The Shadow
COVINGTON, VA – The 2023 Valley Baseball League (VBL) season kicks off this evening.
Covington skipper Renny Tolentino is back for his second year with the club. In his first season with the Lumberjacks in 2022, Tolentino led them to a 19-23 regular season which saw the team reach the VBL playoffs as the fourth seed in the South Division.
In the VBL playoffs the fourth-seeded Lumberjacks were swept by the Charlottesville Tom Sox in their best of three series.
Along with Tolentino, returning to the roster this summer is outfielder Mike Pavelchak. In the 2022 VBL season, Pavelchak batted .329 for the Lumberjacks.
The rest of the group and in the dugout are new to the team this summer. In the dugout Tolentino will be joined by Edgard Aparicio who is the assistant head coach at Atlantis University in Miami, Florida.
Joining the new look roster with Pavelchak are the likes of Nicklas Williams who is batting .460 at Wabash Valley College in Illinois and Jace Rineheart brings the power as he collected seven home runs this past season for USC Upstate in South Carolina.
Pitching for Covington has a whole new look and will bring a duo from Tallahassee Community College; Ty Floyd and Kyle Morse who are both right-handed pitchers. Meanwhile along with Aparicio, he will have one of his players from Atlantis University, Jorge Garcia who had a phenomenal season for the team as the right-hander had a 2.15 ERA.
The Lumberbacks open the season this evening on the road against the Staunton Braves at 7:30 p.m.
Lumberjacks Opening Day Roster
Pitchers
RHP #26 Grant Adams – Georgia Southwestern St. University
RHP #10 Ty Floyd – Tallahassee CC
RHP #24 Jorge Garcia – Atlantis University
RHP #35 Brian Garmon II – Georgia St. University
RHP #6 Chris Groenemans – Genesee CC
RHP #17 Jacob Havern – Louisiana Tech U
RHP #14 Jacob Heath – University of West Florida
RHP #21 Daniel McAuliff – Florida International University
RHP #32 Kyle Morse – Tallahassee CC
RHP #20 Zaylen Perry – University of Alabama Birmingham
RHP #5 Kyle Pijaszek – University of Toledo
RHP #15 Waylon Sebren – University of Memphis
RHP #23 Maximo Villamizar – St. Thomas University of Miami
Catchers
#8 David Bell – Georgia St. University
#36 Jackson Toberman – St. John River State
Infielders
#16 Matthew Martinolich – Delta St. University
#25 Gregory Melo – Tallahassee CC
#18 Gabriel Miranda – Texas Christian University
#1 Jorge Olivo – McPherson College
#27 Wesley Parker – University of Toledo
#13 Roylan Quevedo – Florida International University
#4 Trent Turner – Western Carolina University
#2 Chris Viamonte – Georgia Southwestern St. University
Outfielders
#3 Logan Braunchweig – University of Alabama Birmingham
#0 Kendry Noriega – St. Thomas University
#9 Michael Pavelchak – Post University
#7 Luke Smith – Louisiana Tech University
#19 Jorge Zavala – Texas Rio Grande Valley
