Virginia Cardinals 17u -- New for 2010

Thanks to all those who've contacted me.

The procedure for us to evaluate players with whom we are not familiar has not yet been set up, but we will find a way to do something over the coming months. In the meantime, keep 'em coming!

Way to go Midlo Dad, sounds like a good gig! Rich should keep you and the players entertained over the long season with his schtick. My oldest son thinks he is great, and has learned alot from him over the last 5 years. I'm hoping this works out well this year for everybody, so my middle son can try out in a few years.

The number of players expressing interest has been gratifying, but also a bit overwhelming.

Unfortunately it is not the optimum time of year to host a tryout. The weather is unpredictable, and most players are not ready to show at their best. Pitchers should really be shut down right now for the winter.

We will continue to field inquiries over the winter. In some cases, where it is not too inconvenient, we will try to get players to come to RBA South for a bullpen or other indoor session.
We will also be following players through the spring season to evaluate them as well.

To get on a "follow" list, please PM me.

Tentative schedule for summer:

June 11-13 - VMI (D1Draftable)
June 18-20 - Va Tech / Radford (Dynamic)
June 25-27 - Willliam & Mary (D1Draftable)
July 2-4 - UVA *woodbat
July 6-12 - WWBA East Cobb, Ga *woodbat
July 22-25 - UNC Chapel Hill (Impact)
July 27-31 - Uof R / VCU (triple crown Nationals)

(above revised 12/14/09)

To clarify, there will be a fall schedule also for September and October.

Midlo - just a heads up, I shot you a PM

A tryout event is in the works for the second weekend of public school spring break, April 10-11. When the field location, day and time are nailed down I'll post an update. It will be in the Richmond area for sure but exactly which field has not yet been set.

If interested, PM me and I'll be sure you get updates to help you plan ahead.

Updated summer schedule:

June 11-13 - JMU (Dynamic)
June 18-20 - Uof R (D1Draftable)
July 2-4 - UVA (Dynamic)
July 6-12 - WWBA East Cobb, Ga *woodbat
July 22-25 - UNC Chapel Hill (Impact)
July 27-31 - Uof R / VCU (triple crown Nationals)

Please stay tuned for tryout event info, probably firmed up around mid-March.

How many players are on the team now? How many spots are trying to be filled

All that will be ready for public release after the tryout event. The order in which players may be committed to is not indicative of some sort of internal ranking with the team, but inevitably it would be misconstrued that way, so it's just not going to be made public.

so sounds like if a player has an opportunity to play on a team now he should go ahead and accept that opportunity instead of running the risk of the unknown with a new team that is not in a position to disclose who many players they currently have or are planning to have?

NO, that is not correct at all.

Individual players should contact me to arrange to be evaluated. In some cases we may be in a position to make a firm commitment. We have made firm commitments to some players already.

In other cases we may need to see how the player performs in the early part of the HS season and also possibly at our tryout event.

We will not discuss players' individual situations publicly. Nor are we going to disclose numbers information that might end up fueling speculation or rumors. But anyone who might be pursuing another option or possibly holding an offer from another team will definitely be given the straight skinny on where he stands with us. We aren't interested in seeing anyone get left out in the cold.

I can say that we do not have a predetermined roster size. It will likely be between 16 and 18. The size depends on how many guys we have might be true two-way players vs. "pitcher only" types.

I can also say that this is not a "first come, first served" situation. We are looking to put an elite team on the field. We have an idea of what an elite player looks like. If you clearly meet that standard, an immediate commitment is possible. If we cannot tell based on the information immediately available, then we simply have to have a chance to evaluate the player more thoroughly before we can commit. To give you an idea, many of the players who have come forward were already known by us, or even initially contacted by us because we already knew of their capabilities. But many more players who have contacted me are not from our immediate area, are not players we have seen in action, and do not necessarily bring references that establish them as elite players without question. We are not going to eliminate them from consideration, we just need a process and adequate time to do an evaluation.

Unfortunately, the snow hasn't helped, but we're doing everything we can do.

Midlo,

That's the way it should be. It is going to be that way(and a lot harder) for the boys in the next year to get a college offer. They might as well get used to the competition.

I can personally vouch for Rich Graham, and RBA South. He is a good man and will do right by you. My son has enjoyed working out with Rich for the past three winters.

I do know whoever plays for him(and Midlo),it will be a positive experience.

Good Luck this summer.

WOuld seem to me these teams have to balance a few different goals
I can see where it is important to put an "elite" team on the field and be sucessful- I am thinking this will enhance the reputation of the team among college programs so they know when a player is on a particular team they are worth a second look.
The Richmond Braves seem to have developed this type of reputation and all benefit from it that play with them. Seems the same is true of the Hurricanes program.
I am surer there are others I may not know of.

The other issue here has to be to get players seen and playing at the next level. Sometimes this part of the mission may conflict with winning ball games/tournaments.
On field success adds to a teams reputation but so do bottom results in terms with how many of their players go on to play at the next level.

I have heard good things about RBA and sounds like a good start for this new team. Cant wait to see them out on the field in 2010. If nothing else that will mean this snow is GONE

Just looked at weather and there is at least a 7 day sunny mid forties no wet weather forecast in place leading up to baseball tryouts in february. So maybe their is hope.

stilllearning

"Just looked at weather and there is at least a 7 day sunny mid forties no wet weather forecast in place leading up to baseball tryouts in february. So maybe their is hope."

From your lips to God's ears!

Stilllearning,

Now you and I are on the same page.

One thing with us is that we will be handling Virginia players exclusively. We do want to help kids move on and specifically to help them garner not just scholarship offers but their best possible situations.

The reality is you cannot help everyone. But that being true only demonstrates that the currently available options, good as they are for those they serve, still leave a lot of deserving players unserved or underserved. We hope to help that situation, but I don't pretend we'll cure it completely. We're only one team and in our view Virginia is a baseball hotbed with a huge number of very talented players. We'll do what we can for those we can serve.

The other big difference between our team and others is our being financially sponsored. That means that we will be able to serve players who might not be able to afford the typical travel experience, what with the going rate for team fees and all the hotel expenses, etc.

You are also right that a team benefits when it is strong enough to be a magnet for scouts. That is exactly why it is so important for any player to play for the best team that will have him, provided he is assured of ample playing time. And that is why we will have to make our roster decisions based on players' capabilities. I really don't know any other way to do it fairly.

Will be an exciting time. i think Coach Graham will do a real good job promoting the players and advocating for them. To me that is as important as anything to have a strong individual in a position to let kids take care of business on the field and he can worl behind the scence.

I hope to have an announcement shortly to confirm the specific day, time and location for our tryout event.

Right now we're expecting it to be Sunday, April 11, at a Richmond-area field.

Tryouts are open to any players, but players need to contact either me (PM) or Rich Graham before hand to RSVP. We need to know who's coming so that we can plan the event to get good solid looks at everyone. Also if you RSVP, we will be sure to contact you directly to confirm the scheduling and also, e.g., in the event of rain on the tryout day.

Tryouts are now confirmed for Sunday, April 11, at 1:00 p.m., lasting until probably 4:00 p.m. +/-.

Tryouts will be held at Midlothian High School in Midlothian, VA.

As previously noted, tryouts are open to players, but anyone wishing to be considered should contact either me (via PM) or Rich Graham in advance to RSVP. We will be working on a schedule that will coordinate the event based on who is coming, what positions they play, etc. The tryout will also include some scrimmage action, so planning of lineups is essential for us to have a well run event. Please, do not simply show up unannounced as we will not be able to accommodate you in that situation.

All who have contacted me previously will get PM's or e-mails to confirm the above. If you don't get one in the next 24 hours, feel free to contact me to confirm again.

Im in agreement with the previous posts in noting that the Graham is very qualified and sound coach. This is the guy you want to play for.

Last call for players interested in trying out next Sunday, April 11.

PM me immediately if you are interested.

Due to heavy interest, the tryout event will now take place in two shifts.

Still Sunday April 11 at Midlothian High School.

First shift, noon-2:30 p.m.

Second shift, 2:30 -5:00 p.m.

We hope this will help keep things moving quickly for all players and allow those from out of town to get back home more swiftly as well.

Thanks to all those who tried out. The final roster has now been set, with the following players:

Birnbaum, Garrett -- Cosby (Chesterfield)
Brown, Will -- Matoaca (Chesterfield)
Byrd, Daniel --Cosby
Carrico, Tyler -- James River (Chesterfield/Midlothian)
Gardiner, Josh -- Eastern View (Culpeper)
Jones, Brendan --Clover Hill (Chesterfield/Midlothian)
Keranen, Clay --Courtland (Spotsylvania)
Kirby, Nathan -- James River
Konvicka, Colton -- Benedictine (Richmond)
Lawless, Collin -- James River
LeClair, Gary Jr. -- Steward School (Henrico)
Payne, R.W. -- Spotsylvania
Taylor, Kurt-- Powhatan
Varaksa, Joey -- Albemarle

I recognize soem of those names- looks like a strong group of players-

Great to see this come together.

IMO these players will have an excellent opportunity to learn and grow in the sport through this team.

Good luck to the VIRGINIA Cardinals!

Obviously being based in the Richmond area allows us to recruit in our immediate area better. But we were very happy to have a chance to see many players from well outside the area, and ultimately to be able to have several on our team.

HSBBW helped us reach these kids, so thanks to Julie and all of you for helping to spread the word!

We've also started a web site at www.leaguelineup.com/virginiacardinals , so anyone wanting to catch a game or two over the summer can follow the schedule as it fleshes out. Right now we have a couple of Richmond area tourneys in our summer plans, but the tourney schedules won't be known until June.

Newly minted Cardinals had hot hands in yesterday's Richmond-area games, including:

Gary LeClair threw a complete game, 2-hit shutout to lead Steward over Kenston Forest. LeClair registered 11 K's and also homered.

Nathan Kirby threw a 5-hit shutout in James River's win over Clover Hill. Kirby had 10 K's and 0 walks. Collin Lawless, Kirby's receiver for the gem, went 2-3 with an RBI.

Up this way new Cardinal RW Payne blasted another HR to help Spotsylvania get by Culpeper 6-1.

On Thursday, Clay Keranen pitched a complete-game four-hitter to lead Courtland over Eastern View, 4-2. Eastern View nipped Keranen for two runs in the first before he settled in to retire 15 straight en route to shutting them out the rest of the way, finishing with 7 K's and only 1 walk. Keranen also scored the game's winning run, getting aboard on a hit ahead of a teammate's walk-off HR.

Two of Eastern View's hits came off the bat of Josh Gardiner.

Joey Varaksa hit for the cycle to help Albemarle complete a season sweep of Western Albemarle on Wednesday, 11-5.

Congratulations to Nathan Kirby, James River LHP/1B, on being accepted to Perfect Game's Junior National Showcase this June at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida!

The Junior National Showcase precedes the National Showcase, and is designed to display top rising juniors to college scouts from across the country.

The Cardinals were happy to nominate Nathan for PG Jr. National and thank PG for giving Nathan this important opportunity.

Agree, special player. partial report from recent baseballclearinghouse.net event...video available on site

"Nick Conner is athletic and quick with a big time right arm. A 5'9-160lb primary RHP at LC Bird HS in Richmond, VA, Nick lit up the radar guns posting a 89mph fb with nice arm side run, a 71mph cb, and great feel for a 76mph range change up. Slight cross body stride with mid 3/4 arm slot, he shows college level arm speed and arm strength. Still puttingthe timing of his delivery together, there is some occasional arm drag. Nick is very good on his release, out front and he does finish strong." "Future is on the mound with power arm."

quote:

partial report from recent baseballclearinghouse.net event...video available on site

Had some really good talent at that event which makes him stand out even more.

https://baseballclearinghouse....p?type=results&id=79

Albemarle's Joey Varaksa followed up last Wednesday's cycle with a five-hit performance on Friday that included 2 doubles, a triple and 3 RBI in a 15-14 win over Stafford.

has this pitcher started any games this year on the mound or is he more of a come in and throw hard an inning or two type of pitcher?

I believe that Conner will get the start tonight at Midlothian. Has only pitched in relief so far this year.

According to the box in the paper, Conner went six innings last night...sounds like they got him stretched out in a hurry!

He actually only pitched 4. Lohr pitched 5 & 6 and Kaufmann pitched the 7th. The box scores don't always get reported correctly.
Conner will need to make adjustments if he is going to be used in the starter roll more often. Control is not what it needs to be for the long haul, too many walks and got deep in the count on alot of batters. JMO but I think all this talk over his MPH has got him thinking he has to go up there and throw the ball as hard as he can. Hopefully he will make the necessary adjustments and provide Bird with a much needed arm.