Baseball preview: More Dominion dominance

High Schools

With the state champion coming out of the Dominion District each of the past three years, there is no reason to believe it won't happen again.

Monacan won it in 2006, and James River won the championship the past two years. The district is wide open and stacked with talent. Manchester, Cosby, Clover Hill and James River all could make a run for it.

The Rapids lost player of the year Austin Stadler and pitcher Daniel Marrs (both at Wake Forest), but the lineup is loaded with seniors and strong bats.

"You don't necessarily replace an Austin Stadler or Daniel Marrs," James River coach Pete Schumacher said. "I think you give each pitcher you have as much confidence as you can give him and let him go out and do his best."

Every coach in the district, except Manchester's Ricky Saunders, picked Manchester to finish first.

"I'm not so sure we are the best team in the district," Saunders said. "I still think the district runs through Cosby and James River. But we are happy with our team."

The Lancers boast first-team All-Metro outfielder Blake Hauser, who is one of the best pitchers in the region. Hauser has signed with VCU.

"Blake has a lot of pressure on him, but he is a good kid, and I think he can handle it," Saunders said.

Clover Hill has experience and a valuable addition: left-handed pitcher Hunter Ackerman transferred in from next-door neighbor Cosby.

Clover Hill's gain is Cosby's biggest loss. The Titans were the district regular-season champions and Central Region runners-up to James River. Ackerman had a major role in that success. Cosby still has bona fide stars Bradley Shaban, a JMU signee, and speedster Mitchell Shiflett, who has committed to U.Va. They are two tough outs.

"We are honored that the coaches like our team," Saunders said, "but we know that you have to play at a very high level to win in this district."

Capital District

Hanover has senior Jake Mayers (UR commit) on the mound, who recorded a 1.12 ERA last season. The Hawks return seven starters with multiple years of experience. They won the district regular-season and tournament titles.

Henrico has a young team with 13 underclassmen. Paul Bateera, Michael Mansfield and Landon Prentiss will lead the Warriors from the mound.

Lee-Davis will challenge Hanover for the top spot. The Confederates need strong pitching from sophomore Jordan Boze, who went 4-2 with a 1.60 ERA last year. Lee-Davis has good team speed. Infielder and relief pitcher Andrew Hacker hit .472 last season.

Former Atlee assistant coach Kevin Elrod, who starred in football and baseball at Lee-Davis, moves up to head coach. He has superb pitcher Ryan Farrar on whom to count.

Varina's biggest strength this season will be the large number of seniors in the starting lineup. The Blue Devils project eight or nine of them on the field this season. Although the team is loaded with seniors, only a handful of starters return from last year's squad.

Highland Springs gets its home park, a rebuilt Bailey Field, back this season. The Springers are very young.

Central District

District coaches are pointing to Matoaca as the team to beat. The Warriors (region runners-up in 2006) have five players returning from last year's solid squad. Austin Kilbourne and Logan Walker are big-time hitters. Cory Ramsey is the top returning pitcher.

Thomas Dale has good starting pitching with juniors Bill Cullen and Ryan Moore. Following up last year's power numbers could be tough, although Charlotte-bound Michael Green and Cullen hit better than .400.

Dinwiddie needs consistent pitching from Dustin Harris, Chris King and Nick Christopher and good seasons from young, inexperienced players to boost the Generals' title hopes.

Hopewell returns an experienced team (six starters) but lost top player Adam Capps and still lacks a dominant force on the mound. Adam Duncan is the top returning hitter.

Prince George returns only three starters. Senior catcher Ryan Montgomery hit .385 last year and will help a young pitching staff. Montgomery is headed to Norfolk State.

Colonial Heights returns just three starters from last season and has a first-year coach, Brian Holt.

Meadowbrook, which beat Petersburg twice last year for its only victories, has a new coach.

Petersburg coach Michael Teasley will depend heavily on freshmen.

Colonial District

Mills Godwin, a region semifinalist, features U.Va.-bound Reed Gragnani, its senior shortstop who hit .525 last year, to lead its offense. Gragnani was an All-Metro first-teamer. Matt Lees was 6-2 with a 1.76 ERA last year as a freshman. The Eagles have eight starters back and have been bolstered by the return of Kevin Buran, a first-team All-Metro utility player last season while at Benedictine.

Deep Run has plenty of senior leadership, good speed and solid defense. R.C. Orlan (6-2, 1.81 ERA, 77 K's) and Seth Greene (2.05 ERA) are strong on the mound. Orlan is headed to UNC. The Wildcats' offense needs to improve.

Kyle Stanley (second team All-Metro 1B), Derrick Brewer and Taylor Seay provide Patrick Henry with good hitting and defense. The Patriots need to score more to challenge for the title.

Tag Montague takes over at Douglas Freeman for longtime coach Ken Moore. The Rebels have a Division I signee, Patrick Scoggins (Virginia Tech), on the mound and experienced position players. The defense should be good.

Hermitage loses no starters from last year. Among them is senior catcher Ryan Swartz, who hit .528. The pitching needs to improve.

J.R. Tucker is young (four sophomores, five juniors) even though eight starters return. Seniors Justin Lacy hit .382 and Scott Thurston hit .368 a year ago.

Maggie Walker Governor's School has a new coach. John Marshall and Thomas Jefferson (five starters back) are playing a limited league schedule.

Dominion District

Manchester returns eight starters including catcher Chris Ayers, who hit .367 last year, and infielder Joey Cujas, who hit more than .500. Ayers had a home run and four RBI in the season-opening win over Henrico.

James River is deep in position players but lacks experience on the mound. Zac Patrick and Nick Parnell are pitching candidates. Senior Austin McGowan (2B) hit .424 last year, Eamon Schwartz (RF) hit .321.

Clover Hill has significant depth for the first time in years. Senior outfielder Chris Smith, who hit .395 last year, is the top returnee. Coach David Zyglocke has to fill holes up the middle.

Cosby returns only two starters: Bradley Shaban and Mitchell Shiflett, who doubles as one of the top sprinters in the region. New pitchers have to step up for coach Tim Lowery, the dean (22 years) of area varsity coaches.

Midlothian will fight to be in the top half of the district with six starters returning. VMI-bound senior Miles McQuaig will lead the Trojans from the mound, and senior Ryan Barto should lead the offense.

Monacan coach Chris Johnson is in his first year. Returning five starters, the team should have good defense, but pitching is an issue.

L.C. Bird senior pitcher/outfielder Jaime Hendrick will be a force for the Skyhawks at both positions. The Skyhawks have a lot of young players with little experience.

Others

Benedictine will look to seniors Will Swoope and Mike Goldberg, both four-year starters, to lead the way. Swoope, headed to Maryland, plays three positions and hit .400 last season. Goldberg hit .313 and also pitches. Catcher Chris Dyer hit .390 last season. Benedictine has lots of veterans who will be making their first big impact. The Cadets have 28 games on their schedule.

Blessed Sacrament Huguenot returns a strong offensive team, led by Chris Howard, who hit .433 in 2008. The team's ace Connor Paul struck out 41 batters in 391/3 innings.

Collegiate first-year coach Andrew Slater is rebuilding around one returning starter, Brooks Jung (1B/P).

Goochland have a solid, experienced lineup from top to bottom. The Bulldogs need more pitching to go with Ben Verlander, who was 7-0 with a 1.16 ERA last year. He can hit, too. The Bulldogs should win the James River District and could chase another state title.

King William returns only three starters. The inexperienced players need to develop quickley. Seniors Justin Shields and Josh Belfield hit more than .400 last year.

New Kent returns five starters, including senior second baseman Jimmy Newcomb, who hit .487 last year. Kyle Henshaw and Ryan Patterson will lead the pitching staff.

Powhatan has five starters back from last year's Group AA state championship team. Transfer Jake Matthews from James River gives the Indians another veteran arm. He has signed with Liberty University. First baseman Hunter Gordon hit .432 last season with eight home runs and 34 RBI.

Richmond Christian returns all of its starters, but it will take some time to develop together. The team should be playing well by the end of the season.

St. Christopher's was a 2008 state finalist and has plenty of experience. The team should have good speed and solid defense but lacks proven pitching. Kurt Fleming, a transfer from Louisa, will be a new player to watch in the outfield and on the mound.

Steward returns a veteran squad that was nearly unstoppable last season. Seven starters return, including a lot of pitching depth. Clemson-bound J.T. Wauford had an 0.61 ERA, Logan Melton had a 1.40 ERA and Drew Coker had a 1.51 ERA. At the plate, Coker hit .494 and stole 12 bases. Catcher Brock Shiflett hit .475 and had eight home runs.

Trinity Episcopal returns seven starters and has a lot of experience on the field. Senior first baseman Jon Witt hit .439 last season, and junior middle infielder Jordan Tarsovich hit .380 and stole 15 bases. On the mound, Conner Bradley (5-1, 3.10 ERA) will lead the way.

Contact Eric Kolenich at (804) 649-6554 or .