Tom Sox Battle Braves In South Division Semifinals

Tom Sox Battle Braves In South Division Semifinals

Game Notes
July 26, 2025•6 min read

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. –The No. 3-seed Charlottesville Tom Sox and No. 2-seed Staunton Braves meet on Saturday for the seventh and final time this season with a spot in the South Division Championship on the line.

Coverage: First pitch is set for 1:00 p.m. from John Moxie Memorial Stadium. Viewers can head to the Tom Sox YouTube channel to catch an audio-only broadcast with Jeremy Rose and Daniel Stein on the call. The Braves YouTube channel is where you can watch tonight’s game. A link to the live stats is available on Pointstreak. The Tom Sox X account (@CvilleTomSox) will provide live updates.

Ticket Information: General admission to all Braves home games is $7.

PROBABLE STARTERS

Staunton:LHP Parker Munday

Charlottesville:LHP Dawson Newman

POSTSEASON SUCCESS

  • Charlottesville enters the playoffs with their sights set on winning a second straight Valley League title, something that has never been done in Tom Sox history

  • In their first round matchup against Waynesboro last night, the ‘Sox used a stellar start from Brandon Eldridge (Florida Southwestern)and a five-run third inning to take down the Generals, 8-5

  • Eldridge fired in the longest start by a Tom Sox pitcher this season (6.2 innings), only allowing one earned run on three hits

  • Last year, the Tom Sox defeated Purcellville in game three of the Valley League Championship Series to win their fourth title in franchise history

  • The ‘Sox have appeared in all but one championship series since 2017 and have won the league title in alternating seasons during that stretch (‘17, ‘19, ‘22 (2020 season canceled), ‘24)

  • Charlottesville’s six 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 30-15 record in the postseason

SWINGING A HOT BAT

  • Jackson Sirois (Maryland) has moved into second place among qualified players with a .257 AVG

  • In the last 10 games, Sirois is hitting .286 with two doubles and five RBI

  • In Thursday’s win over Waynesboro, Sirois went 1-4 with two RBI

  • Brock Clayton is hitting his stride at the right time, hitting .375 in the last five games with a home run and three RBI

  • Clayton recorded his sixth multi-hit game of the summer in Thursday’s playoff win over the Generals

DOMINANT PITCHING

  • Charlottesville’s starting pitchers have provided solid outings all season long

  • Tom Sox starters finished the regular season with a 4.35 ERA and 129 strikeouts across 109.2 innings, while opposing hitters posted just a .215 AVG against them

  • Tim Lawson (North Carolina) leads the Tom Sox in innings pitched (24.1), starts (9), and strikeouts (37)

  • In the last 10 games, including Thursday’s playoff win, the ‘Sox staff has looked the best it has all summer

  • They’ve thrown 84.0 innings and hold a 3.75 ERA in that stretch, while recording 92 strikeouts and holding opponents to a .189 AVG

NEW PLAYOFF FORMAT

  • The brand-new Valley League playoff format granted a playoff berth to all 12 teams, but is single elimination until the championship series

  • The remaining eight teams compete in the division semifinals looking to advance to the division championship games

  • The winner of each division championship advances to the Valley League Championship Series, which is a three-game series

  • The highest remaining seed for the Valley League Championship Series will get home-field advantage for game one

SCOUTING THE BRAVES

  • Staunton finished the regular season with a 24-16 record, which earned them second place in the South Division and a first-round bye in the Valley League Playoffs

  • The last game the Braves played came on Monday, when they took down the ‘Sox, 3-1

  • Mikey Urbaniak isn’t qualified, but he leads the Staunton offense with a .387 AVG

  • Wyatt Campbell has been one of the best power hitters in all of the Valley League this summer, as he launched 10 homers during the regular season and won the Home Run Derby

  • Today’s starter, Parker Munday, is Staunton’s best reliever, and enters this game with a 0.93 ERA in 19.1 innings, as well as a 4.14 K/9

  • Staunton has won four of the six matchups this season, including all three at John Moxie Memorial Stadium

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 274 games, and have a winning percentage of .598

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

  • The ‘Sox have appeared in all but one championship series since ‘17 (2021) and have won the league title in four of the last seven seasons

  • 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

  • Charlottesville’s six championship appearances and four titles since 2017 are both the most in the VBL over that span

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

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