CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Randy Tomlin, the 2024 Valley Baseball League Coach of the Year, will return to coach the Tom Sox for the 2025 season, the team announced Tuesday (October 29).
Under Tomlin’s leadership, the Tom Sox brought home their fourth Valley Baseball League title in 2024, defeating the Purcellville Cannons 2-1 in the best-of-three championship series. Despite suffering multiple injuries to key personnel in both the starting lineup and pitching rotation, the ‘Sox led the Valley League in earned run average and ranked top-3 in both batting average and runs scored. A league-leading six Charlottesville players were named to the All-South Division team and South Division All-Star team, the latter of which Tomlin was selected to coach.
“I feel grateful to be asked back,” Tomlin said. “The atmosphere [in 2024] was very good, and I felt like there was a lot of commitment to the growth of everything involved in the organization, to myself, and to the players.”
Coming off the fourth championship in team history, Tomlin is ready for the hunt for number five: “It begins day one with the mental and physical commitment to the dual purpose of their own development, but we’re working towards a team goal of playing and winning the last game of the season.”
In addition to his role with the Tom Sox, Tomlin is currently the head coach for Liberty Christian Academy, a position he has held since 2012. The Bulldogs are coming off of a VHSL Class 3 championship game appearance and have won 70 of their 74 games over the past three seasons.
Coy, Tomlin’s son, was an integral part of the success in 2024, as well. As an assistant coach, he brought an infectious personality to the ballpark that fueled the play on the field, Randy said.
“Coy brings some things that we all wish we had every day. He’s always full of energy. He always smiles. He loves life. He loves interacting with people. He loves the game and the joy of that with him.”
Tomlin, the seventh coach in franchise history, will become just the second multi-year coach in Charlottesville’s decade-long existence. He will attempt to lead Charlottesville to their fifth title – including their first back-to-back championships – in 2025.
“I think consistency for the organization on the surface means a lot, and it means a lot for reassurance from the fan support to the colleges to the players.”
ABOUT THE CHARLOTTESVILLE TOM SOX
The Charlottesville Tom Sox, a non-profit member of the Valley Baseball League collegiate summer league, have been one of the most successful collegiate baseball teams since their founding in 2014. The Tom Sox have won four Valley Baseball League championships in nine seasons, the most in the league over that span, and have appeared in all but one championship series since 2017, the most in the league. The ‘Sox reached the pinnacle of summer baseball in 2017 when they were named the No. 1 summer team in the nation by Perfect Game in just their third year on the field.
Additionally, the Tom Sox have an extensive record of success at the higher level. Seven Tom Sox players have appeared on Major League rosters, including 2023 fourth overall pick Wyatt Langford and Kansas City Royals first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino. Numerous Tom Sox interns have gone on to work in professional sports for teams such as the Washington Nationals, Miami Marlins, New York Jets, and companies including ESPN and the MLB Network.
