By Madison Hricik
Anyone else think Week 3 just flew by? Nothing is stopping this league from thriving, from the team performances to packed stands. The summer heat is only bringing the energy, and a new team now sits atop of Power Rankings for Week 3.
Let’s see where your favorite team landed.
Top Dogs
1: Woodstock River Bandits (15-5): Even without playing a doubleheader, the River Bandits are soaring high offensively and defensively. Now on a four-game win streak, Woodstock sits comfortably with a .750 winning percentage.
2: Charlottesville TomSox (13-6): Capping off the week with a doubleheader sweep over Strasburg, the TomSox are one of most consistent teams in the league. The team holds a batting average of .227, and now has a two-game winning streak at the end of this week.
3: Strasburg Express (13-7): Despite no longer being the No. 1 team, the Express are still a tough team to beat. Strasburg isn’t afraid to take aggressive at-bats, just ask Ryan Galanie and Brayton Brown about their two home runs apiece this week.
4: Waynesboro Generals (11-9): A three-game win streak has done wonders for the Generals, settling them in the top five. All three recent wins have been high scoring for Waynesboro, featuring Alejandro Figueredo’s solo home run and four RBIs.
The Middle Pack
5: Harrisonburg Turks (9-8): The Turks sit in third in the South division, and clinch this week’s top five. Brett Whiteman earned his first win this week against Covington, and pitched 7.2 innings over the span of two games for an 0.00 ERA.
6: Winchester Royals (9-9): The Royals are staying right in the middle to match their .500 record. Pitcher of the Week Kenneth Quijano pitched a no-hitter at the beginning of the week, earning six strikeouts in his seven inning pitched.
7: New Market Rebels (10-12): Although not as successful as last week, the Rebels are still a dangerous team. Jackson Lancaster remains a strong performer into this week, holding just under a .500 batting average and hitting two home runs.
8: Staunton Braves (9-13): Coming off two wins against New Market, the Braves are starting to click together both offensively and defensively — with Ryan McCarty and Joseph Holiga leading the charge at bat. The two were some of the top batters this week, and have been key to helping create the offensive chemistry that’s brewing.
9: Front Royal Cardinals (7-14): The Cardinals are growing into a dark horse of sorts over the last few weeks. With the chemistry they’ve been developing, they’re one to watch over the coming weeks. Cameron Barrier has been the biggest star on the mound so far, with seven innings pitched and seven strikeouts in his last two games.
Teams with work to do
10: Covington Lumberjacks (6-13): Splitting their doubleheader with Winchester, the Lumberjacks were explosive at the plate — Trenton Craig driving in seven runs in one inning, including a grand slam!
11: Purcellville Cannons (7-13): When this team hits their stride, they’re hard to catch up to. The Cannons swept the Turks over the weekend, a much-needed boost helmed by Joe Vagostky on the mound.
Just about every team at this point is showing what potential they have, and it makes things more interesting each game!