Just over two weeks have passed since the Charlottesville Tom Sox took home their fourth Valley League championship trophy with a 9-5 victory over the Purcellville Cannons in a winner-take-all matchup on August 1. After 15 days of reflection, it’s due time that Corbin’s Corner returned with some observations on Charlottesville’s exhilarating postseason run.
Celebrating Charlottesville’s playoff heroes
Securing the fourth title in franchise history was a total team effort, and the ‘Sox got important contributions up and down the roster. However, four ‘Sox delivered signature moments without which Charlottesville easily could’ve seen their dominant season come to a disappointing end.
The postseason run encountered an early speed bump after the ‘Sox fell to the Culpeper Cavaliers 4-1 in game one of the South Division Championship Series on July 26th. Facing elimination and hoping to avoid what would’ve been an incredibly disappointing early playoff exit, the boys made the trip to Culpeper and responded in a huge way.
Behind the efforts of Robbie Lavey (George Washington), the ‘Sox earned an 8-1 win in game two to even the series up at one game apiece. Lavey went 4-for-5 at the plate in the ballgame, including a mammoth three-run home run that all but put the contest to rest. Game two in Culpeper was the highlight of Lavey’s dominant postseason — the Oakton, Va., native went 9-for-20 (.409) in the playoffs with 8 RBIs to cap off a remarkably consistent summer.
After routing the Cavaliers in game three to advance to the VBL Championship Series, the ‘Sox welcomed the Purcellville Cannons to town for game one on July 29th. A tense, back-and-forth affair, game one fittingly went to extra innings as Charlottesville showed the resilience that defined much of its summer.
With the score knotted at five in the bottom of the tenth, Sam Mummau (Jacksonville) stepped to the plate and blasted a walk-off two-run bomb down the left field line to walk off the Cannons. Charlottesville’s second walk-off home run of the summer gave the ‘Sox an early 1-0 lead in the championship series and provided Mummau’s signature moment with the green and blue.
Mummau struggled at times throughout the regular season to find consistency at the plate, but when it mattered most the rising sophomore infielder delivered in a huge way. Mummau’s walk-off — his only long ball of the season — couldn’t have come at a better time and was part of an excellent postseason run for the Jacksonville commit.
After an unfortunate drubbing in game two in Purcellville, the series returned to Willie T. Barnett field on August 1 for a deciding game three. In front of a raucous C’Ville crowd, the ‘Sox pulled out a 9-5 title-clinching victory, thanks in large part to the late-game heroics of Cooper Blauser (Jacksonville State) and Daniel Powell (Kennesaw State).
With the ‘Sox clinging to a two-run lead in the eighth inning, Blauser delivered a much-needed two-run shot over the right-center field fence to provide a pair of huge insurance runs. The gargantuan blast was Blauser’s third extra-base hit of the postseason and the moment that Charlottesville fans could really begin to taste another championship.
Blauser’s homer set the stage for Powell, Charlottesville’s ace reliever throughout the summer, to slam the door shut in the top of the ninth. The Kennesaw State product did just that, striking out the side on fourteen pitches to put an exclamation mark on the 2024 season. Powell finished his summer with a 1.86 ERA and 26 strikeouts in 19.1 innings of stellar work.
The ‘Sox earned All-League honors and rewrote the record books
The 2024 campaign will go down as one of the best in franchise history, and the success of this summer’s squad is reflected in both the All-Valley League teams which were announced last week, and in Charlottesville’s freshly rewritten record book.
Six ‘Sox earned All-Valley League South Division honors including first-team selections Ryan Wynn (Wofford) (unanimous), Lavey (unanimous), Colby Wallace (East Carolina), Chase Stryker (Coastal Carolina), Bobby Olsen (Villanova), and second-team selection Powell.
Charlottesville’s six players on all-league teams ties the 2022 squad for the most in franchise history, illustrating the dominance of the ‘Sox this summer.
The 2024 Tom Sox also made their mark throughout the franchise’s record book. Collectively, the 2024 ‘Sox hold the best all-time on-base percentage (.414), hit the most triples (12), scored the second-most runs (340), drew the second-most walks (287), and allowed the second-least amount of hits (307) on the mound.
Individually, several ‘Sox put up some of the best seasons in franchise history as well.
Lavey blasted six home runs this summer (tied for second best in franchise history), propelling him to a top-ten ‘Sox single-season slugging percentage of .508 and RBI total of 30.
Wallace, the VBL’s regular-season batting champion, posted the eighth-highest batting average in club history at .348 and the tenth highest on-base percentage at .442.
Charlottesville’s dynamic lead-off hitter, Ethan Gibson (Virginia Tech), was another major part of the ‘Sox offense, drawing the fourth-most walks (32) in team history. Dean Mihos (Coastal Carolina), Cade Belyeu (Auburn), and Nick Parham (East Carolina) also drew some free passes this summer (although more painfully) as they now hold the top three spots on the franchise’s single-season hit-by-pitch leaderboard.
Randy Tomlin earned a deserved hat tip
Charlottesville’s trusty leader, Head Coach Randy Tomlin, earned VBL Coach of the Year honors earlier this week, becoming the third Charlottesville manager to earn the award in franchise history.
Tomlin expertly navigated the squad through an injury-riddled campaign, helping Charlottesville post a league-best 26-13 regular-season record and take home the club’s fourth championship. Tomlin pulled all the right strings this summer, keeping the ‘Sox motivated and ready to play despite an ever-changing roster and all the ups and downs that come with summer league baseball.
A former pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates and minor league pitching coach in the Washington Nationals’ organization, Tomlin led Charlottesville to a 3-0 record in elimination games in the playoffs and was especially valuable in managing a crowded ‘Sox bullpen. Tomlin helped three Charlottesville arms make All-Valley League teams and led the rotation to one of the best pitching seasons in club history. None of Charlottesville’s success this summer would have been possible without Tomlin’s steady hand steering the ship.
