Wait till next year

Well i must start by saying that any animosity towards menchville is over but in my opinion they will be struggling next year with nine graduating seniors and Austin the only real starter coming back

On the other in and in no bias or anything but your southeastern district is going to be tough to deal with Indian River has two top country prospects returning and four other starters. they have strong pitching returning along with a a ace coming up an eigth grader oming up who was 10-0 on jv with 102 k's and clocked at 85. So you will see a VERY strong top 4 staff coming from them.

WB should look ok to

OK... In all seriousness... I can only speak as to the Southeastern District, but...

Western Branch will be the team to beat in 2010. They return a player, Nick Thompson, whose numbers this year as a SOPHOMORE compare to Dean Ali's. I believe he batted around .470 with 6 HR while earning 8 wins on the mound and carrying a sub-1.00 ERA. The kid is a stud and will be a name everyone will know for a while.

Johnsonbaugh was a FROSH, McAndrews, Doggett, etc. will all return. The only tough losses for them are Kidd & Batten, I believe.

The other team to watch will be Grasffield as they return 2 aces, Cody Cox ('10) & Jason Ingrahm ('11), and 2 talented Ellis brothers.

GB & Hickory will reload as usual, (although Hickory is losing a lot more seniors than GB)and will be there at the end...

NR played some talented young guys, but trying to replace Keeton's production (something like .550, 7 HR) and arm, Johnny Pitt's power, and Ombri Rivers' all around contributions will be VERY tough.

As for us... Ali, Dickason, Carter, Heath, Inskeep, Taduran, Clemmons all return, but it will be tough to replace Lance Alley, Justin Shockley, Chris Cartwright, Kevin Howerin, Sean Wolfe, and Thomas Swindell. The sophomore class will REALLY have to step up to fill those holes & give us the chance to fight for a playoff spot.

BTW... I WISH we had a kid on JV with that kind of talent "Hooligan"... of course he wouldn't have been there (JV) if he did...

Agree with most of what you say, but Indian River is the defending league champion. Until they are dethroned, they are the team to beat, especially with their returning players.

The team that may have lost the most is Maury. They lose their leadoff hitter, Drew Williams, their three through five hitters, Coby Cowgill, John Garrett and Tyon Ore, and their top two pitchers, Cowgill and Garrett. Not sure what year Bashara is.

Congrats to all the Eastern Regional teams on a fine season!

Without a doubt, Maury is losing the most talent. Losing 2 of the better arms in the area in Garrett and Cowgill. Williams and Ore are decent hitters.

Bashara will be back and they also have a frosh who is 82-83 on the hill.

saying ir has 2 top country predictions is a bold statement. I understand that they were both 1st team, but i think thompsons stats parallel ali and the only reason i think ali got P.O.Y is bc his team won the district title

Well Coach Doo correct me if i am wrong but the first one i wrote was on Thompson being a shoe in D-1 pick. He is a very good player and if you check his name is on the list for the class of '11 but Ali and Dickason's names both pop up on many list that was my point it is in ink and text all over alot of places and rightfully deserved and as far as P.O.Y is concerned it was decided much before districts and i can promise you thompson would not have been on that list anyways.The SED coaches look for players that withstand time you have to ply well all season and capture attention to. Thompson's stats were impressive but Ali was IR clutch man he came up big in many situations and that was recognized by many coaches. so THOMPSON IS AMAZING BUT ALI WAS WEL DESERVING THERE.

Lake Braddock in the NR will lose their ace pitcher to graduation, but the rest of the lineup will return next year.

Tyon Ore and Drew Williams will be back next year. Maury loses Cowgill and Garrett, that's it. I'm not sure where the incorrect info came from. Defensively and offensively Maury will probably be BETTER, but needs an ace on the hill.

What about Cox? They lose POY Chris Taylor to UVA and two top pitchers. What do they have coming back?

Congrats to Cox for winning the Eastern Regionals. Three very impressive wins!

Cox will have their work cut out for them losing 7 seniors that all contributed to their success this year: RHP Ryan Mattes, LHP Richie Salter, 1b Ryan Muncy, 2b Jeremy Hostetter, SS Chris Taylor, C Austin Erb, and CF Kyle Profilet. They will not be easy to replace, but a trio of juniors (3b Zach Bach, RF/P Chase Kyriacou, and LF/P Tyler Knight) will lead the way for a strong group of underclassmen that have been patiently waiting for their turn in the spotlight. The cupboard is not bare and those kids are getting some good experience this year stepping in when needed

Thanks Chris. Good luck to the team next week. What about FC and Granby?

ok. but thompson didn't even get 1st or 2nd team pitcher. his stats were better than ali's on the mound. he had just as many wins with a sub 1 era compared to ali's 2 or whatever era it was

Agree with your comments coachdoo, but that is for another thread that I will start later. In the interim, remember when the vote was taken. It was taken after the season but before the tournament. Indian River had won the regular season, and their ace was Ali. If the vote had been taken after the tournament, perhaps the voting would have been different. Who knows? "To the victors belong the spoils".

Second, WB changed their pitching rotation during the year. Early on, Batten was their main starter. Somewhere along the line, it changed (as we all know from Thompson's performances against Great Bridge, IR and Maury). Perhaps the coaches did not get to see Thompson throughout the season, but just at one point or another earlier in the season.

Third, voting by position does not advance the best players in the district. Rather, the best player at a position prevails, and the systems favors those who are known from the beginning of the season or who have had prior good years. Instead of voting by position, the coaches could choose the best 9, 10 or 11 players. That way, the best players, including Thompson and others, would be voted to the first or second team.

Thompson's numbers were great, and I think he should have made all-districts somewhere as a pitcher... but to say his "stats were better than ali's on the mound" or "the only reason i think ali got P.O.Y is bc his team won the district title" is completely bogus.

Thompson did not face the same competition as Ali. Dean faced WB twice, GB twice, Hickory, NR, DC. Dean's last 8 appearances, down the stretch, with the district & regional title on the line, was unbelievable, going 6-0 with a save in 37.2 IP, 28 H, 4 ER (!), only 11 BB, & 37 Ks... that's a 0.74 ERA!!

In his last 3 regular season starts, he allowed 1 UNearned run vs GB in a win, shutout DC, and allowed 1 run in the reg. season district championship game against WB. He followed that by tossing 5 shutout innings in a win vs Granby in the regionals, striking out 8, then allowing no earned runs in 3.2 IP vs Menchville.

Overall, he was 8-2, with a 1.60 ERA.

No disrespect to Thompson, great talent, and his numbers compare, but Dean Ali earned what he got... the reason IR is district champ, is because of his clutch performances against good teams. No good reason to disrespect him (despite Hooligan's boasting).

Tough sell to say that Thompson's numbers were BETTER.

With all of that said.. Hooligan is blowing SOME smoke here... Ali & Dickason are NOT "top country prospects." They both are fantastic guys, play the game the right way and should be playing D-1 somewhere (on the east coast here) in the near future... however, they don't have D-1 schools & MLB teams from all over the country banging on their door.

as much as they'd love that... no one should blow them up like that and put that label on them to live up to...

Any comment from GB, Hickory, NR or WB regarding next year?

I agree with RiverBaseball, Thompson DID deserve to make all district pitcher and ali DID deserve P.O.Y..

however the debate of who's better is pointless, and its a shame that the two never got the opportunity to square off against one another during this season!

RB24, does Ali have any potential offers in the making?

I wouldn't say that one is better than the other, I am just saying its hard to compare their numbers for 2009 based on the situation in which their appearances came..

I am of the opinion that Nick Thompson is going to be one of the better baseball players to come out of this area in a while... and that he very easily could take that POY plaque next year. Like I said, WB is the team I respect the most going into 2010. Coach Wright works those guys year round and they'll improve a great deal... And flat out... Nick's the stud of the 2011 class.

As for Dean, this summer will be busy for him as he will be playing with the Richmond Braves & for our Legion Post, while hopefully honing in on a school. The hope is that UVA or Tech will make an offer as those are his top 2 choices as of this moment. He has been in contact with both, but like I said, it'll be this summer/fall before a decision is made.

hickory will be at the top again i presume. they lost a lot of seniors but will heavily rely on there returning starters. overall i believe there is 4 of them. a ss 2 of and a utility. but they are returning 2 of there 3 starting pitchers and will again heavily rely on them. but apparently their no. 2 pitcher this season (grower sp?) is also a catcher and a pretty good one at that. they also return a 2nd team centerfielder in flora. Im not sure how nr will reload after losing keeton pitts and rivers, but i will assume great bridge and western branch will be at the top because they are both very young

Riverbaseball24, WB graduates a third starter in James Fiorella who did a great job behind the plate all year and contributed greatly to the hitting.

Baseballfan10001, There were a number of very good pitchers in the SED this year. Wasn't pitching the primary position for those who made first or second team district (except for Ali who I recognize also made first team as a utility player)? Thompson received his recognition in his primary position as the second team SS.

Coachdoo - spelling on the Hickory player is Grauer.

wb reporter...is grauer a catcher as well?

quote:

Originally posted by coachdoo:
wb reporter...is grauer a catcher as well?

Yes, Grauer is a catcher, also. I believe it is accurate to say catcher was Danny's primary position as he came up through AAU, etc. I believe he played JV catcher last year but because a more senior player was ahead of him in the Varsity catcher position at Hickory, he was a utility player this year, playing pitcher, first base, third base and all three outfield positions, as well as catcher. I heard Coach Boothe, head coach of Va Wesleyan, comment that Danny has one of the strongest arms at catcher as he has seen in 10 years.

quote:

Originally posted by IRHooligan:
they have strong pitching returning along with a a ace coming up an eigth grader oming up who was 10-0 on jv with 102 k's and clocked at 85.

Hmmm...I didn't see him this year. He must be in hiding.

Hickory will rely heavily on underclassmen next year. They lose Corey Inman (P/1B), Sammy Holloway (C), Jake Shelor (OF/P), Chris Boykin (2B) and Mason Dunlow (3B). The sophmores waiting in the wings are pretty talented.

The Hawks will return Danny Grauer (P/C), Will Flora (CF) and Matt Cambell (SS) from this year's lineup.

GB will be pretty solid with Justin Lee (2B/SS), Hunter Higgerson (SS/2B), Preston Grissom (1B), and Stokes (P/OF) returning.

Thanks Redbird! Where are the Beach teams? Have heard from Cox, but no one else.

quote:

Originally posted by El gato:
Thanks Redbird! Where are the Beach teams? Have heard from Cox, but no one else.

FC will lose a few players, but we have a good 2 string waiting to fill the gaps. Will still have 2 quality pitchers and the same outfield. Just a few holes to plug....

Princess Anne will return with a strong team. It is losing senior starters John Matos (LF), Ross Cardwell (IB), Dylan Hudson (P/3B) and Vanden Patel (SS). Returning with Greg Tomchik and Chase Lemaster on the mound and Zach Smith (CF), Troy Jones (RF) and Tyler Pitt behind the plate. There are many quality Juniors to fill the gaps.

No way and BeachFan, thank you for your recent postings. Looks like the rest of the Beach District (except Cox, FC and PA) has gone fishing.

McLean in the NR returns all of their pitching and only loses 2 seniors from this year's team. They will have 16 players back from 18-5 Liberty championship team.........but they gotta figure out how to get it done in regionals. They will be loaded though.

Lake Braddock will also be tough as always. The fact that they are in the state tournament again this year is amazing and a true testament to Rutherford. They will have a lot of players back who now have invaluable postseason experience. Westfield will return many players from this years Concorde Championship team including both their top 2 starting pitchers, Centreville has just about their whole team coming back including Ryan Ashooh, and West Springfield will probably have the best pitcher in the state next year in Bobby Wahl.

vabaseballfan, was McLean or Madison ranked in the top 25 in the nation within the last two or three years?

quote:

Originally posted by redbird5:
Hickory will rely heavily on underclassmen next year. They lose Corey Inman (P/1B), Sammy Holloway (C), Jake Shelor (OF/P), Chris Boykin (2B) and Mason Dunlow (3B). The sophmores waiting in the wings are pretty talented.

The Hawks will return Danny Grauer (P/C), Will Flora (CF) and Matt Cambell (SS) from this year's lineup.

GB will be pretty solid with Justin Lee (2B/SS), Hunter Higgerson (SS/2B), Preston Grissom (1B), and Stokes (P/OF) returning.

Hawks also lost David Doan, a Sr who did a good job as DH and also return Colin Hancock, a soph who was #3 pitcher and hit 3 HR's.

GB also has P Andrew Flagherty and Ryan VanAsscah, 1st team DH back along with who knows who will transfer in next year as Wiley Lee draws players looking for good coaching every year. Hickory seems to lose a couple of good players each year. Last year it was Higgerson and Ehret (AS).

hickory's coach must not be doing something right if he keeps losing players every year.

haha no way FC will be good next year. They are losing tooooo many players dude. Just as Cox is. Both teams will be lucky to finish 500. Who the hell are you kidding? I mean be real these are just the facts not meant to offend anyone.

solidstroke i agree! but hey don't count them out, Western Branch in the SED, with a team full of unheard of underclassmen, just about made it to the state this year.. granted the odds are against FC and Cox, but never say never!

Solidstroke and baseballfan1001, are you suggesting that PA (or another Beach team) will be the team to beat next year?

No, not exactly. I`m just saying that FC and Cox have work to do if they want to make it back to regionals, but not to count them out. Big name programs like FC and Cox find ways to win!

And Beach fan... The Zach Smith you are referring to from P.A, is there another Zach Smith that goes to Kempsville, or do i just have my names confused?

quote:

Originally posted by baseballfan10001:
No, not exactly. I`m just saying that FC and Cox have work to do if they want to make it back to regionals, but not to count them out. Big name programs like FC and Cox find ways to win!

And Beach fan... The Zach Smith you are referring to from P.A, is there another Zach Smith that goes to Kempsville, or do i just have my names confused?

You don't have the names confused. There are two Zach Smiths. The one at Kempsville is a lefty pitcher, sophomore. I believe the one at PA is an outfielder.

I agree Cox and Fc will have work to do. But I wont count them out I just think its Kellem and PA regional next year anyone agree/ Too many seniors on those teams. Kellem looks good.

That's what i thought, Thanks!!