Article courtesy of Ben Rekosh
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Randy Tomlin, the 2024 Valley Baseball League Coach of the Year, will return to coach the Tom Sox for the 2025 season, the team announced Tuesday (October 29).
Under Tomlin’s leadership, the Tom Sox brought home their fourth Valley Baseball League title in 2024, defeating the Purcellville Cannons 2-1 in the best-of-three championship series. Despite suffering multiple injuries to key personnel in both the starting lineup and pitching rotation, the ‘Sox led the Valley League in earned run average and ranked top-3 in both batting average and runs scored. A league-leading six Charlottesville players were named to the All-South Division team and South Division All-Star team, the latter of which Tomlin was selected to coach.
“I feel grateful to be asked back,” Tomlin said. “The atmosphere [in 2024] was very good, and I felt like there was a lot of commitment to the growth of everything involved in the organization, to myself, and to the players.”
Coming off the fourth championship in team history, Tomlin is ready for the hunt for number five: “It begins day one with the mental and physical commitment to the dual purpose of their own development, but we’re working towards a team goal of playing and winning the last game of the season.”
In addition to his role with the Tom Sox, Tomlin is currently the head coach for Liberty Christian Academy, a position he has held since 2012.
Coy, Tomlin’s son, was an integral part of the success in 2024, as well. As an assistant coach, he brought an infectious personality to the ballpark that fueled the play on the field, Randy said.
“Coy brings some things that we all wish we had every day. He’s always full of energy. He always smiles. He loves life. He loves interacting with people. He loves the game and the joy of that with him.”
Tomlin, the seventh coach in franchise history, will become just the second multi-year coach in Charlottesville’s decade-long existence. He will attempt to lead Charlottesville to their fifth title – including their first back-to-back championships – in 2025.
“I think consistency for the organization on the surface means a lot, and it means a lot for reassurance from the fan support to the colleges to the players.”