January 30 - The magazine’s 2017 Preseason NOVA Nine Watchlist features 100 players from Northern Virginia high schools, including seven returning first-team all-state players from last spring.
Each of the members from last year’s NOVA Nine graduated and are either currently playing collegiately or professionally.
Headlining the watchlist are Colonial Forge second baseman Logan Barker and Battlefield outfielder Brent Boggs, who were named first-team 6A All-State selections following their junior campaigns. Potomac shortstop Evan Antonellis was a first-team 5A All-State choice, while Loudoun County shortstop and right-hander Will Schroeder earned first-team 4A All-State honors. Flint Hill shortstop and righty Justin Taylor was a first-team VISAA Division I All-State choice following his sophomore season, while Highland School's Josh Pittman and Timmy Stephan were first-team VISAA Division II All-State selections.
Boggs, who hit .420 with 17 RBI and 27 runs in 2016, returns to a talented lineup this season at state runner-up Battlefield. Barker, meanwhile, is coming off a season in which he hit .426 with three home runs and 22 RBI and went 5-1 with a 2.84 earned run average to help Colonial Forge to the 6A Conference 4 championship.
Antonellis hit .440 with two homers, 12 doubles and 28 RBI in leading the Panthers to their first state tournament berth since 2000, Schroeder hit .514 with 12 extra-base hits and 14 RBI and was 6-2 with a 1.18 ERA for the 4A Conference 21B champion Raiders, and Taylor hit .507 with 23 RBI as the Huskies advanced to the state semifinals before falling to eventual champion Collegiate.
Colonial Forge’s Eric Zimmerman (6A), Briar Woods’ Michael Ludowig (5A), Loudoun Valley’s Logan Cooper (4A) and Potomac School’s Eric Thronson (VISAA D-1) are all returning second-team all-state selections.
Battlefield’s Jake Agnos was the 2016 NOVA Nine Player of the Year, and Oakton’s Joe Rizzo won the award in 2015. The magazine’s selection committee consisting of area coaches and media members selects the team each season.
2017 Preseason NOVA Nine Watchlist:
Agnos, Zack - Battlefield (undecided) Ankers, Thomas - Osbourn Park (Coast Guard) Antonellis, Evan - Potomac (undecided) Askew, Ryan - Loudoun County (undecided) Austin, Brandon - Battlefield (undecided) Ayers, Wilson - Briar Woods (Navy) Baer, Chris - Heritage (undecided) Barker, Logan - Colonial Forge (Liberty) Belanger, Luke - West Potomac (Radford) Boggs, Brent - Battlefield (Virginia Military Institute) Bradley, Tommy - Fairfax (George Mason) Brooks, Daniel - Spotsylvania (George Mason) Buchino, Mike - Potomac (Lenoir CC) Buck, Zack - Broad Run (Holy Cross) Buckley, Antonio - Westfield (Harford CC) Cameron, Miguel - Woodbridge (Norfolk State) Campbell, Connor - St. Stephen's & St. Agnes (undecided) Campbell, Trey - Riverside (UNC Asheville) Casagrande, Tyler - Paul VI Catholic (Arizona) Cone, Jack - South County (William & Mary) Cooper, Logan - Loudoun Valley (undecided) Cooperrider, Dylan - Brentsville District (undecided) Davis, Jaran - C.D. Hylton (Norfolk State) Davis, Ryan - Oakton (Georgetown) Delavergne, Harry - Fauquier (undecided) DiGiulian, James - Bishop O'Connell (Patrick Henry CC) Egbers, Carter - Centreville (Randolph-Macon) Ewald, Sam - Kettle Run (Virginia Military Institute) Fuller, Gary - Stone Bridge (Army) Fyvie, Patrick - Patriot (Army) Gauthier, Austin - South County (Hofstra) Germanowski, Tyler - Briar Woods (St. Bonaventure) Goins, Noah - Kettle Run (Patrick Henry CC) Goldsmith, Joey - Madison (undecided) Guenther, Robert - Marshall (undecided) Hall, Zach - Freedom-South Riding (undecided) Hanvey, Justin - Woodgrove (Radford) Henson, Matthew - Courtland (Longwood) Hockett, Seth - Westfield (Norfolk State) Hopkins, Flynn - Robinson (William & Mary) Hosley, Danny - Langley (undecided) Kenneally, Sen - Episcopal (Yale) Kisner, Josh - West Springfield (undecided) Kobersteen, Alex - Courtland (George Washington) Laird, Ethan - Colgan (undecided) Lamon, Owen - Oakton (Georgetown) Lilek, Max - Kettle Run (undecided) Liverpool, Will - Bishop O'Connell (West Virginia) Luckenbaugh, Noah - South Lakes (Holy Cross) Ludowig, Michael - Briar Woods (Wake Forest) Lyons, Isaak - West Springfield (undecided) Lyons, Jared - West Springfield (George Mason) Martinez, Yareb - John Champe (Georgetown) McDonnell, Liam - Paul VI Catholic (James Madison) Menendez, Antonio - Herndon (Wake Forest) Merriken, Will - Kettle Run (Roanoke) Miles, Ryan - Woodgrove (George Mason) Miller-Green, Lyle - Lake Braddock (Virginia Tech) Morgan, Michael - Paul VI Catholic (James Madison) Morgan, Scott - Woodbridge (George Mason) Morrison, Kent - Flint Hill (Santa Clara) Morrison, Lee - Marshall (undecided) Novak, Kyle - Madison (James Madison) Ortiz, Richard - C.D. Hylton (Charleston WV) Pearson, Justin - Mountain View (William & Mary) Pittman, Josh - Highland (St. Bonaventure) Pitura, Chris - Chantilly (undecided) Prairie, Rojo - Lake Braddock (William & Mary) Price, James - Patriot (George Mason) Prosperi, Randy - W.T. Woodson (William & Mary) Quinn, Jack - Robinson (undecided) Rall, Brian - Patriot (undecided) Reddington, Teddy - Flint Hill (Dickinson) Ritchie, Matthew - Broad Run (Johns Hopkins) Robles, Justin - Potomac Falls (Norfolk State) Sanchez, Christian - Paul VI Catholic (Alabama) Schroeder, Will - Loudoun County (North Carolina) Shaffer, Tyler - Kettle Run (Catholic) Shigaki-Than, Toma - Oakton (Duke) Sims, Dawson - North Stafford (Virginia Commonwealth) Slade, Jack - McLean (undecided) Solomon, Tyler - Battlefield (Vanderbilt) Sowers, Cole - Stafford (undecided) Stehlin, Anthony - Forest Park (Concord) Stephan, Timmy - Highland (Rider) Stewart, Nick - Rock Ridge (James Madison) Sullivan, Tannor - Stafford (Virginia Commonwealth) Sweger, Nick - Potomac Falls (undecided) Taylor, Cameron - Heritage (Maryland-Baltimore County) Taylor, Josh - South Lakes (undecided) Taylor, Justin - Flint Hill (undecided) Thomas, Matt - Lake Braddock (undecided) Thronson, Eric - Potomac School (Trinity) Verberg, Colin - C.D. Hylton (undecided) Volpicelli, Jason - Paul VI Catholic (Washington & Lee) Weeks, Jack - Paul VI Catholic (Georgetown) Whitten, Kyle - Osbourn Park (Virginia) Williams, Jake - West Springfield (undecided) Wortman, Jake - Colonial Forge (undecided) Zimmerman, Eric - Colonial Forge (Tampa)
* If a player’s college decision has been made and needs to be updated, please email Kamide at jkamide@novabaseballmagazine.com.
Photo of Battlefield's Brent Boggs by Fred Ingham
