2011 in Review: Return to excellence
After a two-year run in 2009-2010 that saw Waynesboro fall back to the pack in the Valley League, 2011 marked a return to excellence for Generals baseball.
The Generals rode a 9-1 record against rival Staunton all the way to the 2011 South Division championship and the #3 seed in the Valley League playoffs.
The two-game sweep in the first round by eventual VBL champion Rockbridge did little to dampen the good feelings on the strong 26-18 season put up by Waynesboro, which missed the playoffs in 2009 and struggled through an up-and-down .500 season in 2010.
First baseman Jordan Walton (Randolph-Macon) and outfielder Dykota Spiess (Western Carolina) earned second-team All-Valley League honors in 2011. Walton led the Generals and was fourth in the VBL with a .364 batting average and was recognized by many across the league as the best defensive first baseman in the summer circuit in 2011. Spiess hit .302 with a home run and 27 RBI and a team-high 13 doubles.
Walton, Nebraska-Omaha teammates MJ Sartin (.297, 1 HR, 16 RBI) and Andrew Reck (0-1, 2.20 ERA, five saves) and Western Carolina product Andrew Blackwell (2-0, 1.88 ERA, three saves) represented the Generals at the 2011 Valley League All-Star Game, with Sartin being named the South MVP after going 3-for-4 with a homer.
The highlight from a team perspective was the dominance over the rival Braves, including a perfect 5-0 mark at Staunton. The most memorable of the nine wins came on the road on June 28 when Waynesboro rallied from a 7-0 seventh-inning deficit to win win 9-8.
