CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The 2024 Valley Baseball League champion Charlottesville Tom Sox announced the schedule for their 10th anniversary season today (November 15). The 2025 slate features the return of inter-division play in the Valley League and an all-new playoff structure, plus numerous exciting matchups and a pair of championship rematches between Charlottesville and Purcellville.
NEW IN 2025:
The Tom Sox will begin their weekend home games at an earlier time, with Saturday home games beginning at 4 p.m. and Sunday home games starting at 1 p.m. Monday through Friday home games will continue to begin at 7 p.m. Start times for road games will be announced by the respective hosts at a later date.
The 2025 season will also feature a brand new playoff format. For the first time in league history, all 12 teams will be granted a playoff berth. Each team will compete in up to three knockout games to determine who will face off in the best-of-three league championship series. The top two seeds in each division will receive a first-round bye while seeds 3-6 play their preliminary games, then the teams will play out the following games to punch each division’s ticket to the championship. The remaining teams seeded 3-6 in each division will be re-seeded following the initial game, with the division’s one-seed taking on the lower remaining seed and the two-seed taking on the higher. This innovative new format was created to increase competition during the playoffs while ensuring that the season ends by July 31, the final possible day of play for the league.
SCHEDULE HIGHLIGHTS:
Second-year head coach Randy Tomlin’s squad will kick off its season on Friday, May 30, taking on the Culpeper Cavaliers at Culpeper County High School. The Tom Sox defeated the Cavaliers 2-1 in last season’s best-of-three South Division championship series, a win which punched Charlottesville’s ticket to its sixth VBL championship appearance.
The following day, the ‘Sox will begin their 21-game home slate in a 4 p.m. tilt against the Harrisonburg Turks. The Turks were the only division team to win the season series against the Tom Sox last season, finishing with a 4-3 advantage.
Charlottesville will then play its first inter-division regular season game in nearly two years on June 1, hosting the Woodstock River Bandits for a 1 p.m. matchup at CHO Airport Field. The two teams will face off in a rematch of the 2022 league championship series, which Charlottesville captured 2-0 to win (at the time) its third league crown. Additionally, Hall of Fame manager Mike Bocock, who announced earlier this year that 2025 will mark his final season in the Valley, will make his final regular season trip to Charlottesville.
The first of two 2024 championship rematches will come on June 15, as the Tom Sox will travel to Purcellville to take on the Cannons in their first of two matchups on the year. The ‘Sox and Cannons went back and forth in a trio of thrilling matchups to crown the league champion last year, with Charlottesville ultimately winning the series 2-1 on August 1. Charlottesville owns the all-time series against Purcellville 18-7 and has won 12 of the last 15 matchups between the two.
Two weeks following the first meeting, Charlottesville and Purcellville will meet for the second – and final – time in the 2025 regular season, this time at CHO Airport Field. The Tom Sox are 10-2 all-time against the Cannons at home, a record which includes both of their wins in the 2024 championship series.
Charlottesville will wrap up regular season home play on Sunday, July 20, when they’ll host I-64 rival Waynesboro for the last of six matchups on the season. The following day, the ‘Sox will close out their slate in Staunton, facing the Braves for the 42nd and final game of the regular season.
The 2025 playoffs are set to begin on Thursday, July 24. As mentioned above, the preliminary rounds will take place in a single-elimination format to determine the teams who will face off in the inter-division, best-of-three championship series. Weather notwithstanding, the playoffs are scheduled to end on Monday, July 28 (July 29 if three games are necessary to determine the champion). The last possible day of play is July 31.
LEAGUE EVENTS:
The Valley League will break from July 13-15 for the annual All-Star Game, which makes its return to Harrisonburg’s Veterans Memorial Park in 2025 following a three-year leave from its traditional location. All-Star teams will be selected by a vote of each team’s head coach. The Tom Sox placed six players on last season’s South Division team in addition to Head Coach Randy Tomlin, who managed the squad.
The VBL will again take part in the annual NACSB Prospect Games in 2025. Further information on the games, including the opponent, site, date & time, and broadcast information, will be announced by the NACSB at a later date.
SEASON TICKETS:
2025 Tom Sox season tickets will be on sale soon for a lower price than ever before. Adult tickets are only $50 for 2025 – a 50% decrease from 2024 – with further discounts available for youth, military members, and seniors. Fans should stay tuned to Tom Sox social media outlets and TomSox.org for the release date and a special early bird sale.
Single-game ticket prices will be announced closer to the start of the season.
PROMOTIONS & SPECIAL EVENTS:
For the second consecutive year, all 21 Tom Sox home games will have a unique theme. The complete promotional schedule will be announced closer to the start of the 2025 season.
Fans or businesses looking to reserve seating for a group or company outing can take advantage of a reserved, tented group seating area and other special offers for large groups. Interested parties should contact the Tom Sox via email at [email protected] to reserve their spot.
