Northern Region teams

quote:

Originally posted by redbird5:
The Oakton SS? Do you know his name?

I will get you that information. I think its either Luke Willis or John Titus. I know he is their leadoff hitter and bats lefty. He also got the win against MV. This kid also has tremendous speed!

If anyone else knows Oakton better than me please jump in.

WS wins 11-0 at Hayfield any insight on how the other teams of the patriot district did?

The Oakton SS is Luke Willis. Redbird5 has coached against him when playing the VA Mavericks. His father was the coach of the Mavericks. He does not bat left handed.

quote:

Originally posted by golfball:
The Oakton SS is Luke Willis. Redbird5 has coached against him when playing the VA Mavericks. His father was the coach of the Mavericks. He does not bat left handed.

Yep! That's what I thought.

quote:

Originally posted by redbird5:
[QUOTE]QUOTE]

Yep! That's what I thought.

Kid will be amazing his SR year. Just his passion and the way he approaches the game is on point! I would like to see how he developes over the next two years, if he can grow and keep his speed he may be all met or better! Not too many SO has his moxy. Sorry about the miss information about his batting.

Luke's a good kid and a good ballplayer. He should be a major contributor all four years at Oakton.

Luther bias is more like it...If you haven't figured it out, most people here have a son or nephew on a high school team. Why else would you do this?

You still haven't answered my question, and if you have noticed I am a big WS fan seeing as I went there back in the late 80's. Some people do this out of pure love for baseball, what are you doing this for?

Any good match ups for tomorrow? I know WS plays Annandale @ Annandale

-Any word on when the WS South County game will be made up?


"CHOCOLATE MAN"

SC and WS play saturday@ 2:00...SC then plays Bishop Ireton@ 7:00. Could be an interesting Saturday, we'll see what they're (SC)made of. SC beats TC in a close one 6-3, Jon Harasin goes the distance for his 3rd win and Nick Digby hit another long bomb...Hayfield friday, double-header saturday..

SC beats Hayfield in 5, 12-1. Jordan gets the win, Fleming hits a grand slam. Digby and Bondurant 3 hits apiece. WS over Annandale 3-2 and West Po beats TC...

Robinson defeats Oakton 4-3 in 8. Robinson collects 11 hits vs. Oakton's 3. For Robinson, Rutger Floyd goes 2-for-2, Mike Kenah and Austin Freer each go 2-for-3, and Michael Del Buono goes 3-for-4 including a walk-off single on 1-2 count with 2 outs in the bottom of the 8th. Austin Freer held Oakton to 3 hits in 4+ innings, and Del Buono comes in to pitch the last 4 giving up no hits and picking up the win. Robinson also overcame 4 costly errors, one in the 5th that let the tying run score to ultimately send it to extra innings.


For Oakton, Henne threw the first 5 2/3 and then gave way to Taiyo Francis; it was good to see Francis back on the mound after being injured earlier in the season.

WS beats SC 4-3 on walk off homer by Bobby Wahl. SC's 1-5 hitters go 1-15 with 8K's. What was he trying to do with the bottom of the order? In 4 years of watching varsity baseball I've NEVER seen someone throw THAT hard!!! You have to tip your hat to a great pitcher. Miller kept SC in the game, should be a great game in 2 weeks.

quote:

In 4 years of watching varsity baseball I've NEVER seen someone throw THAT hard!!! You have to tip your hat to a great pitcher. Miller kept SC in the game, should be a great game in 2 weeks.

Who was pitching for WS? was it Wahl?

quote:

Who was pitching for WS? was it Wahl?

Who was pitching for WS? was it Wahl?

Yes, Wahl pitched all seven innings. He didn't seem to have his best stuff but it was still pretty darn good. A SC kid got a tough break on a 3-1 count check swing with the bases loaded and the game tied 3-3 in the sixth. He ended up striking out on the next pitch. The SC pitcher was was a tough competitor and pitched a very good game as well.

Got to see the game and came away impressed with both teams. Wahl is a stud. Since we're about at the halfway point of the regular season, here's a vague assessment based on what I've seen so far:

Top Group - West Springfield, Westfield

Gotta say I was shocked to hear about WS in Florida, but at the end of the day spring break pretty much means nothing. Westfield has proven that they can beat good teams in different ways and they are getting it done in just about every area.

Next Tier - Lake Braddock, South County, McLean, Chantilly, Stone Bridge, Robinson

All of these teams are tough and well coached. LB obviously has been to the top plenty of times and I expect them to keep getting better under Rutherford. This is the time of year when I kind of expected them to start hitting the cover off the ball, but it will be tough for them against Kent or Wahl. McLean had a few bumps in the road during their spring break tournament, but Ive seen them with Fitzgerald pitching twice and they are very good with him pitching. If they can get their other pitchers on track, they will be very tough because they are much improved offensively. Beiro is a stud. Stone Bridge is playing tough as usual but Im not sure they have enough pitching to defend their title this year. Chantilly and Robinson are both pretty good, but I think Robinson has more room to improve and may end up being Westfield's biggest hurdle in the Concorde. South County can hit as usual and I really liked their pitcher against WS. They'll be a really tough out as usual when May comes around.

quote:

Originally posted by BBallJunkie:

quote:

Originally posted by redbird5:
The Oakton SS? Do you know his name?

I will get you that information. I think its either Luke Willis or John Titus. I know he is their leadoff hitter and bats lefty. He also got the win against MV. This kid also has tremendous speed!

If anyone else knows Oakton better than me please jump in.

Is Luke Willis pitching for Oakton? You say he got the win...

John Titus is a southpaw who bats right-handed. Luke Willis is a right hander (SS) who also bats right-handed.

Both are good players and quality kids. Titus moved into the area just last summer, from Texas, and will continue to develop into a football and baseball player for Oakton HS.

Willis has a huge leg up over most kids because his dad has opened a thousand doors of opportunity for him to compete and learn at the highest levels. His old Mavericks team included Paul VI's Lansing Veeder, another sophomore who is a dominant player. They are now broken up, with Veeder off playing summer ball for the Hurricanes and Willis playing for Tugwell. Again, Willis, a good athlete in his own right, cannot help but succeed because he has had such tremendous opportunities to become the best player he can become.

Oakton will be good, with these two at the core, for the next two years after this one.

quote:

Is Luke Willis pitching for Oakton? You say he got the win...

Yea he came in from SS in extra innings and pitched two or three scoreless innings for them. Had a nice arm and looked solid on the bump.

I agree with hobbs, this kid looks like a baseball player, everything he does makes him better. Even between inning warmups, he doesnt take lazy ground balls he works back hands in the hole and throws from deep in the grass to keep his arm stretched out. His approach at the plate is solid as well.

quote:

Willis playing for Tugwell

Willis is playing for Carson Carroll and his father on the 16U NVTBL Stars. A few of the old Mavericks will be playing with this team.

McLean beat Woodson 5-4. They weren't as sharp as last night against Madison but they got a hard earned win against a good team for the third time in three nights. Gannam battled for 5 innings and McLean played very good defense behind him and their reliever. Buckley threw out three baserunners trying to steal and picked off another. He has a cannon from behind the plate.

I think Woodson is good. They really werent very smart on the bases, and Buckley made them pay for it all night. Otherwise they probably win the game. McGillicudy threw pretty well for Woodson. He left some pitches up early that McLean hit hard but then he adjusted and did a good job after the 3rd. He has a good arm and throws pretty hard.

McLean has had a very impressive week. I didnt see the Stone Bridge game but they were very good against Madison and they found a way to win tonight against a good team and a good pitcher without Buckley or Fitzgerald pitching for them. Riley Beiro is one the best all around players I've seen in the region. He got a couple of hits, scored two runs, and made an amazing catch on a shallow line drive in center.

SC pounds a good Annandale team 21-2. The Atoms chose a slow torture instead of a quick one. They allowed 14 walks and 5 HBP, SC finally got going with Homers by Bounderant and Townsend. Jon Harasin picked up his 4th victory against no losses. Nick Digby continued his torrid RBI pace with his 26th and 27th of the year. SC in 10-3, with LB friday and West Po on saturday.

Digital Sports

Rankings:

Baseball Top 10
Rankings and records as of April 27

1. Westfield (13-1) -- LW: 1
Ran winning streak to six in a row with wins over Oakton and Robinson.

2. Osbourn Park (11-1) -- LW: 2
Yellow Jackets defeated Loudoun Valley 8-6 on Thursday and blanked Stonewall Jackson 6-0 on Friday. Big game at Osbourn set for this Wednesday.

3. DeMatha (14-5) -- LW: 3
Stags had three straight at home last week and won all three, topping Wilson, Gonzaga and Saint Mary's Ryken. Matchup at Bishop O'Connell on tap for Monday.

4. West Springfield (11-4) -- LW: 4
Had the bats going Thursday and Friday in wins over West Potomac and Lee by a combined 27-6 count.

5. Lake Braddock (11-3) -- LW: 8
Topped T.C. Williams 10-5 on Thursday and followed up with 7-5 win over South County on Friday.

6. Chantilly (13-3) -- LW: 10
Had busy week with three wins, 6-1 over Herndon on Wednesday, 3-1 over Centreville on Thursday and 9-4 over Fairfax on Friday.

7. Wootton (10-2) -- LW: NR
Patriots had big win over then-No. 4 Damascus on Saturday. Have their work cut out for them this week -- No. 10 Sherwood on Monday and No. 8 Quince Orchard on Tuesday.

8. Quince Orchard (12-3) -- LW: NR
Scored 23 runs in wins over Gaithersburg and Magruder on Friday and Saturday. Face No. 7 Wootton on Tuesday.

9. Calvert (10-3) -- LW: 9
Cavaliers were upset by Great Mills on Thursday, but rebounded with 3-2 win over then-No. 7 Thomas Stone on Friday and 6-1 drubbing of Patuxent on Saturday to remain in the SMAC race. Critical week upcoming, with scheduled contests against North Point on Wednesday and at Huntingtown on Friday.

10. Bowie (11-1) -- LW: NR
Bulldogs have won eight in a row, including Saturday doubleheader against Wise and Flowers. Knocked off Wise 11-1 and Flowers 12-2.

Also Receiving Consideration
Damascus (9-2)
Huntingtown (7-1-1)
North Point (10-3)
Osbourn (10-4)
Potomac Falls (10-3)
Sherwood (9-2)
South County (11-4)
Thomas Stone (9-2-1)

If these rankings are accurate at all, then Northern Virginia is dominating area HS baseball. Are the NoVa teams really that good?

Not to take anything away from South County, but Annandale is not a real good measure of how good SC is. Seriously, there must be at least a dozen good JV teams that would be Annandale. Lake Braddock may be a better test. Does WestPo have any good wins? Does WestPo have an ace or do they use average pitching across the board?

This may or not be the best forum, but you guys seem pretty well educated on the Northern VA players. Our showcase team is still looking for 2 sophomore or junior pitchers. Can anyone recommend someone that has not committed to a summer team yet, that may have a legit shot at playing at the next level.

Rhobbs,
I read your post this morning and later read some of your previous posts. I see you are very much a supporter or fan of the WCAC. I think a lot of your posts are very informative. But, instead of coming on the forum trashing teams that you don't know much about, why don't you make a case for the team, or teams you think should be on top of the rankings? It would make for better reading.
Golfball

O'Connell Beats Dematha

Annandale has a young team (2 Srs.)that had two bad outings against SC. One a no-hitter, the other a blowout with young pitchers who got some experience the hard way.
They have beaten W Pot., Mt Vernon, Oakton, lost to W Spfield 2-3, and lost to L Braddock 5-8. Both WS and LB games were very close. They scored 10 runs against Yorktown and 7 against Robinson. They have some bats and have only been blanked once, early in the season.
They have not been a powerhouse over the last few years but are turning it around. As their pitching firms up they will only get more competitive.

Sorry to have offended. I saw Annandale play earlier, and I have to tell you, not what I would hope to see in a HS varsity team. The SC games seem to bear out this observation. I may have seen them on a bad night, and if I have misrepresented them, then I apologize. But it would seem that if we are going to know how good SC is, we should look at how they handle the best of their competition. That's all I was trying to say.

As for WCAC, I follow the teams in the conference as I can. It is a mess this year. DeMatha is at the top, and all others well below (but the recent period of mediocrity that is DeMatha's play has hurt them both in the spring break games and against O/C, who is vastly improved). I am not trying to say the WCAC teams would beat the public school teams. This year, it appears to me that the better baseball is being played in the public school arena.

No prob rhobbs. SC has some good pitching. How does Ireton look this yr?

Here are the Patriot district standings as of 4/29:

West Springfield 10-0
Lake Braddock 9-1
South County 8-3
TC Williams 4-6
Annandale 3-7
West Potomac 3-7
Hayfield 3-8
Lee 1-9

4/28 results:
Lake Braddock 11 Annandale 0
TC Williams 6 West Springfield 18
Lee 5 South County 8
West Potomac 6 Hayfield 8

4/29 games:
Lake Braddock at West Springfield

Let me know the outcome of the Osbourn vs Osbourn Park game. Watch out for the Eagles, they've been playing good ball. Their coach has them flying high.

SC holds off Lee 8-5. SC having a tough time with Patriot teams the second time around. Pitching has struggled at times, and the offense is hitting just enough. Digby hits another homer (2rbis), Jordan doubles in 2, 9 hits for the team. TC is next on Friday.

West Springfield over Lake Braddock 5-1 in a steady, chilly rain. Kent goes the distance for the Spartans. This game was notable for the miserable playing conditions. Lake Braddock had 4 errors in one inning which resulted in 3 runs and ultimately decided the game. Too bad that the elements played a major role in a marquee matchup of two of the region's best, played in front of just a handful.

With the season sweep of Lake Braddock, West Springfield now has the inside track to the 1 seed in the Patriot district tournament.

hitpitchcatch--BI had a great start. Lost one of first 7 games or so, ranked #1 in VISAA Div I rankings, and very high locally, then fell back into the WCAC pack. Coach Gallagher is a genius, as it appears that he gets the absolute most out of his players and finds a way to keep them in every game, with a chance to win each one.

DeMatha remains at the top, St Mary's Ryken and McNamara at the bottom, with O'Connell, BI, Good Counsel, PVI, Gonzaga, and St. John's in the pack (though St. John's appears to be breaking away a little more towards the top).

The WCAC tournament in less than two weeks is anyone's to win, but the favorites would have to be DeMatha and St. John's. PVI is still inconsistent, with way too many sophomores making way too many errors. O'Connell is SO much better than they were early and when hitting on all cylinders can beat anyone. Good Counsel can win with one swing of Jake Taylor's bat. He is a great HS (junior) power hitter. St. John's can be really, really good, or just mediocre, depending on their mood. I think the lack of a true home field has put them out of sorts this year. Too bad, because they have some genuine talent, though maybe that talent is complacent due to early signings? Gonzaga remains as inconsistent as anyone--capable of beating anyone but also capable of losing to anyone. They are young and will be much improved next year. BI appears to not have the depth necessary to win the tournament, but no one thought they'd beat PVI twice last year, either, and they did. Again, Gallagher will make them competitive and the kids are gritty and determined to show the WCAC that they belong.

What is the story at Lee? Rumors of disgruntled kids quitting mid-season?

West Springfield coasts again to another victory in the Patriot District who is going to beat them any thoughts? What is their secret to going 11-0 so far in District play?

Rollapair was right on with his assessment of last nights game. The game wasn't exactly a coast for WS. LB was up 1-0 going into the bottom of the fourth and pretty much threw the game away. A series of errors in the bottom of the inning while slipping and sliding around quickly turned the score to 3-1. WS ended up adding a couple of more pretty much the same way in the 5th. LB had the bases loaded twice (once in the first and once in the 5th) and did not score. I watched the game from my car and don't think any runs in this game were earned. The game conditions were terrible. WS is a solid team with two very good pitchers. The WS catcher played a nice game last night behind the plate and also had the only base hit out of the infield for WS if I remember correctly. I do believe they are beatable, but you will probably have to score more than one run to do it.

willywonka, yes WS is 11-0 in district play, but it has not been without some close calls. Yes, Kent and Wahl are pretty dominating when they are on top of their game, but truth is Springfield could just as easily be 8-3.

Against Annandale, WS ran themselves into numerous outs on the bases, and Annandale had numerous scoring opportunities that they couldn't cash in on. Kent went the distance in that one and willed his team to victory by getting some big outs in big moments. So a 3-2 victory and a bullet dodged there. Certainly a 1-run extra-inning victory over SC could have gone either way. Wahl went the distance in that one. And last night, quite frankly LB lost the game as much as WS won it. WS still has to face SC and Annandale again before the postseason starts so those will be two games worth monitoring.

When all is said and done as far as who represents the Patriot district in the Northern region tourney, I think the smart money has to be on WS and LB, but it would not be a shock if SC edged out one or the other. They hit just as well, if not better 1-9, than WS and LB, they just don't have the pitching depth/experience that WS and LB have.

Of course some of the games could have gone either way. That's baseball. But good pitching will almost always win. That's also baseball. That's why it is going to be difficult to beat WS. They have by far the best 1-2 around. Can't even dispute it. As long as they have that, they are going to be very tough to beat. They don't need to score many runs to win.

As for SC. I recall 1-5 had 1 hit against Wahl in the first game. I don't see why they should have any more success against Kent.

quote:

As for SC. I recall 1-5 had 1 hit against Wahl in the first game. I don't see why they should have any more success against Kent.

As much as I hate to say it, that 5-1 and 1 hitter for Wahl was against LB. SC lost 4-3 on a "Wahlk off" ** homerun. Wahl pitched a complete game and hit the gaming winning homer leading off the bottom of the seventh.

** I've been listening to Phil Murphy on Digital Sports way too much...

quote:

Originally posted by coachemup:
Let me know the outcome of the Osbourn vs Osbourn Park game. Watch out for the Eagles, they've been playing good ball. Their coach has them flying high.

Osbourn Park 8
Osbourn 4