Miller versus Covenant baseball, Thursday, 4:30 p.m.
The basics: Two of the top teams in the VIC and in VISAA Division 2 overall meet up for the first time — don’t be surprised if this the first of three meetings between the conference tournament and state playoffs. Making this meeting even more interesting is the week before where both schools stepped up and played some big VISAA Division 1 opponents last week. The Eagles had a good week beating Eastern Mennonite and Steward sandwiched with a tough outing against Collegiate. The Mavericks split a pair of games with Benedictine and fell to 2015 Division I champion Liberty Christian who will play in the VHSL postseason after the regular season. Covenant and Miller are chasing each other and defending Division II champion Greenbrier Christian. This is a great playoff preparation game, and a rivalry that the Mavericks have been on the winning side of lately. That said, Covenant was really young when Miller was vastly experienced the last two years. The playing field might be even here right now. Both squads are very, very good.
Key matchup: Covenant’s pitching bonanza versus Miller’s Tanner Morris. Who gets the start here might not be all that important. The Eagles have six pitchers with 14 or more innings pitched and four with 10 or more appearances. Right now Matt Shobe is carrying the load innings-wise (35.2), but Jacob Haney (26) and Will Moore (21.2) are not far off. Maybe Covenant coach Jeff Burton leans on his senior for the start in Shobe, but there’s also a good chance the latter two could get involved and he obviously can lean on Tyler Mahon, Luke Burton and Trent Miller too depending on how the week plays out before Thursday. On the other side, if we’re lucky, Miller ace Connor Gillipsie will get the start for Miller to set up what could amount to a game-long pitching clinic from start to finish. It’s going to be interesting how the Eagles approach Morris because few batters have the line the Mavericks junior has right now. Through 10 games, Morris is hitting .556 with 15 hits in 27 at-bats and 34 plate appearances. Not too many hitters have that many plate appearances and an equal line of hits to RBI. Morris’ 15 RBI, 14 runs scored and three home runs, two triple and two doubles give you an idea of just how well he’s seeing the ball, that and that he’s got five walks to just two strikeouts. Good pitching versus good hitting, let’s see what happens here.
Who to watch: Miller sophomore Ethan Murray. Yes, Morris is an offensive powerhouse, but Covenant will also have to be mindful of the Mavericks sophomore who’s hitting .423 and has two jacks, two triples, two double and 15 RBI to go with eight runs scored. The Mavericks have and continue to be a team that thrives on small ball and wait for their big bats to clean things up. It takes more than just one bat to make things work and with the way Murray’s played, Miller has that. How he fairs against quality pitching here will be important as the playoffs approach for a team that’s been state runner up back-to-back seasons.
The line: Can we say push? No? Okay, Miller by one since the Mavericks have beat Covenant in the last three meetings, two regular season games and a playoff game dating back to 2014 when Burton took over for the Eagles and Mavericks coach Billy Wagner took the reigns for the Miller. But these are two different rosters from two years ago. This is a pretty much a pick ‘em game, the best kind.
Four more to watch
Jefferson District track meet, Wednesday
While the Jefferson District meet doesn’t factor into who advances into the postseason meets, it’s a top notch stage that features a chance for locals to battle it out and get ready for those postseason meets. Look for Fluvanna’s Matasha Martin who had a huge indoor track season with a second place in Group 4A in state track in the sprint hurdles or Western’s Lydia Garner who finished third in the state in high jump. There’s also Western’s Gannon Willcutts and Trevor Stutzman in middle distance. Throw in Monticello’s Syrael Breckenridge who took second in the state in indoor high jump and there’s a lot of talent potentially on display in Louisa Wednesday.
Fluvanna County girls soccer at Western Albemarle, Wednesday at 7 p.m.
Western Albemarle’s girls soccer team absorbed a tough loss to Albemarle Saturday, then had to battle to beat Powhatan 2-1 on Monday. Now they’ll take on Fluvanna in an effort to get back on track and start building steam for the offseason. The Flucos knocked off Louisa 2-0 Monday and get a big chance to make a statement against the Warriors.
Charlottesville at Albemarle boys soccer, Thursday at 7:15 p.m.
After Albemarle dropped a 1-0 decision to Western on Saturday, the door opened in the Jefferson District race at least a touch. For the Black Knights who absorbed a shutout loss to the Patriots earlier this season, it’s an important window. While it may end up being a simple blip on the radar by the end of season if Albemarle picks up where they left off, the Black Knights will get a chance Thursday to open things up a little more. Look for Charlottesville to come out primed and hunting for a big upset.
Collegiate at St. Anne’s-Belfield girls lacrosse, Friday at 4:30 p.m.
St. Anne’s-Belfield’s girls lacrosse team picked up a couple of strong VISAA Division I wins in the last 10 days, beating Episcopal and St. Catherine’s. This is another chance to solidify the Saints’ spot in the top four of the state, which would secure a home game in the VISAA tournament’s quarterfinals. Look for Annie Cory to play a big role, the Princeton-bound senior scored eight goals against AlbemarleFriday and has been an incredible part of a one-two scoring punch along with Denver-bound Caroline DiGiacomo who had six goals against the Patriots.
Team on the rise: Monticello baseball
The Mustangs do this every year now under coach Corey Hunt. It was a bit of a slow start to the season, but at 7-5 and 6-1 in the Jefferson District, Monticello is in first place in the standings. This team can flat out hit one through nine in the order, and while a 7-1 loss to Louisa was a bit of a hiccup last week, their 6-1 win over Western Albemarle was a statement. The Mustangs have a huge game coming up that will tell us a lot more about this squad, a team that always seems to get substantially better as the season progresses playing another that does the same. They get Powhatan, which Monticello already beat early in the year coming up on Thursday and the Indians have to play a talented Western team starving to reassert themselves in this race on Tuesday. Those two games will give the JD a bit of clarity standings wise and as it sits right now, the Mustangs are in the driver’s seat with Louisa and Powhatan looking to chase.
