Tom Sox Square Off With Covington
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. -The Charlottesville Tom Sox (11-13) will look to rebound from a loss as the Covington Lumberjacks (7-16) come to town with first pitch set for 8 p.m.
Coverage: The Tom Sox social media accounts will have live updates from CHO Airport Field. Fans can watch a live broadcast of the game on the Tom Sox YouTube Channel or Facebook. Live stats for all VBL games are available on the Valley Baseball League website courtesy of Presto.
Ticket Information: Tickets to Tom Sox games are $8 for adults. Discounted tickets are $5 and are available for military, first responders, children under 12 and seniors over 55.
Probable Starters:
Covington: TBA
Charlottesville: TBA
SLOW NIGHT:
Charlottesville's offense had a slow night in a 3-1 loss to the Covington Lumberjacks.
Evan Alwine made his fourth start of the season, allowing three runs in the first two innings, but settled in and completed six innings of work.
It took until the sixth inning for the 'Sox to record a hit, when Dom Cafferillo lined one into left field for a base hit. Despite another base runner that inning, the 'Sox would strand them both on the base path.
Chris Fortunato made his Tom Sox debut in the seventh inning onward and impressed, striking out three batters over 2.1 scoreless innings.
The 'Sox attempted to start a rally in the ninth; Xavier McCoury worked a leadoff walk and came around to score on a Tommy Landsnes single. The 'Sox brought the tying run up to the plate but a deep flyout from Brock Clayton ended the night.
SCOUTING THE LUMBERJACKS:
Covington has struggled to find wins this season, with a VBL-worst 7-16 record.
The Jacks rank in the bottom part of the league in most offensive statistics, although some players have still had success. Cross Yarborough has been a two-way threat at catcher, and Frankie Clark has been a consistent presence at the plate.
Like many other teams, Covington has no pitchers that are qualified this season. Hunter Depriest has been one of the main arms for the team, his best outing coming in a shutout win over Waynesboro.
The season series between these two clubs favors Charlottesville 2-1. The only game at CHO Airport field was a win for the 'Sox.
WALK THIS WAY:
The Tom Sox have taken a much more patient approach to their at-bats over the last week.
In the win over Harrisonburg, the ‘Sox worked a season-high 12 walks, which led to an eight-run first inning that paved the way for a 10-0 run-rule victory over the Turks.
They followed up that performance by drawing eight walks against Staunton on Thursday, which once again helped lead to a mercy rule win over the Braves.
The ‘Sox reached base via the walk seven times in the win over Covington on Friday, with Chase Jackson’s RBI walk proving to be the game-winning run.
A team that was once near the bottom of the league in walks, Charlottesville has now climbed to seventh in the Valley with 142 free passes. The patient approach has surged the Sox back into the playoff equation. Proving that patience is always key.
A TRIO OF ALL-STARS:
Charlottesville will be represented by three pitchers on the VBL All-Star team come July 7th.
Lucas Cash and Brandon Dahlman made the roster as starters, and Evan Alwine was selected as an alternate.
Cash leads the Valley League in innings pitched this season with thirty total. He has gone at least five innings in each of his starts, with his last being a complete-game seven-inning shutout victory over the Harrisonburg Turks.
Dahlman arrived a week into the season and quickly cemented himself as one of the best pitchers in the Valley League. The righty has struck out 32 batters in 16.2 innings pitched while only allowing two earned runs.
Evan Alwine has earned his second consecutive All-Star nod in the Valley League. The Pennsylvania native has worked as a reliever and a starter for the 'Sox this season across 26.1 innings. His best appearance came against Covington last week, where he threw seven shutout innings with seven strikeouts.
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 224-124 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.
Catcher Jack McMullan also makes his return to the Tom Sox squad. McMullan helped lead the ‘Sox to a title during his stint in 2024.
Brock Clayton comes back to Charlottesville for his second season after earning an all-conference selection playing for NW Florida last season
Caden Harris, who was one of the youngest ‘Sox players last year returns with a full season of college baseball experience behind him at UVA Wise.
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.
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.
