Charlottesville Faces Culpeper in Key Divisional Clash
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. -The Charlottesville Tom Sox (12-15) take on the Culpeper Cavaliers (12-14) at 6:30 p.m. in a matchup with playoff implications for the Valley League South division.
Coverage: The Tom Sox social media accounts will have live updates from Culpeper County High School. Fans can watch a live broadcast of the game on the Cavaliers YouTube Channel or listen to a radio broadcast on the Tom Sox YouTube channel. Live stats for all VBL games are available on the Valley Baseball League website courtesy of Presto.
Ticket Information: Tickets to Cavaliers games are $10 for adults. Seniors age 65 and older get in for $5, and youth under 12 in Little League gear can watch for free.
Probable Starters:
Winchester: RHP Alex Gonzalez (Cincinnati)
Charlottesville: RHP Gary Gibson
COULDN'T HOLD ON:
The 'Sox dropped a second straight game after surrendering the lead in the ninth to fall to Winchester 7-5 in seven innings.
Charlottesville started off right in the first, with Caiden Combs singling to bring in Tommy Landsnes for a quick 1-0 lead.
Clayton Armah worked three complete innings as the starter and didn't allow a hit. He struck out five batters and allowed one runner to score. He exited with the game tied 1-1.
After Armah came Garrison Wight, who worked a scoreless frame with a strikeout and a walk.
The stout pitching allowed the 'Sox offense to ignite again, with Brayden Bachman plating Combs on a single to left.
Henry Knighton entered in the fifth and allowed a run to cross on a wild pitch but held the Royals from any further offense.
Charlottesville would build its largest lead of the game in the bottom of the inning, with Harrison Campi scoring on a balk and Grayson McCollum scoring on a passed ball. Combs would collect his second RBI on a groundout to make it a 5-2 game.
The Tom Sox made another pitching change with Chris Fortunato entering in the sixth; he pitched a clean inning before running into some trouble in the seventh. He was replaced by Eric Davis, who couldn't hold the lead and exited the inning with the 'Sox trailing 7-5. The bats could not get going and the 'Sox were retired 1-2-3.
SCOUTING THE CAVALIERS:
The Cavaliers enter today on a five-game losing skid, one that has allowed Charlottesville to reach Culpeper in the standings.
The Cavaliers are led offensively by Greyson Gegg, who has shown elite plate discipline this season, working 25 walks to only 13 strikeouts. He's also collected 23 hits on the year, including a homer, which is good enough for a .365 average.
Like many other squads in the league, the Cavaliers do not have a pitcher qualified for the minimum. Although all-star Hunter Covill provides a spark out of the bullpen for Culpeper.
ALL STAR WIN:
The Valley Baseball League picked up the win over the Cal Ripken League 12-3 in an interleague showcase.
Evan Alwine and Brandon Dahlman both pitched for the VBL. Alwine worked a scoreless inning with a strikeout. Dahlman worked a full inning as well, paired with two strikeouts. The entire Valley League pitching staff finished the game with seven shutout innings to blank the Ripken League hitters.
Nicholas Dromboski was named the MVP of the game for the VBL, collecting two hits for a total of four RBI that pushed the Valley League into the lead.
This is the first time in three matchups that the Valley League has defeated the Cal Ripken League, with the latter taking the first two meetings in 2009 and 2011, respectively.
TRADITION OF SUCCESS:
The Tom Sox have been the Valley’s most successful team since winning their first title in 2017.
The ‘Sox have appeared in all but one championship series since ‘17 (2021) and have won the league title in three of those seven years.
Charlottesville’s 225-126 record since the start of the 2017 season is the best in the VBL.
Charlottesville’s seven championship appearances and three titles since 2017 are both the most in the VBL over that span.
The ‘Sox have reached the championship series for the last four seasons. With three different head coaches making up the four trips.
BACK IN THE SADDLE:
Charlottesville will welcome back six returners for another season with the ‘Sox.
Trevor Booton headlines the group after a 2025 campaign in which he earned an All-VBL South second-team nod. Boot returns for his third season in Charlottesville with several team records in reach for the righty.
Evan Alwine will return to Charlottesville after his season ended early due to inury last year. The ace of the rotation, Alwine was near the top of the VBL in ERA before the season-ending injury.
Lucas Cash will become the first four-year player for the Tom Sox in 2026. He pitched in Game One of the 2025 VBL Championship after arriving a few weeks prior.
Brock Clayton comes back to Charlottesville for his second season after earning an all-conference selection playing for NW Florida last season
ACROSS COLLEGE BASEBALL:
This year’s Tom Sox team is well represented around college baseball.
The 2026 ‘Sox team is made up of players from all three levels of NCAA baseball.
In division one, seven players represent two power conferences in the SEC and the ACC. Seven other division one conferences also have representation, including the A-10, SOCON, Big East, MAAC, CUSA, Big South and the MAC.
For Division two, one player each comes from the PSAC and the MEC.
Four teams from division three have ‘Sox players, the conferences being the ODAC, NCAC, NESCAC and SAA.
The ‘Sox also have four non-NCAA squads in the JUCO ranks. With players from Seminole State, Chipola, Louisburg and Pasco Hernando.
‘SOX ACROSS THE NATION:
The Tom Sox squad this season is home to players from seven different states.
The ‘Sox have one player traveling from out west in Simon Tesfaye.
Pennsylvania sends two players to Cville, with Evan Alwine and Lucas Ream representing the Keystone State.
Georgia has a strong foothold on the ‘Sox roster, with five players from the Peach State making the trip up north.
Charlottesville also has a player each from Tennessee, (Nolan Bethel) Florida, (Elijah Hurt) and North Carolina (Xavier McCoury).
The bulk of the ‘Sox squad comes from right here in the commonwealth, with a plethora of Virginia natives staying in state for the Summer.
The Virginia group also includes three Charlottesville natives in Dom Cafferillo, Will Yow and Lucas Arbelaez.
SOX IN THE PROS:
Charlottesville has a litany of players competing in the MLB and Minor Leagues this season.
Headlined by the Pasquatch. Vinnie Pasquantino was the first former Tom Sox player to make the bigs when he was called up in 2021 by the Kansas City Royals. The former AL All-Star has been a mainstay at first for the Royals over the past few seasons.
Wyatt Langford became one of the fastest players to reach the MLB after being drafted fourth overall by the Texas Rangers in 2023. He made the jump to the pros that season and by the end of 2024 was on the Rangers roster for their playoff run in 2024.
Trey Yesavage made history when he became the first former ‘Sox player to appear in a World Series game last year to appear in a World Series game. In typical Yesavage fashion, he shined, setting a rookie record by striking out 12 Dodger batters in his second start over seven phenomenal innings of work.
Cooper Ingle became the newest of the bunch to break through into the MLB when he was called up by the Guardians on June 26th. While Ingle’s stats were limited in a ‘Sox jersey due to injury, he stayed an entire season in Charlottesville in 2021. Ingle recorded his first hit and RBI in game two of Cleveland’s series against the Mariners.
COACHES CORNER:
Randy Tomlin returns for his third season at the helm of the Charlottesville Tom Sox
Tomlin first arrived in 2024 and led the ‘Sox to a league-best 26-13 regular season record. The Tom Sox would run through the playoffs and achieve the team's fourth Valley Baseball League Championship.
For the 2026 season, Tomlin joins Corey Hunt as the second coach in franchise history to work three seasons as skipper of the Tom Sox.
Tomlin is joined by four other coaches on his staff.
Thomas Abell returns for his second season as an assistant on Tomlin’s staff. An assistant coach with the local Monticello high school baseball team, Abell will resume his duties as first base coach once again.
Former player Will Pearson makes his return as the pitching coach for the 2026 season. After winning a VBL championship in 2024, Pearson concluded his collegiate playing career with the Iowa Hawkeyes in 2025, before beginning his coaching career.
Beth Woerner joins the staff this season, becoming one of a few full-time female assistant coaches in Valley Baseball League history. Woerner has worked with numerous collegiate teams in her career, including Lebanon Valley College, James Madison and the University of Charleston.
Last but certainly not least is Coy Tomlin, the son of head coach Randy Tomlin. Coy will continue to bring his infectious energy around the ballpark this season.
‘SOX IN DRAFT RANKINGS:
Charlottesville has a multitude of players slated to be taken in the 2026 MLB Draft.
Former Cavalier and current Tennessee Vol Henry Ford checks in at #145. Ford had a solid season, including a game-tying homer in game one of the Chapel Hill regional against East Carolina. The Charlottesville native may not have a position lined up in the pros, but he certainly has a future in the next level of baseball
Robbie Lavey had another great season at George Washington with the Revolutionaries in 2026. He ranks at #186 on the MLB top 200 as one of the best catchers available in the draft this season. The 2024 VBL champ will be an asset to whatever club decides to draft him
Last but certainly not least is Caden Ferraro at #189 on MLB’s list. Ferraro was one of the most efficient hitters in college in 2026, hitting .374 and consistently finding extra bases when the ball left his bat. His skill at the plate makes him an intriguing draft prospect when the draft rolls around.
