Generals Announce 2022 Coaching Staff
The Waynesboro Generals are welcoming back the 2019 Maynard “Mo” Weber Manager of the Year, Zac Cole, for his third season as the head coach in Waynesboro. Cole returns coming off of a 2021 campaign that saw the Generals come up just one series shy of a VBL title.
Cole is a familiar face around the league as he coached the New Market Rebels including a championship run in his third and final year at the helm in 2018. Outside of coaching Cole also played for the Generals during the 2004 season.
Cole is currently the pitching coach at the College of Central Florida in his second season for the Patriots.
Making the trip from the College of Central Florida with Cole will be Jason Rose. Rose is currently the hitting coach for the Patriots in his first season with the program.
Prior to working with the Patriots, Rose spent time working in the Toronto Blue Jays organization including serving as the Video Associate for the Triple-A affiliate Buffalo Bisons in 2019.
Brandon Matthews will also be joining the coaching staff for the 2022 campaign. Matthews returns to Waynesboro after spending the 2019 season as a hitting consultant for the team. He also was on the coaching staff along with Cole for the Rebels 2018 VBL Championship run.
Matthews currently operates Swing Angry LLC which he started in 2017 that is currently located in Aulander, NC.
Justin Barr will join the coaching staff for the 2022 season. Barr is currently attending the University of Akron and is an infielder for the Zips.
Before transferring to Akron, Barr attended Andrew College in Cuthbert, Georgia. While there Barr played under Zac Cole.
The final member of the 2022 coaching staff is Brady Jones. Jones returns to Waynesboro after playing for the Generals last season as a relief pitcher. Jones currently attends East Tennessee State University. The Woodstock, Georgia native is set to graduate with a degree in kinesiology.
The Generals will open the 2022 campaign at home as they host the Staunton Braves on Friday, June 3 at 7 p.m.
Kentucky Wildcats Roar Into Waynesboro
Waynesboro, Virginia
Three Kentucky Wildcats will be roaring into Waynesboro, Virginia this summer. The SEC-member school will be sending right-handed pitcher Wyatt Hudepohl, right-handed pitcher Seth Logue and infielder Jace Felker.
Wyatt Hudepohl – Right-Handed Pitcher
A native of Mason, Ohio, the 6’4 220-pound freshman came to Kentucky as a highly-touted recruit. Hudepohl was ranked the 166th best incoming freshman by Perfect Game and the 2nd best overall prospect in the state of Ohio. Upon completion of the 2021 season, Hudepohl threw 20.2 innings for the Wildcats with a 5.23 ERA while striking out 11.
Seth Logue – Right-Handed Pitcher
A native of Mason, Ohio, the 6’1 185-pound freshman came to Kentucky as a highly-touted recruit. Logue was ranked the 473rd best incoming freshman by Perfect Game and the 7th best overall prospect in the state of Ohio. Upon completion of the 2021 season, Logue threw 14.0 innings for the Wildcats with a 6.43 ERA while striking out 24.
Jace Felker – Infielder
A native of Princeton, Kentucky, the 6’2 185-pound sophomore will be heading to the University of Kentucky way of Rend Lake College in the fall of 2021. Felker just completed an impressive sophomore campaign at Rend Lake where he hit .414 on the season with 9 doubles, 3 triples, 10 home runs and 55 RBI’s.
Pasco-Hernando State Leaders Join Generals
Waynesboro, Virginia
Three leaders of the Pasco-Hernando State College Bobcats will make the trek to Waynesboro, Virginia this summer. Those players will be infielder Jackson Ross, outfielder Kyle Murphy and right-handed pitcher Justin Stewart.
Jackson Ross – Infielder
A native of Lakeland, Florida, the 6’1 205-pound sophomore just finished an impressive season at Pasco-Hernando State College and will now head to Florida Atlantic University next fall. Ross finished the season with a .346 batting average, 16 doubles, 5 triples, 9 home runs and 59 RBI’s while going a perfect 17 of 17 on stolen bases.
Kyle Murphy – Outfielder
A native of New Port Richey, Florida, the 6’1 210-pound freshman lit up the stat sheet for the Bobcats this spring. Murphy finished with a .341 batting average, 18 doubles, 4 triples, 11 home runs and 56 RBI’s with an astonishing 41 stolen bases in 47 attempts for the Bobcats.
Justin Stewart – Right-Handed Pitcher
A native of Bartow, Florida, the 6’2 225-pound sophomore came to Pasco-Hernando State College after time at the University of South Florida and the College of Central Florida. Stewart plans to attend Southeastern University next fall after throwing 63.1 innings for the Bobcats this spring. Stewart finished with a 5.54 ERA, 5-3 record and 72 strikeouts over 16 appearances and 12 starts.
Familiar ETSU Arms to Bolster Staff
Waynesboro, Virginia
Four East Tennessee State arms, including two returners, will help bolster the Generals staff for the 2021 season. Those arms will be right-handed pitcher Brady Jones, right-handed pitcher and returner Joseph Acosta, left-handed pitcher Daulton Montagna and right-handed pitcher and returner Zach Kirby.
Brady Jones – Right-Handed Pitcher
A native of Woodstock, Georgia, the 6’2 208-pound junior came to East Tennessee State way of Georgia Southern where in two seasons he combined for a 3-6 record and 7 saves in 37 relief appearances. Brady finished the 2021 season with ETSU with a 1-0 record after making 9 appearances over 10.0 innings for the Bucs.
Joseph Acosta – Right-Handed Pitcher
A native of Vineland, New Jersey, the 6’2 185-pound junior returns to Waynesboro after a successful 2019 summer with the Generals. In the summer or 2019, Acosta made 5 appearances finishing with a .081 ERA with 17 strikeouts over 11 innings pitched. Acosta finished the 2021 season with ETSU with a 5.28 ERA while making 11 appearances, earning 2 saves over 15.1 innings and holding opponents to a .270 batting average.
Daulton Montagna – Left-Handed Pitcher
A native of Pennsville, New Jersey, the 5’9 175-pound junior comes to Waynesboro after leading the Bucs with 23 appearances while accruing 39.2 innings which ranked fourth on the team and first among the bullpen in most innings pitched during his freshman season in 2019. Upon completion of the 2021 season, Montagna made 10 appearances with 9.2 innings pitched while holding opponents to a .289 batting average.
Zach Kirby – Right-Handed Pitcher
A native of Upland, California, the 6’2 215-pound junior returns to the Generals after finishing his 2019 season in Waynesboro with a 3-2 record, 4.24 EA over 29.2 innings pitched and 29 strikeouts. Upon completion of the 2021 season, Kirby led the Bucs staff with a 1.95 ERA, 3-1 record with 14 appearances and 3 starts over 32.1 innings pitched, surrendering only 7 earned runs, striking out 28 and holding opponents to a .233 batting average.
Trio of Eagles Heading to Waynesboro
Waynesboro, Virginia
Three Florida Gulf Coast Eagles will be making their way from sunny Fort Myers, Florida to Waynesboro, Virginia this summer. Those Eagles will be corner-infielder Alejandro Figueredo, outfielder/left-handed pitcher Stephen Wilmer and left-handed pitcher Mason Miller.
Alejandro Figueredo – Corner-Infielder
A native of Sucre, Venezuela, the 6’3 225-pound sophomore came to Florida Gulf Coast way of Seminole State College where he appeared in all but one of the teams 26 games where he batted a team best .402 with a team-high 14 doubles, five home runs and 31 RBI’s. Figueredo finished the 2021 season with FGCU with a .260 batting average, 6 doubles, 5 homers and 26 RBI’s.
Stephen Wilmer – Outfielder/Left-Handed Pitcher
A native of Sarasota, Florida, the 5’9 200-pound sophomore came to Florida Gulf Coast way of Pasco-Hernando State College where he started in all 27 of the team’s games, while batting .423 with 9 doubles, a triple, 4 homers, 31 RBI’s, 44 hits and a team-high 32 runs in 2020. Wilmer finished the 2021 season with FGCU second on the team in hitting, cranking out a .326 average with 11 doubles, a triple, 6 homers, 24 RBIs & 35 runs scored.
Mason Miller – Left-Handed Pitcher
A native of Odessa, Florida, the 6’3 205-pound freshman came to Florida Gulf Coast after being named one of the Class of 2020’s Top Impact Players by Perfect Game. Miller was also ranked the 36th overall best player in the 2020 class in Florida by Prep Baseball Report, the sixth-ranked pitcher in the state in the class of 2020, the 21st-best pitcher in the country in the 2020 class and the 193rd overall player in the country. Upon completion of the 2021 season, Miller made 12 appearances with 4 starts while limiting opponents to a .216 batting average with 17 strikeouts over 22 innings pitched.
Generals Unveil Schedule for Summer 2019
The Valley Baseball League and its teams have finalized the schedule for the Summer of 2019. For the Generals, they’ll open up the season on May 31st at Kate Collins Field when they take on the Southern Division Regular Season Champion Covington Lumberjacks.
Other interesting dates and storylines to follow this summer:
- Thursday, June 6th
- New Head Coach of the Gens Zac Cole will return to New Market for the first time since winning the Rebels the 2018 VBL Championship.
- Friday, June 7th
- The Gens will return to the site of their final game of the 2018 playoffs when they travel to Charlottesville to take on the South Division champion TomSox team that eliminated them from the playoffs.
- Sunday, June 23rd
- The Gens will return to Bing Crosby Stadium to take on the Front Royal Cardinals. The last time the Gens were there, they were celebrating Tyler Bielamowicz’s 14 strikeout, no-hit masterpiece.
- Tuesday, June 25th
- Waynesboro will welcome back to Kate Collins field their former skipper, Mike Bocock, that brought home the VBL Championships in 2013 & 2014. Bocock is now the head coach of the Woodstock River Bandits.
- Wednesday, June 26th
- The Gens will return to Staunton for the first time since eliminating the Braves from the playoffs on the last day of the regular season.
- Thursday, July 18th – Thursday, July 25th.
- The final week of the season will likely clear up any questions many may have about the Southern Division playoff race. That week will see the Gens finishing the season with 5 out of their last 6 games against Southern Division opponents, including 2 against the Harrisonburg Turks.
The Gens will look to improve on their 24-18 record from a year ago. To see the full schedule of the Generals, visit waynesborogenerals.net/schedule.
Covington Snaps 5 Game Win Streak of Waynesboro
In a back and forth battle for first place with Waynesboro, who was only a game back of Covington for the lead in the South division, Evan McAndrew from the Lumerjacks threw the last 5 innings in no-hit fashion to shut down the Generals in a 7-5 loss.
The Gens started out hot in the bottom of the first inning by scoring 2 to take the lead. It all started with a 2 out hit-by-pitch to Alex Brait (FGCU). Andrew Orzel (Wofford) followed him up with a walk. Alex Webb (Chipola) drove in the first run with a single to center. 2 pitches later Orzel came in to score on a wild pitch. The 2-0 lead would stand until the top of the third.
In the top of the third, Covington evened the score at 2 on the strength of 3 base hits. With one out, the Jacks delivered back-to-back singles to start things out. A fielder’s choice on a slowly hit ground ball scored the first run. After the runner moved to second base on a wild pitch, a ground-rule double drove in the tying run. They then took a lead in the top of the 4th. The first two runners reached in the inning and were sacrificed to second and third on a well-executed bunt. A sacrifice fly drove in the run to put them in the lead.
The Generals would tie the game in the bottom of the 4th when the first two runners also reached. However, when trying to bunt for the first two strikes, the hitter was unsuccessful. He would end up grounding into a double play, but the run would score on an RBI single by Blake Johnson (UAB) to tie the game back up.
Covington would take the lead 4-3 in the top of the 5th. Covington hit a leadoff single to right that would end up playing into a 2 base error to put the leadoff runner on third. Eventually he would score on a one out single up the middle. The back and forth continued with the two top teams. Waynesboro scored 2 to take the lead back at 5-4. Chase Cheek (Duke) would reach on an error and would be followed up by another free pass to Alex Brait. Orzel would attempt to lay down a bunt and would do so successfully. When the Covington third baseman would make the throw, it would sail over the first baseman’s head. Cheek and Brait would both score on the play but the Generals would not capitalize and would be struck out twice to end then inning.
Covington drove in another run to tie the game again at 5 in the 6th inning. They would also tack on 1 run in both the 7th and 8th innings to take a 7-5 lead. It capped off a came where Covington scored in 6 straight innings.
Key Performers for Covington:
- Evan McAndrew: W, 5 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 7 K
- Bennett Hostetler: 2-4, 2B, RBI, R
- Connor Hood: 2-5, HR, RBI, 2 R
- JC Santos: 3-3, BB, 2 R
Key Performers for Waynesboro:
- Jackson Webb (UCF): 1-2, BB, HBP, R
- Alex Brait (FGCU): 0-1, 2 BB, HBP, 2 R
- Aron Solis (Texas Southern): 1.2 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 1 BB, 3 K
Waynesboro (18-14) will be back in action Saturday night on the road in Charlottesville when they take on the TomSox.
Covington Pitching Staff Blanks General Hitters
The pitching trio of Tyler Burnham, Zachary Burch, and Jordyn Eglite for the Covington Lumberjacks shut out the Generals on Friday night in front of a great crowd at Kate Collins Field.
The General pitching staff pitched well, only allowing 1 earned run on only 6 hits. However, the top of the 2nd inning wasn’t a good one for Waynesboro. After a 1-out walk, starting pitcher Justin Beyer (Niagara County CC) managed to roll a ground ball to first base for a double play opportunity when the throw to second base wasn’t handled. That was followed by a walk to load the bases. After an RBI groundout, Nathan Loyd singled to center to pick up 2 more RBI to make the score 3-0. Trevor Rogers added a run in the top of the 6th on an RBI ground out to second base to make the score 4-0.
Justin Beyer had a strong pitching line of 5.1 IP, 4 R, 1 ER, 3 H, 3 BB, and 2 K but ended up taking the loss. Alex Harper-Cook (Tennessee) pitched well in relief of Beyer. Harper-Cook threw 3.2 innings, allowing 0 runs on 3 hits and 1 walk. He also managed to strike out 2.
The Generals will be back in action Saturday night on the road at Harrisonburg when they take on the Turks at Veterans Memorial Park.
