Welcome to the 2022 Valley League season! Each morning (!) I will post a writeup on results, while naming a hitter and pitcher of the day, and listing games for that evening. Let’s get this thing rolling!

Only one game on the schedule last night, and even that one had a lengthy rain delay. But they finished it up, more or less:

Result

Strasburg 13, Winchester 2 (7 innings, mercy rule)

Hitter of the Day

The best hitter from last night is Strasburg’s Walt Bailey, from Shelton State, who went 3-4, with three runs scored, a walk, double, and RBI. Bailey hit .336/.487/.496 in 113 at-bats for Shelton this spring, with nine doubles and three home runs. He plans to attend Alabama this fall.

Others of Note

Today is an exception, but generally I will list every hitter who got on base at least three times, or hit a grand slam or achieved something else extraordinary.

  • Colton Ryals, Winchester: No-doubt 2-run home run
  • Tripp McKinlay, Strasburg: 0-2, RBI, two walks, a hit-by-pitch taken right to the noggin
  • Drake Kerr, Strasburg: 2-5, two runs, RBI, SB
  • Zach Austin, Strasburg: Three RBIs

Pitcher of the Day

(I almost always choose this player by using Bill James’s old “Game Score” creation.)

Jem Sisco, Strasburg’s starter, threw three no-hit, shutout innings, while walking one and striking out three. He earned a game score of 61. Sisco was lights-out for Thomas Jefferson this spring, as he went 4-2, 1.96 in 55 innings, with 93 strikeouts. (Sisco is pictured)

Other of Note

Strasburg’s Isaac Fix (Davidson) was just about as good as Sisco, throwing two shutout innings while allowing one hit, no walks, and striking out five.

Tonight’s Games

  • New Market (Johnson) at Woodstock (TBD), 7 PM: Author Bill Meade and Mike Bocock will be at the game signing copies of their recent book collaboration!
  • Purcellville (Byers) at Front Royal (TBD), 7 PM
  • Staunton (Yerby) at Waynesboro (Chittum), 7 PM
  • Charlottesville (Olsen) at Harrisonburg (L.McClure), 7:30 PM

A Note About Our New Website

Change is hard. The old website was a ponderous, sloppy, busy mess, but it was our mess. Those of us who have been around the league a long time knew how to navigate the old one, even with all its eccentricities.

The new site is much cleaner, and infinitely easier to use. But, of course, it’s different, so there will be a learning curve for all us. And, honestly, at least one bug needs to be taken care of, as the “Live Scoreboard” tab was empty last night.

If you would like to watch a game on “Game Live” in the near future, you will be able to find games under the “Schedule” tab, or you can navigate to the team’s schedule page, and find the link there. In the meantime, we’ll try to get the Live Scoreboard back to normal. Of course, you can watch games, too; click the “Watch” tab to find the link for your favorite team.