CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Six Charlottesville Tom Sox players were selected to the 2024 All-Valley League South Division teams, the league announced Wednesday (August 7). Of those six, five were named to the first team, while the ‘Sox placed one on the second team. Selected to the first team were catcher Robbie Lavey (So., George Washington), second baseman Ryan Wynn (So., Wofford), third baseman Colby Wallace (So., East Carolina), and pitchers Chase Stryker (So., Coastal Carolina) and Bobby Olsen (Sr., Villanova). Pitcher Daniel Powell (So., Kennesaw State) was selected to the second team.
“This is a great testimony to the talent and the commitment of those guys,” said Head Coach Randy Tomlin. “I think it says a lot for the work that was done, the time put into them, and the time they put into competing on the field.”
Lavey, one of Charlottesville’s two unanimous selections, was selected to the first team after putting up an incredibly consistent season behind the plate. In 37 games on the year, the Second Team All-A-10 selection hit to a .315 average (third on the team) and led the squad in slugging percentage (.508), RBI (30), hits (41), and home runs (6). After putting together a stellar regular season campaign, he only stepped it up during the playoffs, going 9-for-22 with a team-leading eight RBI en route to Charlottesville’s fourth league championship. On the year, Lavey collected a team-leading eight multi-RBI games and ranks tenth in single-season slugging percentage.
Like Lavey, Wynn – Charlottesville’s second unanimous selection – also had a remarkably consistent season. In 33 games across a multitude of infield and outfield positions, Wynn’s bat never wavered, concluding the year with a .333 average, .871 OPS, 22 RBI, and a team-record three triples. He finished the year with 11 multi-hit games, second on the team, and seven doubles, which tied for second with a pair of teammates.
“I’m so happy for both of them,” said Tomlin regarding the pair of unanimous selections. “They both were so consistent throughout the year and came up big in many, many ways. For those two to be unanimous says a lot about their year, their play, and how they went about doing things.”
Wallace, the 2024 VBL batting champion, became Charlottesville’s first-ever third baseman to garner a postseason league honor. Wallace led the league with a .370 batting average in the regular season, collecting 16 RBI, 21 runs scored, and six doubles to join that clip. He added on an additional six runs, six RBI, and a clutch home run in the postseason to finish the year. He rose to the occasion in the biggest moments during the postseason, going 3-for-8 with five RBI, four runs, and the aforementioned home run across a pair of winner-take-all game threes.
“Colby was a guy who steadily improved. He came in, took a little bit to get going at the plate, then made a good adjustment in his approach and swing and really took off. From that point on, there were many times where he came through with big hit after big hit and played extremely well.”
Whether he started on the mound or came out of the bullpen, Head Coach Randy Tomlin knew he could count on Chase Stryker to perform. Stryker finished the year with a team-leading 2.27 ERA, the only Tom Sox player to qualify for the full-season ERA title, while also pacing the team in wins (5), strikeouts (36), and opponent’s batting average (.205). In his 12 appearances (four starts) on the year, Stryker only allowed multiple earned runs once and struck out multiple batters in nine of his 12 trips to the bump. He became only the third ‘Sox pitcher ever to earn five wins and was one of only two pitchers to cross the 30-inning threshold on the year.
“Chase was one of many, if not the pitcher who developed the most throughout the year,” said Tomlin, who pitched five years in the big leagues for the Pittsburgh Pirates. “From beginning to end, he showed a steady improvement figuring out who he was, how to use his stuff, and as we needed him, he really stepped up and gave everything he had. He was a huge part of why we won the whole thing. I’m proud of him for all he was able to do.”
Like Stryker, Olsen was also an incredibly dependable arm for Randy Tomlin’s staff on the year. The first Tom Sox player to win two league championships, Olsen finished the year with a 1.42 ERA across seven regular season appearances, striking out 24 and walking seven across that span. Across 15 total appearances in 2022 and ’24, Olsen ranks among the team’s career leaders in appearances, starts (9), and innings (43.2). He was named the South Division Pitcher of the Week on July 9 after a pair of appearances during which he allowed no earned runs in nine innings, striking out nine.
“From the time that he showed up, it was a huge help for the team to have Bobby. Once he got his feet wet, he made an impact right away, doing everything that was needed to help the team. He was pitching for a job, so to speak, and he worked hard to get the opportunity with Villanova. He was a big part of the pitching staff.”
Charlottesville’s lone second team selection, Daniel Powell had a season to remember as the primary closer for the 2024 VBL Champions. Powell finished second all-time with five saves across his 12 appearances, working to a 1.86 ERA and 26 strikeouts. He allowed an earned run in only three of his 12 appearances and Charlottesville won all but two of the games he appeared in, including the clinching game three of the Valley League Championship.
“When Daniel was available to pitch, we managed our game to get to him,” said Tomlin. “He was a huge part of our success; knowing that we could shorten the game to get to him.”
Charlottesville’s six players on all-league teams tie with the 2022 season for their most all-time. Each franchise in the South had a vote on the all-division team and teams were not allowed to vote for their own players.
2024 ALL-VALLEY LEAGUE SOUTH DIVISION – FIRST TEAM
C – Robbie Lavey, Charlottesville (George Washington)*
1B – Luke Hatcher, Harrisonburg (West Georgia)*
2B – Ryan Wynn, Charlottesville (Wofford)*
SS – Connor Maryniak, Culpeper (Charlotte)*
3B – Colby Wallace, Charlottesville (East Carolina)
OF – AJ Wenrich, Staunton (Georgia Southern)*
OF – Chris Katz, Harrisonburg (Wake Forest)*
OF – Kyle Neri, Waynesboro (Rider)
DH – Bryce Demory, Culpeper (Lynchburg)
Utility – Thomas Marsala, Covington (Hinds CC)
P – Jorge Garcia, Covington (Atlantis)*
P – Nate Ward, Staunton (Florida Southwestern)
P – Chad Harvey, Harrisonburg (Wingate)
P – Chase Stryker, Charlottesville (Coastal Carolina)
P – Bobby Olsen, Charlottesville (Villanova)
TWP – Andrew Shaffner, Staunton (NC State)
* denotes unanimous selection
2024 ALL-VALLEY LEAGUE SOUTH DIVISION – SECOND TEAM
C – LT Cockrill, Staunton (Delaware)
1B – Wyatt Campbell, Staunton (Florida Southern)
2B – Jalen Evans, Harrisonburg (Wingate)
SS – Jose Perez, Harrisonburg (Rollins)
3B – Jon Howard, Culpeper (Mt. Olive)
OF – Ike Schmidly, Staunton (James Madison)
OF – Spencer Williams, Covington (Carson-Newman)
OF – Gabriel Larry, Culpeper (Mississippi State)
DH – Chenar Brown, Covington (Louisiana-Monroe)
Utility – Jack Canizzaro, Harrisonburg (James Madison)
P – Daniel Powell, Charlottesville (Kennesaw State)
P – Matthew Sheppard, Waynesboro (Ferrum)
P – Grant Donkin, Staunton (Trevecca Nazarene)
TWP – Cam Nelson, Harrisonburg (Wake Forest)
