Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, May 11, 1990 TAG: 9005100237
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-13 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: Ray Cox
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
The other end of Region IV has been wild and crazy, but it nevertheless would be a major shock if the representatives to the Group AA state tournament don't come from the Highlands and Southwest districts instead of the New River. Again.
. . . In the Highlands, just about everybody has been accorded a chance to win the tournament. Abingdon and Virginia High play today to determine the regular-season title. Virginia High probably has the best team, but pitching and fielding have been disciplines at which Eddie Icenhour's proud Bearcats have not always excelled.
. . . Some top Highlands players: Gate City's Kent Snapp has a 13-at-bat (not -game) hitting streak going; right-hander Sam Rutter of Abingdon is 6-foot-3 and a hard thrower whose delivery is said to resemble Rick Sutcliffe's.
. . . The Southwest is playing a double-elimination tournament this season, probably the only such arrangement in the state.
. . . The favorites in the Southwest are Tazewell and Lebanon, although under-achieving Richlands and a pretty good Graham team are accorded a shot. Grundy, as usual, is off wrestling somewhere.
Tazewell left-hander Billy Wagner has 70 strikeouts in 28 innings and has a no-hitter and two one-hitters. He fanned 18 in one game and is said to have been clocked in the 80s on a radar gun. His only loss in five outings came to Greenbrier East, the top AAA team in West Virginia. "That boy can flat turn it loose," said Pulaski County coach Freddie Akers, who has never been loose with his praise. Wagner one-hit the Cougars in a tournament in Bluefield.
. . . The Lebanon trio of third baseman Jimmy Haywood, first baseman Drew Kiser and second baseman Scott Allen have combined for 14 home runs.
More numbers for Grayson County/Narrows/Shawsville/Fort Chiswell/Floyd County (whoever represents the Mountain Empire District in the Region C baseball playoffs) to chomp down on: Pioneer District champion Bath County has 30 home runs and 149 stolen bases in 15 games. That got your attention? Not to fear, though. The Lancers are supposedly short a pitcher or two. However, their top guy, right-hander Keswick Phillips, is 9-0.
Around the AAA Northwestern Region: George Washington of Danville can clinch the Western District regular season title with a win at Albemarle today. Other than G.W., nobody else in the league looks very good, although traditional powers Amherst County and Halifax County are probably a little better than average.
. . . Potomac, which won two state titles in the past five years, is 13-4 and has clinched the Commonwealth District. Shortstop Jason Page, third baseman David Alachnowicz and leadoff man Sal Colangelo are among the better players. Team speed and near world-record levels of insufferable arrogance are trademarks.
. . . Other teams that may emerge from the Commonwealth tournament include Woodbridge and ace right-hander Sean Cheethum, who is University of North Carolina-bound; and North Stafford, whose hard-throwing righty Matt Bestick is en route to William and Mary. The Tribe better hope he has an arm left: He's 9-5; the team is 10-5 in the league.
Any talk of a potential state champion coming from the Northwestern is probably wishful thinking. Defending state champion W.T. Woodson is 15-2 and recently had a 33-game winning streak snapped; and the Richmond and beach areas have their usualy array of killer teams.
to home: Walter Smith, who had been Blacksburg's most effective pitcher and was 3-0, is out for the season with a badly sprained ankle sustained in a game of pickup basketball. That did not thrill his coach, Steve Price.
. . . The Indians' Lloyd Zelazny, Mark Mathena and Eddie Sloss probably scare people around the New River more than most any trio of hitters around, but typically, Blacksburg is short on pitching, especially now that Smith is gone. In any event, the school's athletic program will miss them sorely when they graduate. All three starred on the football state champions. Zelazny and Mathena have been valued basketball role players. Zelazny and Sloss have been among the better baseball players in the school for the past three years. Mathena is a late starter, playing just this year, but he's been murder offensively.
. . . Narrows has been among the most dangerous Mountain Empire teams because of the unexpected pitching prowess of Lester Sears and Ripper McGlothlin.
. . . Dark-horse pick in the upcoming New River tournament: Radford. Reasons: Right-hander Carey Caldwell and left-hander Chad Phillips have pitched exceptionally well lately; Brandon Smith and Caldwell can hit the long ball; and team harmony has been restored when some malcontents were given the rest of season off.
by CNB