WCAC in 2009

The conference should be pretty competitive next year. PVI and St. Johns lost a lot of talent, they should have some nice young players coming up through the program. Good Counsel returns alot of starters from last year and DeMatha has two D1 commits already. Congrats to Jimmy Reed (SJC) for committing to Maryland and Josh Leehmius (SJC) for doing the same to North Carolina!

Where are the two DeMatha guys committed?

Chris Cook (George Mason) and Daniel Dragos(Temple)

St John's will be very good, as always. DeMatha should also be good with so many players returning. PVI will surprise, as they have added not just rising juniors to the mix, but also several transfers from NDA. Gonzaga is still a year away. BI--they will be very interesting given Coach Gallagher's success last year at the end of the season--can they keep getting better? Good Counsel is going to be good, too, I think, as they seem always to hit the ball so well. Leemhuis and Reed will be hard to beat out as the WCAC's top players, with exception of Chad Morgan from PVI who could, conceivably, hit 8-12 homeruns.

Can the NDA transfers play varsity at PVI this year? I am not sure of the rules of transfer when kids come from far away. Is NDA far enough away so that kids can go directly to varsity?

rhobbs--PVI will return about 7 seniors (plus 2 seniors who transferred from NDA), only 2 juniors (who played varsity last year), and one soph (who played varsity last year). I agree that they will be better than some people think. Chad Morgan is All-World and can play about anywhere. Costello is their ace, but add Pat McDonald, Lansing Veeder, Torey Mancari, Eric McGee to the mix and you have four pretty darned good additional starters. The infield should be good, too, with Dan Savage, Lem Zeigler, and Tyler Costello (when not pitching or recovering) as returning anchors. Veeder and Zeigler can both play infield or outfield, and PVI will probably mix them up that way, so they have great flexibility to fill behind pitchers. Reeves will bring alot to the outfield and the batting order this spring. Heck, at 1B, Coach Emerson can use Costello, Morgan, Ruffin, and Mancari interchangeably. They are all good there. I think Coach Emerson will have a lineup that can hit, from one through nine or ten. This team will be good, especially if they find another pitcher or two. Will they beat StJ, DeMatha, and Good Counsel? We can only wait and see.

gamefan--as I understand it, yes, the NDA kids can play because they reside in Loudon, not Fairfax, County. I think the rule is that a student cannot play at the school to which he transfers anytime after his freshman year if there is a WCAC school in the county in which he resides. Therefore, because they are from Loudon Co, they can play.

Mancari and Reeves are from Faquier County.

Also, the reason they can play at PVI this year is because NDA is a VA Independent Private High School. Therefor they do not fall under the same rules for transfer as what would happen from a private to public, or WCAC private to WCAC private.

Prescedence set when Brian Short spent all of one season at NDA back in 2001-2002 (??) and transferred to PVI the next year.

That is wrong. The reason that they can, is where the live. Because Faquier County does not have a WCAC team living in a county that borders it then a player can transfer without penalty.

The only other way a player could transfer to a new school is if a player moves, not with a aunt, then you can play without sitting out a year.

Redstags-

That doesn't make a whole lot of sense. It would if NDA was a WCAC team, but not in the current situation. NDA is a CAC team, which is a 3 team VA Independent private school conference (NDA, Benedictine, and Blue Ridge). What bearing does that have on the availability of a WCAC school? Are you saying that the only reason they can transfer is because they don't have a private school in Faquier?

I'm not arguing that it couldn't be right, I just want some clarification. My understanding (as told by someone who has been dealing with all of these kids leaving NDA) was that since NDA was a non Archdioses school/WCAC school, you could transfer anywhere without penalty. At least that's the understanding I gained from those kids and their parents.

Obviously by know you have figured out that I was one of the coaches that NDA kept in the dark for all of a year before this incident occurred.

I understood the WCAC transfer rule to allow such transfers provided it was not from an adjacent county. Thus, since Fauquier Co is not adjacent to Fairfax Co, the NDA kids could transfer to PVI. But that is simply what I had heard before or read on this website before.

In any case, it must be permissible, since Cody Reeves and Torey Mancari are at PVI. They are good players who will fit in well and help PVI this year.

Anyone know if they have college offers?

isaacvanwart said it right except it is where the kid lives and has nothing to do with what school he goes too.

If NDA was in Fairfax County or even better if Anne Arundel County then the kids would not be allowed to play this year at the varsity level. I hope this make sense.

Anybody have a list (or want to start one) of WCAC 2009 guys who have signed already .... and let's add it here as they sign.

St J

Leemhuis--UNC
Reed--Maryland

PVI

Morgan--VT

quote:

Prescedence set when Brian Short spent all of one season at NDA back in 2001-2002 (??) and transferred to PVI the next year.

Not sure about the wcac rules but we lived in va and attended NDA during this time frame. The year Brian Short transferred to PVI he began that year at NDA and attended for a couple of months if my memory is correct. He was not allowed to play on the varsity at PVI that year but he did play on the JV team

The PVI website lists Cody Reeves as a player who signed with Towson St.

Who is the 'real deal' in Maryland, in 2009?

Mike Trionfo, a Calvert Hall prospect, also signed with Towson.

OBTW: Towson State changed their name to Towson Univ......., eons ago.

= Edited by Moderator - MN-Mom =

Back to the WCAC for 2009. It appears that it is up for grabs. DeMatha, StJ, PVI, Good Counsel, Gonzaga, and BI will all be tough. PVI is young and maybe a year away, and Gonzaga and BI will likely falter through lack of pitching and lack of depth. DeMatha, StJ, and Good Counsel should be awfully tough to beat. The typical WCAC schedule will be brutal, with just about any team having about an even chance of winning on any give night. I also notice that the nonconference schedules tend to be brutal, with WCAC teams playing tournaments out-of-state and rolling into nonconference games against outstanding area teams. Pitching will be a premium.

I still think Reed and Leemhuis are favorites for Pitcher of the Year and Player of the Year in the conference.

Chris Casale - Gonzaga pitcher - signed to play at Georgetown!

The Costello kid at PVI is a pretty tough pitcher also, only a junior!

gamefan--did one of Gonzaga's best pitchers transfer to a public school (a kid who had a brother who was a stud pitcher at Gonzaga several years ago)?

Costello is an ace for PVI. The shut down guy. But they have lost Pat MacDonald to other interests, and he was their presumed #2.

Jr transferred to QO in Maryland. His brother pitches for Davidson. Wishing him well!

Don't know any specifics about McDonald's situation, but I will say he went to PVI only to sit the bench for many years behind some quality kids. He would have been a prime player at his local high school. From baseball only perspective, too bad.

I don't know what happened Pat MacDonald from PVI either, but the word is that he is not playing. He is a very good pitcher and would have helped PVI be competitive in a very tough WCAC in 2009.

So, StJ slaughtered Robinson in Saturday's scrimmage. How did other WCAC schools do?

Gonzaga over St Mary's Annapolis - 24 (?) to 7

gamefan--Is Gonzaga really, really good, or is St. Mary's not up to snuff? If the former, then add Gonzaga to the mix of potential WCAC contenders.

with the way teams rotate pitchers, experiment with batting order and try to find chemistry, i wouldn't read into a preseason score. but, this is the dawn of the coach bradley era. i heard he was on '00 championship team, so he knows how to win. good luck, zaga, except when you're playing the stags!

Gonzaga scored 1 run last night against mediocre Mount Vernon pitching.

I heard that Mike Murdock pitched a gem, and I also heard that he shut out Langley in a scrimmage. It seems that he is better than mediocre. And if Gonzaga can score 24 runs against St. Mary's of Annapolis, they have some bats. Maybe Gonzaga won't win the WCAC, but they cannot be a bad team--not with all the school has to offer quality players in all sports. It seems to me that MV just played a very good game.

Rough night for Gonzaga last night v Landon. Mark Williams pitched a 1 hitter through 5 innings with 7Ks, and Gonzaga was ahead 8-0. Coach put in new pitcher(s)- series of errors in the field, and Landon hit the lights out - ended up winning 11-8.

I have now seen every WCAC team play this year, and I am very surprised at the poor quality of play compared to recent years. 2008 truly was an exceptional year, especially with all the Div I talent at the top of the conference. This year, there are 5 or 6 genuine Div I talents shining--in the entire conference. Josh Leemhuis, Chris Cook, and Chad Morgan are the true studs of the conference this year. That is it from position players. Throw in Reed and Willoughby as pitchers, and you pretty much have named the league's talent.

DeMatha--Cook is fabulous. Hitting over .500. Clutch. Willoughby 2 hit PVI, and the two hits were a misplayed pop up and a seeing eye ground ball.

PVI--Morgan is a stud. Homeruns, triples, doubles, a great arm. After that, Veeder, Costello, and Reeves are not producing. Costello and McGee are pitching well. After that, is is mostly a case of sophomores and juniors who have never played varsity baseball before committing errors and making outs at the plate.

StJ--Reed will end up pitcher of the year, unless Willoughby beats him out. Leemhuis is just a great all-around talent, from hitting to arm strength to having a great feel all over the field.

Good Counsel--This team has the potential to win the conference, especially the tournament. Why? Because Good Counsel always gets better throughout March and April, and hits the snot out of the ball in late April and throughout May. Pitching and defense may be the weak link.

O'Connell--Wow, are they bad. Even their stud, Zack Tessier, is awful. Against PVI he committed three errors on routine balls. He can still hit well, but defensively, how does he succeed at High Point? O/C's pitching is JV level, at best. O/C's defense may not even be at that level. They committed at least 8 errors against PVI. Outfielders threw the ball to no-man's land while runners ran the bases like it was little league.

Gonzaga--Well, I give Mt Vernon alot of credit for beating them, but seriously, how does a school of nearly 1000 boys that can recruit to stock up on studs produce a team so anemic offensively? If Casale is a Big East success, he will have to work awfully hard with someone who really knows what he is doing.

BI--Coach Gallagher continues to try to develop a good team, and he is a fabulous coach, but the talent just is not there. Zere is hurt, or was, which kills them, since he is nearly everything to both offense and defense. I don't see them beating the top three or four teams even once.

McNamara and Ryken--I regret having to say this, but these two should be playing in the WCAC JV program. Even then, they likely would not win the conference. I want them to be better, and I want them to keep working to get better, but they just cannot compete.

It is a down, down year in the WCAC. I thought PVI, StJ, and DeMatha would have more major talent on the field. Maybe it's there, and they just did not show it when I saw these teams play. I can tell you that I think teams like Stone Bridge (beat DeMatha by 11-0) and other top public school teams would beat these top WCAC teams this year. I don't even know if it is that close a call. There may be some hidden gems on these teams, but if they are there, it is time to start playing like it.

Thanks for that indepth report. Considering the sorry excuse for a baseball preview that was in the Post today, your piece might be the best writing we're going to get on the subject. I hope you file additional reports!

I'm wondering if what you perceive as an overall drop in talent in the WCAC is a consequence of just fewer kids in the cohort, (2008 being a peak year, and fewer kids in each class after that; although it looks like right now we're in the middle of another big baby boom), or if the best baseball players in the area are going elsewhere. My son is a U15 freshman, and I heard that many kids from the travel team I thought was the best in the area went to Georgetown Prep. Some other really good kids he played against stayed in the public school system. A kid who caught for him -- really good, now starting on varsity as a frosh at QO -- told my son he didn't want to get up for those 6:30am lifting sessions at SJC. Will be really interesting to see how these kids all turn out in four years.

On a related note, DeMatha beat SJC yesterday 5-2. DeMatha broadcast the game on its website.

LHPMom

Thanks. I think I am seeing it pretty well, but it is certainly possible I may be missing the boat. It is still early. Nevertheless, from the games I have seen, the internal WCAC hierarchy hasn't changed much, but because it lost so much talent from the 2008 class, it just is not anywhere near as good as it was last year.

I saw that Dematha score and was not surprised. I think Dematha may win the WCAC. But their loss to Stone Bridge makes the WCAC look pretty bad.

One other thing--I don't think BI is a serious contender in spite of the 5-0 start. Yes, they beat Good Counsel, but I still think Good Counsel will be a much improved team by mid-April, and will be good enough to beat anyone at that point. I just don't see BI beating Dematha, StJ, or PVI.

As for GPrep and StAlbans, I'd say--if you can get in and you can afford it, go there. Succeed at those schools and you open doors.

I would be very hesitant to believe in a kid who is not motivated enough to do 0630 workouts to become a better player. I wish the catcher well, but he will languish in mediocrity if he cannot get past that barrier he has placed in his own path.

Good luck to your son. Lefty pitchers are always in demand.

Word is that BI beat PVI last night, 2-1. I underestimated just how good BI is this year--undefeated with wins over Good Counsel and PVI (though PVI appears to be way down, playing some five or six inexperienced sophomores and only one or two juniors and seniors). BI has three or four good hitters and some decent pitching to keep teams off balance. Gallagher continues to get the most out of the talent he has available.

Rhobbs -
Do you have an update? Perspective with only two weeks left? Have you been able to get to the games of the different schools? Your opinion is interesting as you seem to have some depth of knowledge with the players in the league.

I am more than willing to say I was wrong on several scores. First, I did not believe that Coach Gallagher was going to be able to duplicate last year's miracle turnaround, but he has. He has BI ranked #1 in the VISAA Div I poll, and in contention for 2nd place in the WCAC (but then, nearly everyone behind Dematha and ahead of SMR and McNamara is in contention for 2nd place). Second, I did not see DeMatha's dominance coming like it has. Still undefeated in the WCAC. Third, I did not give Gonzaga credit, under a new coach, for being able to gel as they have. Fourth, I thought St. J and PVI would both recover much better from their senior losses from last year (10 and 9, if I am not mistaken, respecively)--neither did. In fact, both teams are huge disappointments, but both are young.

But, don't forget that I was correct on some fronts. DeMatha's loss to Stone Bridge was horrific in light of their dominance of the WCAC. What does that tell us about the conference? I had Good Counsel pegged. They are good and will get better. And I may end up being ultimately correct--DeMatha will win the WCAC with any number of good teams in 2nd place--GC, Gonzaga, BI, PVI, StJ. McNamara and SMR will bring up the rear.

I will now tell you that a search of the websites reveals some interesting outcomes and possibly trends. DeMatha got murdered on their spring trip--10-0 and 10-4--in the NE. PVI won the Southeastern Baseball Classic (4-0). Gonzaga went 2-2 in Louisiana, beating the #2 ranked team in the State. BI was destroyed by South County over their spring break. St. John's went 3-1 on their spring break trip, then came back and beat Maret, GC, and Spalding (13-0), going to 12-5. What does all of this tell us? It appears that DeMatha is moving in the wrong direction while the other teams are catching up and, possibly, surpassing them.

In the end (the WCAC Tournament in early May) anything can happen. However, DeMatha, while the favorite, will be hard pressed to stop a hot StJ, PVI, GC, or Gonzaga (I still don't think BI has the pitching depth to pull it off, but I have been wrong about BI before and should start putting my money on Coach Gallagher). It just seems that DeMatha may have gotten complacent or something. Then again, maybe their spring break opponents were top competition while teams like those PVI played in SC were weak? It is worth considering that PVI also beat St Anne's Belfied twice over their break, leading one to think maybe PVI is coming around for real.

In any case, the quality of play has to be better than it was early, when it seemed these young teams made error after error and struck out in 7 out of every 10 at-bats. A little more tweaking here and there by the coaches, and there is no telling who will end up winning the WCAC tournament.

Finally, the one troubling piece remaining is the DeMatha loss to Stone Bridge, the BI loss to South County, the PVI loss to Calvert Hall--it could well be that the WCAC is way, way down this year?

The entire region public and private is more balanced. 2008 had so many top end guys it was crazy. They also had more quality 2nd tier guys. So many two and three year starters.

There is no where near this depth in the 2009 class.