Welcome to Southside Daily’s rankings of the best high school baseball teams in Virginia Beach. Sports reporter Joe Saade will list his top five each week based on his coverage of the local prep scene.
First Colonial and Ocean Lakes are starting to pull away as the two area powerhouses this season.
The undefeated Patriots’ already dangerous starting rotation (Nick Graziano, 5-0, 15 strikeouts; Tommy Green, 3-0, .57 ERA) added Justin Cook this past week. Green’s impact has gone beyond the mound, as the junior leads the high-powered offense with a .518 batting average, 15 hits and 11 RBIs.
Ocean Lakes had won six straight before Friday’s 4-3 loss to Bayside. The Dolphins have tallied 73 runs in their last seven games while relying on senior hurlers Chase Counts and Corey Hinds.
Kellam has outscored its opponents 37-10 in its last three wins and is positioning itself as a viable contender in its new conference. The Knights get a crack at First Colonial next week.
Cox has won its last two games after enduring a four-game losing streak. The Falcons’ early inconsistency has been in large part due to scrambling without starting pitcher Austin Cabone and its starting catcher, Jacob Hawley, a Georgia Tech commit.
Princess Anne has shown the ability to generate offense (40 runs in last five games) but has lacked consistency from the mound. Cavaliers senior hurler Isaiah Junkins has shown flashes of excellence.
Records as of Saturday, April 16.
- First Colonial (11-0)
- Ocean Lakes (8-3)
- Kellam (5-1)
- Cox (5-5)
- Princess Anne (4-7)
