The Shadow
The 2022 Valley Baseball League (VBL) season kicks off for the Covington Lumberjacks tomorrow when the team travels to Charlottesville to face the Tom Sox at 7:00 p.m.
The Lumberjacks will have their home opener the following day on Sunday at 7:00 p.m. as the team hosts the Tom Sox.
Last season the Lumberjacks finished with a record of 10-22, but had their season cut short by two weeks due to COVID.
This summer, the team has an all new roster and a new manager/skipper.
Renny Tolentino, takes over this summer as the teams new skipper. He replaces Logan Williamson who was the teams manager last summer.
Tolentino is the current head baseball coach at ASA College in Miami. Before getting into coaching, Tolentino played in the Milwaukee Brewers organization and with the Schaumberg Boomers in the Independent League. Tolentino, played at both Kishwaukee College in Malta, Illinois, and LSU-Shreveport prior to his professional career.
If you’re unfamiliar with the VBL, it is a NCAA and MLB-sanctioned collegiate summer baseball league.
The 2022 VBL season officially kicked off last night with the Strasburg Express hosting the Winchester Rebels.
There’s two new rules to this season in the VBL. There is “mercy rule” in place for this season where the game will end if a team has a 10-run lead after seven innings of a nine inning game or after five innings of a seven inning game. The other new rule in place is the International Tie-Breaker (ITB), which has been seen in high school sports and is similar to the MLB’s rule where the last out of the ninth inning starts at second base in the 10th inning and so forth. If the game goes into 11 innings then the last out of the 10th inning starts at second. The trend will continue until there’s a winner of that game.
Season Schedule
6/4 @ Charlottesville Tom Sox 7:00 p.m.
6/5 vs Charlottesville Tom Sox 7:00 p.m.
6/6 @ Harrisonburg Turks 7:30 p.m.
6/7 vs Waynesboro Generals 7:00 p.m.
6/9 vs Charlottesville Tom Sox 7:00 p.m.
6/10 vs Harrisonburg Turks 7:00 p.m.
6/11 @ Staunton Braves 7:30 p.m.
6/12 @ Purcerville Cannons 5:00 p.m.
6/14 vs Waynesboro Generals 7:00 p.m.
6/16 @ Waynesboro Generals 7:00 p.m.
6/17 @ Staunton Braves 7:30 p.m.
6/18 vs Harrisonburg Turks 7:00 p.m.
6/19 @ Front Royal Cardinals 4:30 p.m.
6/19 @ Front Royal Cardinals 6:30 p.m.
6/21 @ Harrisonburg Turks 7:30 p.m.
6/22 vs Waynesboro General 7:00 p.m.
6/24 vs Staunton Braves 7:00 p.m.
6/25 vs Charlottesville Tom Sox 7:00 p.m.
6/26 @ Woodstock River Bandits 3:00 pm
6/26 @ Woodstock River Bandits 5:00 pm
6/30 @ Harrisonburg Turks 7:30 p.m.
7/2 @ Charlottesville Tom Sox 7:00 p.m.
7/3 vs Winchester Rebels 5:00 p.m.
7/3 vs Winchester Rebels 7:00 p.m.
7/5 vs Charlottesville Tom Sox 7:00 p.m.
7/7 vs Harrisonburg Turks 7:00 p.m.
7/8 @ Waynesboro Generals 7:00 p.m.
7/10 vs Strasburg Express 5:00 p.m.
7/10 vs Strasburg Express 7:00 p.m.
7/12 @ Waynesboro Generals 7:00 p.m.
7/13 vs Harrisonburg Turks 7:00 p.m.
7/14 @ Staunton Braves 7:30 p.m.
7/15 vs Waynesboro Generals 7:00 p.m.
7/16 vs Winchester Royals 7:00 p.m.
7/19 vs Staunton Braves 7:00 p.m.
7/20 @ Harrisonburg Turks 7:30 p.m.
7/21 @ Staunton Braves 7:30 p.m.
7/22 @ Waynesboro Generals 7:00 p.m.
7/23 vs Charlottesville Tom Sox 7:00 p.m.
Coaching Staff
Head Coach – Renny Tolentino
Assistant Coach – Jacob Walker
Roster:
PITCHERS
Kyle Music RHP
Jack Carver LHP
Richard Long RHP
Aaron Potter RHP
Michael Guerrero RHP
Trevor Wall RHP
Sebastian Gongora LHP
Nate Gorczya RHP
Cade Henry RHP
Graham Holland LHP
Ryan Schneider RHP
Carson Lowder RHP
Landon Lucas RHP
Andrew Standen RHP
Garrett Bonnett RHP
Cooper Webb RHP
Mason Millett RHP
CATCHERS
John Schroeder
Michael Piulats
Cole Ketzner
INFIELDERS
Evan Wickeri
Lukas Galdoni
Justin Breen
Bradke Lohry
Ben Nippolt
Luke Arnold
Gavin Bard
Joshua Tibbs
Ryder Hernandez
Cooper George
Tristian Hensley
OUTFIELDERS
Joshua Rodriguez
Will Hudler
Jacob Pajer
Nate Stocum
Luke Bogan
John Urena
Victor Rodriguez
Michael Pavelchick
Opening Day Probable Pitchers; Michael Guerrero (CL) vs Tom Vincent (CHL)
SPOTLIGHT FOCUS: Trendon Craig, a member of the Delmarva Shorebirds, a Single-A affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles, played 12 games for the Lumberjacks last summer. In his 12 games, Craig, had a slashing .410 batting average, three home runs, and 11 RBI’s. Six of his 16 total hits were extra base hits. Craig was a 20th round selection of the Orioles. In his first full season in the Orioles minor league system, Craig is batting .153 with one home run and eight RBI’s in 59 at bats.
