FROM CBB NEWS SOURCE
Waynesboro defeated Luray to wrap up the top overall seed and the unsettled #7 spot went to Harrisonburg with a home victory over Covington as the regular season wrapped up in the Valley Baseball League Monday night, setting the stage for the playoffs to begin on Tuesday. Read the rest of this entry »

FROM CBB NEWS SOURCE

Max Most, Staunton, OF, Jr., Port Washington, N.Y. (Old Dominion)
Most was an on-base machine for the Braves, reaching safely in 20 of 29 plate appearances for a .690 on-base percentage. The ODU Monarch led the league with a .571 batting average, going 12-for-21 with two doubles. He scored seven runs, drove in four, and led the league with eight walks. Adding to his arsenal, Most also shared the league lead with six steals. For the season, he is batting .364 with 25 runs, 10 doubles, 15 RBIs, 21 walks, 19 steals, and a .447 on-base percentage. Read the rest of this entry »

VBL Week Six Pitchers of the Week

Josh Squatrito

Josh Squatrito, Staunton, RHP, Jr., Willow Street, Pa. (Towson)

Squatrito, from Towson, pitched three scoreless innings last week, holding opponents to one hit while striking out seven of 10 batters faced. The Tiger recorded three saves to share the league lead for the week and had an opponent batting average of .100.  For the season, Squatrito is 1-2 with a 0.92 ERA, seven saves, 17 hits allowed,  and an opponent batting average of .235 in 19 2/3 innings pitched.  Of his 59 outs recorded, 49 have been by strikeout.
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FROM CBB NEWS SOURCE
Beginning with the 2009 season, the Valley Baseball League will field 12 teams with the addition of the Rockbridge Rapids. The announcement was made in a special ceremony on Friday, July 11, 2008 in Lexington, Va.

The Rockbridge Rapids will be based in Lexington and will play home games under the newly installed lights at Cap’n Dick Smith Field on the historic campus of Washington and Lee University. The name Rockbridge comes from Rockbridge County in Virginia, which includes the neighboring cities of Lexington and Buena Vista. Read the rest of this entry »

VBL Week Five Pitchers of the Week

Chris Greiner, Haymarket Senators, RHP, So., West Hartford, Conn. (Hartford)

The sophomore from Hartford pitched a complete game in a 5-1 win over Harrisonburg last week. He had an ERA of 1.00 while allowing six hits with 11 strikeouts and an opponent batting average of .182. He ranked first in the league this week for strikeouts. Greiner now has an ERA of 2.45 and is 2-1 for the season. In 36 2/3 innings pitched he has 41 strikeouts and 29 hits against him and one save.

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FROM CBB NEWS SOURCES
COVINGTON, Va., July 6, 2008 – Harrisonburg first baseman Michael Precise (Troy) hit a two-run single in the bottom of the ninth to clinch a 5-5 tie in the 2008 Valley Baseball League All-Star Game at Covington’s Casey Field.

VBL rules do not allow extra innings in all-star games. The tie is the second in the last three years as the 2006 contest was also a tie. The exhibition affair featured 30 total position players and 21 pitchers. Read the rest of this entry »

Manager: Lawrence Nesselrodt (Waynesboro)

Assistant Coaches: Andy Chalot (Covington), Bob Wease (Harrisonburg), Nolan Neiman (New Market), Lance Mauck (Staunton)

Manager: Mike Bocock (Luray)

Assistant Coaches: Paul Koch (Fauquier), Bob Brotherton (Front Royal), Bill Shields (Haymarket), John Lowery (Winchester), Donn Foltz (Woodstock)

Drew Rucinski, Luray Wranglers, RHP, Fr. Broken Arrow, Okla. (Ohio State)

Rucinski, a right-handed freshman from Ohio State, had a notable week with eight strikeouts and three hits, all singles, against him while pitching seven innings with a .136 opponent batting average. Rucinski did not allow a run to share the league lead with a 0.00 ERA for the week. For the season, Rucinski has an era of 1.77 and 21 strikeouts in 20 1/3 innings pitched. Read the rest of this entry »

VBL Week Three Pitchers of the Week

Adam Liberatore, Waynesboro Generals, LHP, Jr., Monaca, Pa. (Tennessee Tech)

Liberatore, a left-handed junior from Tennessee Tech, ended his week with an impressive 18 strikeouts and only six hits against him while pitching 13 1/3 innings. He was credited with two victories, both combined shutouts, in the two games that he started. He was the only VBL pitcher to earn two wins last week. The Golden Eagle soared high this week while his opponents had a combined batting average of .125 in 48 at bats. Liberatore is now 3-0 with a 0.62 era and 32 strikeouts in 29 innings pitched. Read the rest of this entry »

John Leonard who runs All Things Valley League website recently talked with Chris Graham of the Augusta Free Press show. They discussed the website and the Valley League in depth. The full interview is available here.

FROM CBB NEWS SOURCES

Tucker Pryor, Front Royal Cardinals, RHP, So., Orlando. Fla. (North Florida)

The sophomore from North Florida pitched a complete game against the Woodstock River Bandits, allowing just five hits while striking out 12. Pryor also pitched against the Staunton Braves with an impressive 14 strikeouts in 7 1/3 innings. By the end of the week Pryor ended up with 26 strikeouts, no walks, a 1.52 ERA, and a .153 opponent average.  For the year, Pryor is 1-1 with a 2.39 ERA and 33 strikeouts.

Donald Howell, Staunton Braves, RHP, So., King George, Va. (Bluefield)

Howell pitched 7 2/3 innings over three outings with 27 at bats and only five hits. He ended the week with 12 strikeouts. Howell’s opponents batting average was just .185 with the only extra-base hit being a double. The Bluefield College righthander is now 1-0 on the season with one unearned run in 11 total innings and 18 strikeouts.

VBL Week Two Players of the Week

Brad Roberts, Woodstock River Bandits, 2B, Jr., Tampa, Fla. (Florida Golf Coast)

As a junior from Florida Golf Coast University, Roberts made a quick impact on the River Bandits team. In the three games he has played, he’s posted a .538 batting average, going 7-for-13 with a double and a home run. He’s scored four runs to go along with his two RBIs and one stolen base.

Brandon Sizemore, Waynesboro Generals, 2B, Jr., Bryceville, Fla. (Charleston)

In his first week with Waynesboro as a returning player from last year’s championship team, Sizemore had a batting average of .455 with five hits, three runs scored, two doubles, two home runs and five RBI’s. His slugging average was the best in the VBL for the week at 1.182. He was tied for first with the most home runs this week and came in third for the best on-base percentage.