Tom Sox Try To Keep Season Alive In Game Two Of Valley League Championship Series
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. –The Tom Sox are in must-win mode to keep their season alive tonight as they face off against the Strasburg Express for game two of the Valley League Championship Series.
Coverage: Tonight’s playoff game is set for a 7 p.m. first pitch from CHO Airport Field at Charlottesville High School. Viewers can head to the Tom Sox Facebook page or the Tom Sox YouTube channel to watch tonight’s game. Jeremy Rose and Daniel Stein will be on the call. A link to the live stats is available on Pointstreak. The Tom Sox X account (@CvilleTomSox) will provide live updates.
Ticket Information: Admission to all Tom Sox home games is $5. Seniors ages 65 and older, children 12 and under, and any military or first responders get in for $3. Season tickets can be purchased online here.
PROBABLE STARTERS
Strasburg: LHP Dawson Coe
Charlottesville: RHP Brandon Eldridge
WILD GAME ONE
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
Kyle Langley (James Madison)recorded a Tom Sox season-high five RBI, which included a three-run homer
Everyone in the ‘Sox lineup reached base safely, and Evan Taveras had a multi-hit game courtesy of two doubles
After the Tom Sox put up a five-spot in the top of the fifth, Strasburg’s offense went to work in the bottom half, scoring six runs to reclaim an 8-5 lead
Charlottesville entered the top of the seventh down by six, but quickly turned the tide as Langley drove in his fourth run,Brock Clayton laced an RBI single, and Patrick Niehus (Gardner-Webb)lined an RBI triple, which turned into a little league homer after a Strasburg error
The ‘Sox added two more in the eighth to tie the game at 11, and Saxon 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
BACK IN THE CHAMPIONSHIP
The Tom Sox their sights set on winning a second straight Valley League title, something that has never been done in Tom Sox 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 32-16 record in the postseason
POSTSEASON SUCCESS
In their first round matchup against Waynesboro on Thursday, the ‘Sox used a stellar start from Brandon Eldridge and 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 by scoring seven unanswered runs
Patrick Niehus (Gardner-Webb)and Hudson Lutterman (Virginia Tech)each drove in a run in the seventh, before the ‘Sox strung together six straight singles to begin the eighth which sparked a four-run inning
Ian White Jr. (Indiana)and Niko Janssens (College of Central Florida)both shoved out of the bullpen, combining for six innings and only two runs allowed
In the South Division Championship against Culpeper, Charlottesville faced an early three-run deficit before storming back to tie the game in the fifth
Ryan Pugh (Delaware), Riley Roarty (Virginia Commonwealth),and Trevor Booton (Auburn)kept the ‘Sox in the game with stellar relief outings, but their 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 Tom Sox in extras as he tapped an RBI single to the left side of the infield, sending Charlottesville to its fourth straight Valley League Championship Series
SWINGING A HOT BAT
Kyle Langley and Jackson Sirois are tied for the team lead among qualified players with a .270 AVG
In the playoffs, Langley is posting a .364 AVG with eight hits, and Sirois is hitting for a .353 AVG
Against Staunton on Saturday, Sirois set the Tom Sox season-high with four hits, and reached base five times
Brock Clayton is hitting his stride at the right time, posting a .313 AVG in the last 10 games
As a team, the Tom Sox are hitting .273 in the playoffs and averaging 6.8 runs per game
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 (24.2), starts (9), and strikeouts (37)
In the last 10 games, including the playoffs, the ‘Sox staff has thrown 89.2 innings and hold a 4.62 ERA in that stretch, while recording 102 strikeouts and holding opponents to a .194 AVG
SCOUTING THE EXPRESS
Strasburg finished the regular season with the best record in the Valley League at 26-11
The Express have won their last 10 games, and all three games they’ve played against the Tom Sox this summer
Tonight’s starter, Dawson Coe, has a 4.50 ERA across 18 innings this summer
Landon Beaver has been one of the best players in the Valley League this season, as he’s hitting for a .343 AVG with 14 home runs and 48 RBI in 31 games
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
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 276 games, and have a winning percentage of .599
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)
