December 28 - Stars Showcase Baseball’s 17U Red has been named the magazine’s 2016 Summer/Fall High School Team of the Year as part of our year-end feature honoring Northern Virginia’s top teams.
Coached by Carson Carroll, the Stars went 22-2 during the fall season, winning the Complete Game event at James Madison University and advancing to the Round of 8 at the Perfect Game WWBA Northeast Qualifier before the remainder of the event was rained out.
In October, the Stars traveled to Florida for Perfect Game’s WWBA Underclass World Championships and advanced to the quarterfinals in a tournament featuring a field of 250 teams from across the country. It was the deepest a team from Northern Virginia has advanced in the annual event. The Stars’ 4-3, extra-inning loss to Florida’s FTB55 Elite was just their second setback of the season.
Comprised mostly of players from the Class of 2018, the majority of the team’s players hail from Northern Virginia schools, including: St. Stephen’s & St. Agnes left-handed pitcher Connor Campbell, Paul VI Catholic outfielder Tyler Casagrande, South County righty Jack Cone, Woodgrove infielder Justin Hanvey, Lake Braddock righty Rojo Prarie, Patriot catcher Brian Rall, Paul VI Catholic righty Christian Sanchez and lefty Jack Weeks, Loudoun County infielder and pitcher Will Schroeder, Battlefield infielder and pitcher Zach Agnos and Colonial Forge catcher Jake Wortman.
Other players from outside our coverage area were: DeMatha Catholic outfielder Marcus Brown, Urbana (MD) infielder Trey Lipscomb, Riverdale Baptist (MD) infielder Jose Rivera and outfielder Corey Rosier, and Culpeper County first baseman Zach Smith.
Other Nominees:
FCA Power Blue Varsity (Fall): Coached by Matt Carlson and Geoff Schaab, the Power went 11-2 during the fall season and outscored their opponents, 123-33. The team was paced offensively by catcher and second baseman Jack Halloran (Madison), who hit .488. Shortstop Josh Rector played an error-free season, while Steve Adamson (Paul VI Catholic) pitched 11 hitless innings, Matt Nava (The Heights) allowed just one earned run in 13 innings, and Matt Colaianni (Marshall) provided steady innings on the mound and defensive play at first base. “It wasn't just that the team won its games, it was the way the players went about their business that made the season special,” Carlson said. “Regardless of the situation, the team played to a standard, not a score. They stayed focused, they did not make errors, they threw strikes, they put the bat on the ball and they were aggressive on the bases.”
Hitmen Baseball 14U/15U (Summer/Fall): Coached by Russ Pahl, the Hitmen went a combined 55-21-5 as a 14U team in the summer and a 15U team in the fall, winning three tournaments and finishing runner-up in four others. The same roster of players went 22-0 during the fall 2015 season, and that success continued in winning the In the Net Summer Fun Fest, USSSA Diamond Quest and the NoVA Summer Bash events this year. The team consisted of six players from Madison: Michael Schultz, Christopher Polymeropoulos, Mason Satterfield, Josh Martin, Ryan Murphy and Fitz Halloran; two players from W.T. Woodson: Jeremy Ziarkowski and Daniel Fitzgerald; and players from six other schools in Peter Ogden (Yorktown), Riley O'Donovan (Bishop O’Connell), Nick Guerra (JEB Stuart), Julian Heitman (Oakton), Corey Lauer (Marshall), Andy Ricketts (McLean) and Shonjoy Bhattacharyya. “Winning every game is one metric, competing at the highest is another,” Pahl said. “The players balanced this and keep everything in perspective.”
Leesburg Post 34 (Summer): Coached by Brenton Peters, Post 34 went 25-10 en route to winning the District 16 championship and Mid-Atlantic Region title to become the first Virginia team to advance to the American Legion World Series. The team was paced by Kurtis Meter, who had recently graduated from Loudoun Valley and was named the regional’s Most Valuable Player. Cameron Eck hit .556 to pace the team offensively at the regional tournament, while Zach Costello and Matt Eberhart also helped key the Rangers offensively. Zack Lockhart tossed a complete game in a win over the Delaware state champions, while Eck and TJ Holdredge earned wins against the state champs from Pennsylvania and Maryland, respectively.
Stars Showcase Baseball 16U Red (Fall): Coached by Shawn Camp, the Stars went 16-2-1 during the fall, finishing unbeaten at the Dynamic Baseball event at the USA Baseball facility in North Carolina, the Complete Game Team Showcase in Prince William County, and at the BIC/D1Draftable October Collegiate Showcase in Ruther Glen. The team’s two losses came to 17U teams at the Dynamic Baseball event in Richmond. Stars pitchers compiled a team earned run average of 1.90, holding opposing batters to a .186 batting average behind a staff led by Evan Waldner (T.C. Williams), Lyle Miller-Green (Lake Braddock), Chris Chaney (St. James, MD) and Zach Agnos (Battlefield). Drew Caroline (Freedom-South Riding) hit .500 to pace the team offensively, while Miller-Green hit .406 and tied for the team high with 13 RBI. Agnos hit .351 and had 11 stolen bases, and Carter Cunningham (Battlefield) hit .375 with 10 RBI and seven steals.
Stars Showcase Baseball 15U Red (Fall): Coached by Bill Jersey, the Stars went 12-10 during the fall, going unbeaten at the Richmond open and playing in several showcase events and tournaments against 16U competition. The team dropped just two games against 15U teams. The Stars’ top performers included Riley Eikhoff (Patriot), Phaley Moravak (Tuscarora), Eddie Eisert (Bishop O’Connell), Conor Jersey (Patriot), Carson Trent (Rock Ridge), and AJ Escobar (Patriot).
Vienna Post 180 (Summer): Coached by Frank Werman, Post 180 went 18-8 and won the District 17 championship and advanced to the American Legion state tournament for the fifth consecutive year. The team was paced offensively by first baseman Jimmy Goldsmith, who had just graduated from Madison and hit .411 with six home runs and 30 RBI. Another Madison grad, outfielder Carlo Alfano, hit .440 with a homer and 22 RBI. “[The] team was a special group of players from James Madison, Oakton and South Lakes high schools that pulled together to keep the district title streak together,” Werman said.
Westfield Maddogs Varsity (Fall): Coached by Dee Kakar, the Maddogs went 13-1 and claimed the Northern Virginia Travel Baseball League’s fall Varsity Division championship. The team was paced offensively by Devin Kakar, who hit .562, and led by two-way standout Seth Hockett, who hit .512 and went 4-0 with a 0.67 ERA on the mound. The team allowed just 12 runs while winning each of its nine regular season games, then advanced through the loser’s bracket before rolling to a 17-2 win in the league’s championship game. “Fabulous group of coaches and kids battling every night we played,” Dee Kakar said.
Note: All nominees were submitted by league administrators or team coaches.
Photo courtesy of Stars Showcase Baseball
