CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The Charlottesville Tom Sox (0-0) will face the Covington Lumberjacks (0-0) on Saturday night to kick off their 2021 season at Charlottesville High School. It will be broadcast live on the Tom Sox Facebook page & 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 (@CvilleTomSoxVBL) will provide live updates.
Ticket Information: Admission to all Tom Sox games in 2021 is free, courtesy of Carter Bank & Trust. Parking is available at a first-come, first-served basis in the CHS upper, lower, and student lots.
PROBABLE STARTERS
Covington: TBA
Charlottesville: RHP Trace Bright (Auburn)
LEADING OFF
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The Tom Sox will take the field for the first time in 668 days, and the first time since they won the 2019 VBL Championship.
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Charlottesville won their second league championship in 2019, defeating the Strasburg Express 2-0 in the best-of-3 championship series.
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The newly named Crutchfield Park hosts a game for the first time.
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The ‘Sox open the season with a new coach for the first time since 2017, as Kory Koehler will take the reigns upon arrival.
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All Tom Sox games are free of charge for the first time, as admission is sponsored by Carter Bank & Trust.
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Charlottesville has won 6 of the last 7 games against the Lumberjacks dating back to 2018.
SEASON OPENER STATS
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The ‘Sox face the Lumberjacks to open the season for the second time. The two teams also played the season opener in 2017.
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Charlottesville starts the season at home for the second time in team history (2016).
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The Tom Sox are 1-4 in season openers, with the only win coming against the Lumberjacks in 2017.
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The team is 3-2 in home openers and has won the last three.
CONSISTENT SUCCESS
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The Tom Sox won their second VBL championship in three seasons in 2019.
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Charlottesville has reached the league championship series in each of the last three seasons, winning championships in 2017 & 2019.
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The Tom Sox have ranked top-2 in the VBL in ERA in each of the last three seasons.
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The ‘Sox have ranked top-2 in the VBL in batting average both the years they won the championship.
COACHING DIFFERENCES
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The Tom Sox will be without their normal coaching staff for the beginning of the season, as Head Coach Kory Koehler is coaching the San Jacinto Gators in the JUCO World Series.
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Pitching Coach John Maley is coaching his high school team in the state playoffs.
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Filling in for the official staff will be Mike Paduano, Jeff Burton, Joe Koshansky, and Bobby Humphrey.
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Paduano is the President and General Manager of the Tom Sox.
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Burton is the co-founder and recruiting coordinator for the ‘Sox. He is a former head coach at The Covenant School and is the founder & president of H3 Sabres Baseball.
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Koshansky is a Virginia Baseball Hall of Famer, earning the 2004 ACC Player of the Year. He set Virginia’s single-season RBI record (67) and is the only player in UVA history to lead the team in wins (7) and home runs (9) in the same season. He played parts of two seasons for the Colorado Rockies. Koshansky served as the GM for the inaugural 2015 Tom Sox team.
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Humphrey serves as a Volunteer Assistant Softball Coach at Bridgewater College, primarily assisting with catchers. He is the author of two books and serves as an associate scout for the Phillies. Previously, he served as a scout for the Mets from 2009-2019.
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Paduano & Burton will serve as co-head coaches and be credited with wins & losses until Koehler arrives.
