Bearcat Dad

If you need a baseball fix, come to Tn. High today at 5:30 and support some of SWVA’s top seniors, as they play one last high school game against seniors from Tennessee.

http://www.timesnews.net/Football/2019/06/10/Former-Tribe-coach-Clark-new-OC-at-E-H.html?ci=stream&lp=1&p=1

The 2019 FCA Va versus Tenn All Star Senior Baseball Game will be June 11th at Tenn High at 5.30pm

The annual FCA SWVA All Star Senior Softball Challenge will be June ,10th at John Battle High School. Coaching the West All Stars is Hannah Cress of Battle. East All Stars are coached by BJ Buchanan of Northwood. This is a doubleheader. Games begin at 5.30pm 

Hope the Mountain 7 can pull some magic tomorrow afternoon, but I think the SWD will sweep all four stick and ball matchups tomorrow.  Maybe one of the three schools (Richlands, Virginia High or Lebanon) can bring back some hardware from Radford in a couple weeks time.

Virginia High has a true chance to only win 2-3 games. They have a great group of assistant coaches and a couple of good, young athletes, but they are a couple of years away from trying to be competitive again.
Eighth graders had to try and carry their JV team last year, and unless a kid is a D1 or high level D2 talent, freshmen tend to take lumps at the varsity level, especially with the schedule that VHS has had the last couple of years. Numbers will be a problem again and they won’t have that same core of seniors having to carry the load, despite all of the in-house cards being stacked against them.
Region 2D should be Graham’s play thing again this year. Tazewell, Ridgeview, Union, Richlands, and Wise Central will be the 2nd tier teams. Battle and Gate City would round out my top 8. Marion, Lee, Lebanon, and VHS will be at the bottom looking up.

Unfortunately for VHS, Bristol is trending in a different direction. This year’s starting lineup is talented and experienced, but they generally only dress 12-13 kids per game. A couple of which, have to change into a varsity uniform, immediately after their JV game ends, just so we have some bodies.
People have been fooled by the 11-8 record of VHS on the season. Injuries ravaged the team in the first half of the season. Our two-time All-State 1st baseman missed 5 games due to a hamstring injury. Our #2 pitcher, and regular SS has dealt with herniated disks in his back all season. Our 3 year starter at 2nd base, as a baserunner getting a lead from third base, took a foul ball on the ankle from a near 100 MPH exit velocity line drive, and was hobbled for a bit. Our utility outfielder that plays both LF and RF depending on who is pitching, who is 6’5 and the fastest kid on a team with great team speed, would be a valuable asset to the pitching rotation but has dealt with shoulder issues all year.
The Bearcats are the healthiest they have been all season and are winning games. The Bearcats have lost 8 games, but not a single one has been a “bad loss”, so to speak. Their losses are.....
Three hard fought losses at Myrtle Beach, an extra inning loss to JSB to one of the area’s top pitchers, two losses to a very solid 18-2 Abingdon team, where the Bearcats led in the 5th inning in both games, an extra inning loss to a stacked team from Ohio, that beat Abingdon, in the FCA tournament where the Bearcats blew a five run, 7th inning lead when two of our starters went down with injuries, and a 3-0 loss to potentially one of the best pitchers this area has seen in decades, from a (previously) one-loss Lebanon team.
The beautiful thing about all of this, is we are talking about playoff, high school baseball. You never know what to expect at this time of the year.
I’m glad that Graham’s baseball feeder system is doing well. I hope to see this for other schools in the region, too. I’m just afraid that is not the case in the immediate future in Bristol.

Unfortunately for VHS, Bristol is trending in a different direction. This year’s starting lineup is talented and experienced, but they generally only dress 12-13 kids per game. A couple of which, have to change into a varsity uniform, immediately after their JV game ends, just so we have some bodies.
People have been fooled by the 11-8 record of VHS on the season. Injuries ravaged the team in the first half of the season. Our two-time All-State 1st baseman missed 5 games due to a hamstring injury. Our #2 pitcher, and regular SS has dealt with herniated disks in his back all season. Our 3 year starter at 2nd base, as a baserunner getting a lead from third base, took a foul ball on the ankle from a near 100 MPH exit velocity line drive, and was hobbled for a bit. Our utility outfielder that plays both LF and RF depending on who is pitching, who is 6’5 and the fastest kid on a team with great team speed, would be a valuable asset to the pitching rotation but has dealt with shoulder issues all year.
The Bearcats are the healthiest they have been all season and are winning games. The Bearcats have lost 8 games, but not a single one has been a “bad loss”, so to speak. Their losses are.....
Three hard fought losses at Myrtle Beach, an extra inning loss to JSB to one of the area’s top pitchers, two losses to a very solid 18-2 Abingdon team, where the Bearcats led in the 5th inning in both games, an extra inning loss to a stacked team from Ohio, that beat Abingdon, in the FCA tournament where the Bearcats blew a five run, 7th inning lead when two of our starters went down with injuries, and a 3-0 loss to potentially one of the best pitchers this area has seen in decades, from a (previously) one-loss Lebanon team.
The beautiful thing about all of this, is we are talking about playoff, high school baseball. You never know what to expect at this time of the year.
I’m glad that Graham’s baseball feeder system is doing well. I hope to see this for other schools in the region, too. I’m just afraid that is not the case in the immediate future in Bristol.

That’s what I hoped would be the outcome this year.  Being a realist, this team came fairly close to maxing out its potential later in the year.  Graham will be better still yet in coming years, as the time put into the BVLL in the early 2010s is paying some dividends.  The kids from the outstanding middle school program are moving up and continuing their training.  Baseball is becoming fun!

At last check, Tazewell was ahead of Graham, but barely. I believe that with a Graham win and Tazewell loss in the opening round of the district tournament, coupled with points Graham would receive with either a win or loss in the second round, would be enough for Graham to secure a spot in the region tournament.
I really believe that Graham is much better this year than the previous three years that my son has played against them. They played us very tough in our last matchup. If they do indeed secure the 4 seed, they will be a tough out for Battle, especially if Moore doesn’t pitch for JSB.

Looks like the only drama is for 1st and 4th.  1st is explanatory, 4th less so.  No clue how the points will shake out between Tazewell and Graham.

This is the last year Grayson Co. is in the mix as well. If either Grayson softball or baseball team were to qualify they would knock out one of the SWD teams.
 
 

Softball is pretty much the same way...
The four teams out of the Mountain 7 representing region will be:
Baseball:  John Battle, Union, Gate City and Wise Central
Softball:  John Battle, Union, Ridgeview and Gate City
Wise Central is already locked in to the 4 seed out of the M7 in baseball since they didn't advance yesterday and will play the Lebanon/Virginia High Saturday winner in the first round of Region I believe.

Tim Hayes Retweeted
 Bearcat Baseball‏ @vhsbearcats Game over. Lebanon - 7, Virginia - 8.     great state

Thanks a bunch Bearcat Dad, gives me a better understanding. 
Any update on the Lebanon/ VA High game?

I said I was done talking about it. If you all want to hate on me, go right on ahead. This topic isn't about that anyway. It's about Union. Hell I don't even remember now what even brought me up. If I brought me up, then I apologize. I don't particularly care anymore. Talk about the great and powerful Union Bears. Hell I bet they could probably beat Mater Dei as awesome and powerful as they are. Rest of the Mountain 7 don't even need to take the field this season. 

Good deal. Thanks!

Yes.. 

Is this official?

I was thinking Mabe as well, so I did a little research and his PG profile says he’s in the class of 2020.

I know Jake too and he's a great athlete and all around good kid. He actually chose not to play football his senior year but played basketball and has had some impressive outings in baseball this season which isn't surprising. Mabe boy from.GW is good also but not sure if he's a senior. 

I’m afraid I don’t know much about him, but if he’s signed with WV, that speaks volumes!

As of now we have 4 Va high seniors.. Dixon, Rose, Lewis and Lathrop. And Jake Watters of Bland and Josh Devine of GW.. Still adding players as we go. 

I’m afraid I don’t know much about him, but if he’s signed with WV, that speaks volumes!

What about the kid from Bland? Jake Watters..heard he has signed for West VA.