Tom Sox Return Home to Face Rebels Tuesday

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The Charlottesville Tom Sox (9-6) will face the New Market Rebels (8-9) Tuesday night at CHO Airport Field, their first home game in nearly two weeks. It will be broadcast live on the Tom Sox Facebook page and Tom Sox TV. First pitch is set for 7 P.M.

Coverage: Viewers can head to the Tom Sox Facebook Page or Tom Sox TV to watch tonight’s game. A link to the live stats is available on Pointstreak. The Tom Sox Twitter account (@CvilleTomSox) will provide live updates.

Ticket Information: Admission to Tom Sox games is $5 for one person or $10 for a carload.

PROBABLE STARTERS

New Market: TBA

Charlottesville: RHP Darien Smith – Southeastern

LEADING OFF

• The Tom Sox will play their first home game in 12 days.

• Charlottesville and New Market will face off for the first time this season.

• The ‘Sox’s win streak was snapped Saturday at Strasburg, their first game in six days. 

• The Tom Sox will be off Wednesday before entering a stretch of 28 games in 25 days, including only one scheduled off day (July 4).

• Tuesday’s game is Dolly Rocks the Sox Night, sponsored by the Rotary Club of Charlottesville and benefitting Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library.

WHO’LL STOP THE RAIN?

• After no rain postponements for the first two weeks of the season, the Tom Sox have had a game postponed on six of the last nine game days. Four of the six have been home dates.

• Last Friday, the ‘Sox were scheduled to face Covington, a game which was then postponed to Monday. Large pop-up thunderstorms postponed both the scheduled and make-up game, and it will be made up on July 5.

• Tuesday’s scheduled game against New Market was postponed due to an unplayable field. That game is being made up today.

• Wednesday’s game at Staunton was postponed due to constant rain. It will now be made up on July 17.

• Thursday’s game at Purcellville was postponed due to rain. A makeup date is TBA.

• Friday’s game against Woodstock was postponed due to poor field conditions. It will be played as part of a doubleheader on July 7.

• The Tom Sox are looking to avoid a repeat of last season, when 13 total games (11 dates) were postponed, and playoff games had to be shuffled due to weather.

AGAINST NEW MARKET

• New Market is the only team that has an all-time winning record against the Tom Sox, with a 13-11 edge. 

• The Rebels have a 6-4 edge in the last ten meetings, which include the 2018 championship series – where they swept Charlottesville to win their first Lineweaver Cup since 2002.

• All four of Charlottesville’s wins over the last ten came consecutively, winning the final two meetings of the 2019 season before sweeping a doubleheader in 2021.

• New Market swept the Tom Sox with two 3-0 results at Charlottesville High School last summer.

• The Tom Sox defeated the Rebels on June 11, 2015 for their first win in team history. They now have the chance to beat the same team for their first and 201st all-time victories.

• The Rebels will be the Tom Sox’s penultimate new opponent of the season, leaving Winchester as the only team they have yet to face. 

EARNED NOT GIVEN

• Six Tom Sox players were named to the VBL Roster for the NACSB Prospect Showcase this week at Liberty University: Kyle Edwards (MIF), Logan Forsythe (RHP), Davian Garcia (RHP), Zach Root (LHP), Jordan Little (RHP), and Liam Best (RHP).

• Five players were named league all-stars and played in Sunday’s All-Star Game in Front Royal: Edwards, Kalvin Alexander (C), Brice Martinez (INF), Mike Eggert (RHP), and Mark Perkins (RHP).

• Lyndon Coleman was named the South Head Coach, courtesy of the Tom Sox owning the top winning percentage among the league’s southern teams.

GOING STREAKING

• Since going 1-2 over the first three games, Charlottesville has gone on a 4-game win streak, 3-game losing streak, and was on a 4-game winning streak prior to Saturday’s loss.

• Charlottesville’s wins and losses have heavily depended on the offense’s run output. They are averaging 9.0 runs per game in wins and 2.5 in losses, with a differential of 66 runs between their wins and losses. Contrarily, the pitching staff has allowed only three more runs in losses than wins.

• The ‘Sox have won two and dropped four home games. They have scored seven runs in both of the home wins and two runs in all four home losses. In all four home losses, they have not put across a run after the first three innings.

KYLE’S ON FIRE

• Since not starting the June 14 game at Waynesboro (his first game on the bench this season), Kyle Edwardshas gone 8-for-12 with four runs, six RBI, three doubles, a home run, and seven stolen bases.

• Three of the four outings have been multi-hit games.

• All of the RBI came in a dominant performance at Front Royal (June 17), where he drove in six to set a new team record.

• Edwards was named to the VBL All-Star team and prospect showcase team, the lone Tom Sox player named to both. He went 2-for-3 with a walk and run scored in Sunday’s All-Star game.

SPEEDY ‘SOX

• The Tom Sox have stolen 74 bases in their first 15 games, the most in franchise history.

• The 2023 team has sole possession of second place in team history in single-season stolen bases. They now only trail the 2021 team, who stole 110 in 2021.

• The 2023 ‘Sox now own the top three stolen base days in team history, stealing nine in game two against Covington, ten on June 9 at Harrisonburg, and eight on June 18 (tied with one other).

• Josh Tate tied the individual single-game record with four steals at Harrisonburg, tying a record that had not been touched in exactly eight years.

• This season, the ‘Sox have six games with 6+ stolen bases after having only six such games in their first seven seasons (322 games).

• The ‘Sox are currently on pace for 216 stolen bases on the year.

• Lyndon Coleman’s record in the VBL is 120, set by the 2016 Winchester Royals.

• They were not caught stealing over their first seven games, the longest streak without being caught to begin a season in team history.

ARMS ON FIRE

• The Tom Sox are third in the Valley League with a 4.26 ERA, trailing only Harrisonburg and Strasburg.

• ‘Sox pitchers have allowed four or fewer runs in nine of 15 games, including every one of the team’s first seven wins. Over their last two wins they have allowed seven and six runs, respectively.

• Two active ‘Sox pitchers have tossed at least five innings without allowing a run – Mike Eggert and Ryan Lynch.

• Six total pitchers have allowed one or no runs this season.

• Charlottesville has walked the fewest batters in the league (66), has the fewest walks allowed per 9 innings (4.5), and the most strikeouts per nine innings (11.3). They have 14 fewer walks than the second-place team (Covington).

1186 MILES

• Ten former ‘Sox represented their respective schools in the Men’s College World Series, which concluded last night.

• Wyatt Langford (‘21) – a consensus top MLB draft prospect – highlighted the list of Florida Gators that also includes starting outfielder Tyler Shelnut (‘22), reserve outfielder Matthew Prevesk (‘22), and reliever Fisher Jameson (‘22). Langford finished the series batting .375 with four homers, including the two longest home runs ever hit at Charles Schwab Field (opened 2011). He was named to the CWS All-Tournament team for his efforts.

• Three from the 1-seed Wake Forest Demon Deacons made the list, starting outfielders Pierce Bennett and Adam Cecere (‘21) and reserve outfielder Kyle Joye (‘22).

• TCU leadoff hitter Elijah Nunez (‘21) and reliever Garrett Wright (‘22) represented the ‘Sox’s Horned Frog contingent.

• Rounding out the list was Tennessee starting catcher Cal Stark (‘21), who transferred to the Vols from Weatherford College in Texas. Also representing the ‘Sox were Virginia’s Aidan Teel and Florida’s Chris Arroyo, both of whom will play in C’ville this summer.

SCOUTING NEW MARKET

• New Market sits eighth in the Valley with an 8-9 record. They are 4-6 in their last ten games and have split their last four.

• They have been apart of lopsided games on both sides, including defeats of 11-1, 20-5, 17-7, and 14-0, and wins of 15-4, 14-2, and two shutouts.

• The Rebels are last in the league with a .238 batting average (Charlottesville is 11th at .239). They are 9th in ERA.

• El Rico Riley leads New Market with a .339 average.