no one past two starters and a reliever. Ashooh and Bach two years ago and Hall and Harsyani in his first year as coach.

quote:

Originally posted by mustangp:
Centreville's got nothing this year, they lost their best coach in Chris Stanton, I heard he moved. They will be able to hit just fine but they have no arms which has been Spencer's biggest downfall in years past, he rides his best arms too much and has no one past two starters and a reliever. Ashooh and Bach two years ago and Hall and Harsyani in his first year as coach.

"Centreville's got nothing this year"... Ya mean other than 3 D1 signees? How many other teams in their district have that? While they may not have proven frontline depth in pitchers, like MANY HSs they have some real good players. As for their coaching, I like them. My son has played for them (not at CVille). Nothing? Come on guy...Just my opinion...

"Centreville's got nothing this year"... Ya mean other than 3 D1 signees? How many other teams in their district have that? While they may not have proven frontline depth in pitchers, like MANY HSs they have some real good players. As for their coaching, I like them. My son has played for them (not at CVille). Nothing? Come on guy...Just my opinion...[/QUOTE]

Robinson have 3 d1 signees.....

quote:

Originally posted by fairfaxball17:
"Centreville's got nothing this year"... Ya mean other than 3 D1 signees? How many other teams in their district have that? While they may not have proven frontline depth in pitchers, like MANY HSs they have some real good players. As for their coaching, I like them. My son has played for them (not at CVille). Nothing? Come on guy...Just my opinion...

Robinson have 3 d1 signees.....[/QUOTE]

I am well aware of that, but I believe Robinson has 2 signees and 1 verbal commitment. That said, I was referring to the "CVille has nothing" comment.

Good players for Cville? Yes. Effective coaching that will make them competitive? Not.A.Chance. Remember the 2010 team that had Ashooh and Walter, two first team All-mets, choked in the district championship 6-0 (to Westfield whom they had already beaten twice). And then they blow it 4-2 in the regional semis against a Madison team that shouldn't have even been there. That was their best team in YEARS and they now have nothing to show for it. Spencer is an ineffective coach, he came from a great Madison program under Pudge but he can't find success in big games.. I may seen like I'm being insensitive, I'm not. I've been watching Cville for years and I really wish they would find some success but it never happens.

quote:

Originally posted by mustangp:
Good players for Cville? Yes. Effective coaching that will make them competitive? Not.A.Chance. Remember the 2010 team that had Ashooh and Walter, two first team All-mets, choked in the district championship 6-0 (to Westfield whom they had already beaten twice). And then they blow it 4-2 in the regional semis against a Madison team that shouldn't have even been there. That was their best team in YEARS and they now have nothing to show for it. Spencer is an ineffective coach, he came from a great Madison program under Pudge but he can't find success in big games.. I may seen like I'm being insensitive, I'm not. I've been watching Cville for years and I really wish they would find some success but it never happens.

The original poster said "CVille has nothing". I merely gave my opinion that was contrary to his mustangp. Don't worry...madison has another chance to shine this year. My opinion on CVille isnt taking anything away from your Madison squad...which I have already said should be very good, if they reach their potential...no need to hate on CVille.

Mustangp,

I think I need a little more evidence before I can accept your view that the Centreville coach is ineffective:

Wasn't that 2010 district championship game that Centreville lost the perfect game thrown by 3-time all region Aaron Hoover? Does that really qualify as a choke? How exactly was it the coach's fault that the opposing ace brought his A game?

Didn't Centreville win a pretty big region game recently when Ashooh shut out a loaded McLean team in a great pitcher's duel against Fitzgerald? If it's the coach's fault when his team loses to a great pitcher, shouldn't he get a little credit when he beats a great pitcher?

And does losing to Madison in the regional tournament really qualify as a bad loss? Madison always seems to be better in May than April, and it's not the first or last time a Pudge-led team overperformed its seeding. Are the coaches of all the other teams Madison has beat in the postseason also ineffective?

Your attacks are making one person look bad, but it's not the C'Ville coach.

Well said, Swampie!

Thank you Swamp

NoVA guys,

In your opinion, what are the best high school games (rivalries) to see in the Fairfax area?

I do quite a bit of business in NoVA, DC, Maryland. I spend 2-3 days up there a week, and want to catch some games. Thanks.

Some great games to see this year:

-Lake Braddock vs. South County (Patriot)
-Madison vs. McLean (Liberty)
-Westfield vs. Centreville (Concorde)
-Robinson vs. Westfield (Concorde)

Obviously there are more but these should be good games featuring a bunch of D1 prospects.

Thanks vabaseballfan. That is very helpful.