Sox Travel to Winchester to Begin VBL Championship
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CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. -The Tom Sox (23-18) begin the 2026 Valley Baseball League Championship against the Winchester Royals (22-16) at 7 p.m. in Winchester.
Coverage: The Tom Sox social media accounts will have live updates from Bridgeforth Field. Fans can watch a live broadcast on the Royals' YouTube Account. Live stats for all VBL games are available on the Valley Baseball League website courtesy of Presto.
Ticket Information: Tickets to Royals games are $7 for adults. Discounted tickets are available for seniors 60 and over and youth under 12.
Probable Starters:
Winchester: LHP Jack Carey (High Point)
Charlottesville: RHP Lucas Cash (Bridgewater)
CHIP BOUND:
A two-run blast from Brayden Bachman sealed a 5-2 Tom Sox win over the Waynesboro Generals to send Charlottesville to a fifth straight Valley Baseball League Championship series.
The Tom Sox hadn’t beaten the Generals at all on the road in the regular season. They managed to do it twice in the postseason to capture the VBL South Crown.
Xavier McCoury got the game started right. Leading off with a walk and coming around to score on a groundout from Tommy Landsnes.
Evan Alwine allowed a solo home run as the starter in his first inning of work, but bounced back with a few more scoreless innings.
Waynesboro would strike next in the fourth with an RBI double to make it 2-1.
Bryce Neely had a quick response, however, when he blasted a two-run homer to give the ‘Sox a 3-2 advantage they would never lose.
The Sox pitching didn’t allow another run after that fourth inning. Alwine finished six complete and handed the baseball over to Trevor Booton. Boot got through the seventh clean, but surrendered two baserunners in the eighth.
That meant Asher Sabom had to enter early to prevent any damage. He did, preventing both runners from scoring and keeping it a 3-2 game.
Brayden Bachman made it his night when he sent a 2-1 pitch over the scoreboard in left to give the Tom Sox insurance.
Sabom came back out in the ninth and set the Generals down 1-2-3 to send Charlottesville back to the championship
SOX ROYALS HISTORY:
These two squads have never met in the Valley Baseball League Playoffs. They will meet this season to decide who is the best of the Valley League.
Charlottesville leads the all-time series between the teams 13-12, although it is a fairly limited history.
The ‘Sox and Royals first played in 2015 during Charlottesville’s inaugural season in the VBL. The Tom Sox took both games of the season series that year, the first a 16-2 win and the second a 4-3 win.
This season, the Royals currently hold the bragging rights over the ‘Sox. The last matchup between the two was a late-game comeback win for Winchester on July 5th.
The Tom Sox haven’t beaten Winchester since 2023, with the Royals taking each of the last four matchups between the two teams.
PLAYOFF HISTORY:
This marks the ninth time in franchise history that the Tom Sox have reached the Valley Baseball League Playoffs. The ‘Sox have only missed the playoffs two times in the eleven years the Tom Sox have existed.
Randy Tomlin has made the playoffs now in three consecutive seasons, joining Corey Hunt as the second Tom Sox skipper to accomplish this feat.
Tomlin also joins Hunt as the only other Tom Sox manager to reach the Valley Baseball League Championship for three consecutive seasons.
Lucas Cash and Trevor Booton will play in their third and fourth VBL playoffs, respectively, this season.
With the ‘Sox win over Waynesboro, Cash now becomes the first Tom Sox player to be a part of four different Valley Baseball League Championship rosters. He will also be starting in Game One of the championship for consecutive seasons.
Charlottesville has made four consecutive trips to the Valley League championship series dating back to the 2022 season under Ramon Garza.
Since the inception of the Tom Sox in 2015, no team has won or has been to more Valley League Championships than the Tom Sox.
GHOSTS OF PLAYOFF PAST:
Playoff games have created legends in Charlottesville, some of whom are still remembered for what they accomplished.
Hudson Lutterman kept the ‘Sox alive in 2025, winning game two with a walk-off sacrifice fly to take the series to game three. He also turned a double play in the South Division final in extra innings to keep the game tied.
Sammy Mummau slugged one of the biggest home runs in Tom Sox history when he walked off game one of the 2024 VBL Championship series with a bomb.
Kyle Edwards did something very similar in 2023, when he clubbed a no-doubter against Strasburg, sending the series to game three and eventually pushing Charlottesville to the Championship series.
Alex Mardiney hit two homers in 2018, both came in the South Division Final against Covington to power the ‘Sox to another Championship appearance.
Last but not least, Charlottesville’s only VBL MVP Michael Wielansky hit .406 in the VBL postseason in 2017, leading the Tom Sox to a VBL Championship for the first time in team history.
STAT FAX:
The Tom Sox have worked themselves to second in the Valley League in total walks at the plate. A far cry from opening night against Waynesboro, a game in which the ‘Sox did not record a walk.
A group of ‘Sox have specialized at getting on base this season. Namely Tommy Landsnes, who is in the midst of a 29-game streak. Caiden Combs and Harrison Campi have also been proficient at finding their way on base, riding streaks of 20 games and 12 games, respectively.
The Tom Sox pitching staff has bounced all the way back from the rough start to the season, as the staff finished with the second-lowest regular season ERA in the Valley this Summer.
Evan Alwine picked up right where he left off last year and shined over a full season in the VBL. The righty finished with the lowest ERA among qualified pitchers in the Valley, leading the Tom Sox pitching staff in numerous categories.
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 THE MLB DRAFT:
Charlottesville saw eight former 'Sox be selected in the MLB draft to begin their professional careers.
Caden Ferraro was the first selection for the Tom Sox this year. The outfielder was drafted in the third round at pick 86 by the St. Louis Cardinals. The former VBL Champ and All-Big 12 talent will continue to showcase his plate prowess in the pros.
Robbie Lavey was selected in the fourth round with pick 124 to become the first 'Sox player drafted by the San Diego Padres. Lavey also became the highest-drafted George Washington Revolutionary in team history.
Henry Ford was next in the sixth round at pick 191 to the Seattle Mariners. The former Cavalier and Volunteer was the first selection of day two for the Tom Sox.
Ryan Wynn joined Ford as a future Mariner in the seventh round. The former Wofford Terrier and Georgia Bulldog capped off an excellent collegiate career this season with a trip to Omaha.
Jake Bennett was selected in the eighth round by Toronto. He spent a short stint with the 'Sox in 2023 before a breakout final season in college with Dallas Baptist in 2026.
Luke Craytor became the first 2025 'Sox player to be drafted when he was selected in the ninth round by the Chicago White Sox. The Hokie finished off his playing career with a major jump in play in his senior year.
Aidan Teel got the nod in the 11th round from the Minnesota Twins. Teel spent time in college with Virginia and Mississippi State, and he now joins his brother Kyle in the pros.
Ethan Sutton was the final Tom Sox player taken off the board in the 16th round by the Los Angeles Dodgers. He was excellent for South Florida in 2026 leading to his selection in the draft.
