Charlottesville and Strasburg Fight For Valley League Title In Game Three

Charlottesville and Strasburg Fight For Valley League Title In Game Three

Game Notes
July 25, 2025•6 min read

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. –The Tom Sox and Express will lay everything on the line tonight in game three of the Valley League Championship Series, as the 2025 Valley League champion will be decided.

Coverage:First pitch is set for 7 p.m. from First Bank Park. Viewers can head to theTom Sox YouTube channel for an audio-only broadcast with the entire on-air team of Jeremy Rose, Luke Stefanisko, Daniel Stein, and Landon Weaver calling the action. You can find the video stream on Strasburg’s Facebook page or the Express YouTube channel. A link to the live stats is available on Pointstreak. The Tom Sox X account (@CvilleTomSox) will provide live updates.

PROBABLE STARTERS

Strasburg:RHP John Gray

Charlottesville:LHP Alex Bingler

CHAMPIONSHIP CRAZINESS

  • Charlottesville and Strasburg began the 2025 Valley League Championship Series with an instant classic, which ended in a 12-11 win for the Express in 10 innings

  • Charlottesville entered the top of the seventh down by six, but quickly turned the tide asKyle Langley (James Madison)drove in a run,Brock Claytonlaced an RBI single, andPatrick Niehus (Gardner-Webb)lined an RBI triple

  • The ‘Sox added two more in the eighth to tie the game at 11, andSaxon Roberts (Auburn)shoved on the mound to keep the Express at bay

  • In the bottom of the tenth, Strasburg finally got to Roberts, as Paul Osting roped a walk-off single into right field, giving the Express a game one win

  • Moving onto game two, the Tom Sox faced a similar situation, trailing by three going into the sixth

  • Clayton brought home a run in the bottom of the sixth, and the ‘Sox tied the game an inning later on aPerry Hargett (North Carolina)RBI single

  • After Strasburg reclaimed the lead in the top of the eighth,Charlottesville needed an immediate response, andEvan Taverasprovided it

  • He came off the bench and drove a two-run double down the right field line to tie the game at seven, putting all of the momentum back in the Tom Sox favor

  • AfterIan White Jr. (Indiana)kept Strasburg scoreless in the top of the ninth, Charlottesville was in position to walk it off in the bottom half

  • After the Tom Sox strung together three-straight baserunners,Hudson Luttermanstepped up to the plate with the bases loaded and lifted a sacrifice fly into centerfield, forcing a game three

  • Through the first two games of the series, both teams have combined for 38 runs, 48 hits, 54 runners left on base, and each team has a walk-off win

BACK IN THE CHAMPIONSHIP

  • The Tom Sox have their sights set on winning a second straight Valley League title, something that has never been done in franchise history

  • With Sunday’s win over Culpeper, the Tom Sox advanced to their fourth straight Valley League Championship Series and their seventh in the last eight seasons

  • Charlottesville’s seven championship appearances and four titles since 2017 are both the most in the Valley League over that span

  • Charlottesville has only missed the playoffs one time in its history (2016), and holds a 33-16 record in the postseason

POSTSEASON SUCCESS

  • In their first round matchup against Waynesboro on Thursday, the ‘Sox used a stellar start fromBrandon Eldridgeand a five-run third inning to take down the Generals, 8-5

  • On Saturday in the South Division Semifinals against Staunton, Charlottesville came back from a 6-3 deficit to defeat Staunton, 10-7

  • In the South Division Championship against Culpeper, Charlottesville faced an early three-run deficit before storming back to tie the game in the fifth

  • Culpeper immediately responded, and after a quiet few innings offensively, the ‘Sox season was hanging in the balance in the ninth

  • Lutterman laced an RBI single to tie the game at four, a score that held until the bottom of the twelfth

  • Jackson Sirois (Maryland)was the hero for the ‘Sox in extras as he hit walk-off infield single, sending the Tom Sox back to the championship series

SWINGING A HOT BAT

  • Kyle Langleyholds the team lead among qualified players with a .274 AVG

  • In the playoffs, Langley is posting a .370 AVG with 10 hits, and recorded a Tom Sox season-high five RBI in the game one loss to Strasburg

  • Jackson Siroishas also been a force at the top of the ‘Sox lineup, hitting for a .348 AVG in the playoffs

  • Against Staunton on Saturday, Sirois set the Tom Sox season-high with four hits, and reached base five times

  • Brock Claytonis hitting his stride at the right time, posting a .324 AVG in the last 10 games

  • As a team, the Tom Sox are hitting .299 in the playoffs and averaging 8.4 runs per game

SCOUTING THE EXPRESS

  • Strasburg finished the regular season with the best record in the Valley League at 26-11

  • Tonight’s starter, John Gray, has a 2.40 ERA across 30 innings this summer

  • Landon Beaver has been one of the best players in the Valley League this season, as he’s hitting for a .348 AVG with 14 home runs and 49 RBI in 32 games

  • Brady Boles has four hits in the championship series, including three in Strasburg’s game one win

  • Through four playoff games, the Express are posting a .338 AVG as a team and averaging 9.5 runs per game

  • In the regular season, Strasburg hit for a .294 AVG, the best mark in the Valley League, and hit a league-best 57 home runs

  • The Express are in search of their fourth Valley League title in franchise history, and their first title since 2021

10TH SEASON OF TOM SOX BASEBALL

  • 2025 marks the tenth season of Charlottesville Tom Sox baseball

  • Since 2015, the team’s inaugural season, the ‘Sox have won four Valley League Championships, appeared in the championship series six times, and been a step in over 30 professional players journeys

  • Over the last decade, the Tom Sox have won 277 games, and have a winning percentage of .600

COACHES CORNER

  • Randy Tomlin, the reigning VBL South Division Coach of the Year, returns to Charlottesville for his second season at the helm of the Tom Sox

  • Tomlin became the third Tom Sox head coach to earn Coach of the Year honors, joining Corey Hunt (2017) and Kory Koehler (2021)

  • Tomlin led the ‘Sox to a 30-15 overall record in his first season, a league-best 26-13 regular season record, and the fourth Valley Baseball League Championship in team history

  • Tomlin is also the current head coach at Liberty Christian Academy

  • Under Tomlin, the Tom Sox finished top three in the VBL in batting average, runs scored, ERA and WHIP during the regular season

  • Randy’s son, Coy Tomlin, also returns for his second season as an assistant coach, where he will continue to bring infectious energy to the ballpark each night

  • Assistant coaches Thomas Abell, Jim Darin, Joey Davis (Hitting), and Chris Glaize (Pitching) round out the 2025 staff. Darin, previously on Corey Hunt’s staff from 2017-2019, rejoins the staff after three trips to the Valley League Championship

  • Davis, the hitting coach, a two-time World Series champion, spent 10 years as a major league scout for the Toronto Blue Jays, Philadelphia Phillies, and Atlanta Braves, and has previously coached at Berry College, St. Leo College, Western Kentucky, as well as both the Blue Jays and Phillies organizations

  • Glaize, the pitching coach, is currently the head coach at Brookville High School in Lynchburg, VA, and has previously served as an assistant coach for the Purcellville Cannons and Winchester Royals

A WINNING MODEL

  • The Tom Sox have been the Valley’s most successful team since winning their first title in 2017

  • Prior to the start of the season, Charlottesville’s 190-99 record since the start of the 2017 season is the best in the VBL

  • The Tom Sox have won the league title in alternating seasons since 2017 (‘17, ‘19, ‘22 [2020 season cancelled], ‘24)

Back to Blog