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Welcome to our 2019 VHSL Previews. In each preview, we will give you a brief recap of the 2018 season along with the breakdown of each Region and what the rules are to qualify for postseason play under the current alignment. We will also highlight the top prospects in each Classification, as well as some teams to watch during the 2019 season. We continue our VHSL Previews for the 2019 season by taking a look at Class 2.

2018 saw Page County finish off a 28-1 campaign to capture the Class 2 State Championship, defeating perennial contender Virginia in the Title Game. Virginia was the Region D Champion, while Goochland won Region A and Chatham captured the Region C championship in 2018. Joining the four champions in the State Tournament were Maggie Walker, Stuart's Draft, Appomattox County, and Tazewell.

 

Top Prospects in VHSL Class 2

Name	School	Class	Position	Commitment
Matthew Buchanan	Lebanon	2021	OF/LHP	Virginia
Jonathan Compton	Gate City	2020	C
Isaih Dailey	Prince Edward	2020	OF	VMI
Jordan Dixon	Virginia	2019	RHP	King
Michael Dailey	Prince Edward	2022	OF
Leighton Dunford	Fort Chiswell	2020	3B
Willie Havens	Amelia	2019	C	Elon
Mason McDowell	Wilson Memorial	2022	SS
Jay Nesson	George Mason	2019	OF/RHP	Washington College (MD)
Conner Phillips	Radford	2020	RHP
AJ Potojecki	Chatham	2019	RHP	Longwood
Zachary Potts	Goochland	2019	RHP	Lynchburg
Cole Rigney	Gretna	2019	C	Liberty
Preston Steele	Lebanon	2021	SS	Virginia Tech
TR Williams	Page County	2021	LHP	Virginia Tech

 

2019 Region A

James River	Other Districts
Amelia County	Arcadia
Bluestone	Bruton
Buckingham County	Greensville
Goochland	King William
Nottoway	Nandua
Prince Edward	Poquoson
Randolph-Henry	Maggie Walker

***All teams played in a 2018 Region A Tournament

 Region A is an all-in Region. Power points will be used to rank teams from 1-14, and then those rankings will be used to fill out a traditional sixteen team bracket. The top two seeds in the Region will get the benefit of a bye into the quarterfinals. The tournament also crosses at before the semifinals, which allowed Maggie Walker and Goochland to avoid each other in the semifinals in 2018.

 

2019 Region B

Bull Run	Shenandoah
Central (Woodstock)	Buffalo Gap
Clarke County	East Rockingham
Madison County	Robert E. Lee
George Mason	Luray
Strasburg	Page County
	Stuart's Draft
	Wilson Memorial

***Italicized teams played in a 2018 Region B Tournament

Region B will be an eight team tournament with four representatives from each of the two districts that make up the Region, the Bull Run District and the Shenandoah District. Teams will be paired off for the tournament as they had been under older VHSL playoff systems to seed the bracket. For example, the Shenandoah District top seed will host the Bull Run District's fourth seed in the quarterfinals.

2019 Region C

Dogwood	Three Rivers	Other
Appomattox	Floyd County	Buckingham County
Chatham	Giles	Fort Chiswell
Dan River	Glenvar	Martinsville
Gretna	James River (B)
Nelson County	Radford

***All teams played in a 2018 Region C Tournament

Region C is an all-in Region, which means that all thirteen members of Region C will make the tournament. The regular season will be used to seed teams 1-13 based on power points, and then those seeds will be used to fill out a traditional sixteen team bracket. The top three teams will get the benefit of a bye into the quarterfinals.

2019 Region D

Mountain 7	Southwest
John Battle	Graham
Central-Wise	Grayson County
Gate City	Lebanon
Lee County	Marion Senior
Ridgeview	Richlands
Union	Tazewell
	Virginia

***Italicized teams played in a 2018 Region D Tournament

 

Teams to Watch in 2019

Appomattox County
The Raiders were the Region C runners-up in 2018 and went 16-3 against teams that are not Chatham. The Raiders have lost ace and All-Region two-way player Hunter Mohr (Bridgewater) to graduation.

Chatham
The Cavaliers won the Region C championship in 2018 and reached the State Semifinals. They are set up to be in the mix again this spring with return of ace AJ Potojecki (Longwood) and fellow All-State player Graham Dalton also back. Potojecki and Page's TR Williams are the top two pitcher in Class 2, and Potojecki gives Chatham a chance to win against anyone.

Dan River
The 2017 State Champions reached the Region C semifinals in 2018, but were not able to return to the State Tournament to defend their title. All-Region outfielder Jackson Lancaster will be back this spring as the Wildcats look to return to the State Tournament.

East Rockingham
East Rockingham made the Region B tournament in 2018 and saw their season come to an end at the hands of rival and eventual State Champion, Page County. Seven starters come back in 2019 including Dalton Jefferson, Isaac Kisling, Tanner Kisling, and Nick Jenkins.

Fort Chiswell
The Pioneers transitioned effectively to Class 2, reaching the Region C semifinals before Chatham ended their season. The Pioneers will lose Chance Davis (Concord) to graduation, but do return junior Leighton Dunford who earned All-Region honors on the mound and also adds some thump in the lineup.

George Mason
The Mustangs made the Region B tournament in 2018 but unfortunately drew Page County in the first round, falling in a tight game to the eventual State Champions. Back this spring for one final season will be senior outfielder and ace Jay Nesson (Washington College-MD) and joining him will be senior shortstop Aidan Clark. Sophomore Peter Villa will see his role on the mound increase and senior Johnny Asel will be a key to how successful the Mustangs will be in 2019.

Goochland
The Bulldogs captured the Region A championship in 2018, earning their second straight Region title and third straight State Tournament appearance. Goochland loses All-State performers Wyatt Murray and John King along with a large 2018 class, but will have senior Zachary Potts (Lynchburg) to build their rotation around this spring.

King William
The Cavaliers entered the Region A tournament as the 2-seed on their side of the bracket, but fell in the quarterfinals to Maggie Walker, marking the second year in a row that a strong regular season ended early at the hands of a team that ended up going to States. King William lost All-State performer Ryan Huffman  to graduation but brings back All-State bats Landon Smith and Kolbe Jorgenson as they try to advance to June in 2019.

Lebanon
The Pioneers had a strong season in 2018 with a young team and are poised to be a team on the rise this spring and a dark horse State Title contender. Sophomore lefty Matthew Buchanan (Virginia) is back after earning All-Region honors as a freshman. Also earning All-Region honors last year and returning in 2019 for Lebanon will be junior outfielder Logan Smith, sophomore middle infielders Anthony Houchins and Preston Steele (Virginia Tech), and senior Cole Stoops. A young ace plus a returning offensive core that has performed in the past is a recipe for success this spring for Lebanon.

Maggie Walker
The Governors finished 2018 as the Region A runners-up and returned to the State Tournament after missing it in 2017. The 2016 State Champs routinely have a tough time in the regular season in the Colonial District, with six 5a schools and two 3a schools making up the bulk of their schedule. The Governors had losing record during the regular season, but the power points from that tough schedule as well as a sweep of Deep Run earned them the 3-seed on their side of the bracket, and they were able to advance to the State Tournament. The Governors graduated All-Region performers Cole Ragone and Jackson Downs.

Page County
The 2018 State Champions haven't lost since mid-March. The Panthers should be strong again as they bring back the reigning Class 2 State Player of the Year, sophomore lefty TR Williams (Virginia Tech). Also back will be some of their top hitters from 2018 in junior Tristan Gordon and junior Noah Hammer. The Panthers did graduate some key pieces in All-State performers Tristan Eppard and Josh Good as well as other key bat Jake Day. The loss of Eppard removes half of Page's innings from 2018, look for Caleb Hilliard to have the first opportunity to fill the second spot in the rotation after finishing 2018 third in innings. As long as Williams is a part of the Page County team, they will be an early favorite for a State Championship.

Prince Edward
The Eagles came up one game short of earning a State Tournament bid with a young team in 2018. Look for them to be in the mix again late in the season in 2019 as they return their top bat in junior Isaih Dailey (VMI) and a core of juniors who had strong seasons last year playing together. Freshman Michael Dailey has the potential to help out as well.

Stuart's Draft
The Cougars had a banner first week of the 2018 season, beating eventual State Champions Riverheads, who they eventually beat three times, and Page County, giving them the honor of being the only team that beat the Panthers in 2018. Stuart's Draft should be back in the mix again in 2019 with the return of All-State player Easton Martin.

Tazewell
The Bulldogs went to the State Tournament in 2018 after just missing it in 2017. The main key to their success last season was senior ace Sidney Willis, who has departed via graduation. Also graduating was All-Region outfielder Austin Horne. Tazewell does return All-Region honoree Austin Parker to their lineup as they look to return to the State Tournament in 2019.

Virginia
2018 saw return to normalcy in Class 2 as the Bearcats made it back to the State Tournament, making their fourth trip in the last five years, and their fourth Region championship in that span. The Bearcats will lose All-State performer Bobby Medley to graduation, but bring back All-State senior Justin Lewis as well as All-Region honorees in senior ace Jordan Dixon (King) and senior outfielder Jaime Lathrop.

 

 

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