Disrespect? Generals land just one on All-Valley League team
Shortstop Tyler Bocock (sophomore, Stetson) was named to the All-Valley League second team Tuesday, making Bocock the only member of the Waynesboro Generals to be selected to either the All-VBL first or second team.
Bocock hit .311 with a home run, 23 RBI, nine stolen bases and 28 runs scored. Bocock was also second in the league in chances at short with 204 and had a .927 fielding percentage with 14 errors.
First-team shortshop Brandon Gum from New Market hit .366 with no homers, 17 RBI, 17 stolen bases and 21 runs scored. Gum had significantly fewer chances at short, with 129, and had 16 errors and an .897 fielding percentage.
Top candidates left off the team from the Generals included:
First baseman Patrick Mazeika (freshman, Stetson), who hit .382 with a home run, 18 RBI and 14 runs scored in 24 games. Mazeika also had an on-base percentage of .552 and led the league in hit-by-pitches with 14. First-team first baseman James Vasquez of Staunton hit .307 with four homers, 43 RBI, 31 runs scored and a .424 on-base percentage. Second-teamer Derek Peterson from New Market hit .289 with four homers, 27 RBI, 29 runs scored and a .375 on-base percentage.
Third baseman Anthony Iacomini (junior, Cortland State) hit .337 with a home run, 17 RBI and 16 runs scored and a .442 on-base percentage in 28 games. First-team third baseman Thomas Smith of Harrisonburg hit .339 with two homers, 23 RBI and 23 runs scored and a .428 on-base percentage in 39 games. Second-teamer Jordan Edgerton of Woodstock hit .266 with two homers, 17 RBI and 20 runs scored and a .318 on-base percentage in 39 games.
Those crunched by the numbers game at pitcher and in the outfield:
Outfielder JoJo Woods (junior, Central Florida) led the VBL in runs scored in 2013 with 35 and was second in the league in walks with 30. For the season, Woods hit .258 with a .381 on-base percentage and a homer, 11 RBI and 16 stolen bases batting out of the leadoff spot for the Generals. Woods scored at least nine more runs than five of the six first- or second-teamers in the outfield, and would have tied for first among the group in stolen bases.
Starting pitcher Corey Armentrout (sophomore, Bridgewater), who was 4-2 in seven starts (nine appearances overall) with a 2.20 ERA. Armentrout struck out 44 and walked 14 and allowed 38 hits in 45 innings pitched
Starting pitcher Tyler Fox (freshman, Nebraska-Omaha), who was 3-3 with a 2.95 ERA. Fox struck out 35 and walked six and allowed 44 hits in 42.2 innings pitched.
Five Waynesboro Generals named to Valley League All-Star Team
Shortstop Tyler Bocock (sophomore, Stetson) was among the five selections to the Valley League All-Star game from the Waynesboro Generals.
The VBL announced the selections on Tuesday.
Bocock is eighth in the Valley in batting average at .347 with a .420 on-base percentage, one home run and a team-leading 14 RBI.
Joining Bocock on the South All-Star Team:
- Outfielder JoJo Woods (junior, Central Florida), who is hitting .309 with a .426 on-base percentage, one home run, eight RBI, 10 stolen bases and 20 runs scored (fourth in the league).
- Outfielder Brian Beard (freshman, Old Dominion), who is hitting .269 with a homer, 12 RBI.
- Starting pitcher Chad Farmer (junior, Appalachian State), who is 1-2 with a 2.28 ERA, 23 strikeouts and eight walks in 23 and two-thirds innings.
- Reliever Josh Thorne (freshman, Stetson), who is 2-0 with two saves and a 1.42 ERA.
Generals TV: Waynesboro 11, Winchester 5
Interviews with JoJo Woods (junior, Central Florida) and Taylor Sandefur (junior, Western Carolina) following the Waynesboro Generals’ 11-5 win over the Winchester Royals on Wednesday, June 19.
JoJo Woods, Taylor Sandefur key Waynesboro Generals win
Waynesboro trailed 3-0 in the top of the first, the bases were loaded, no one was out. Exit Ben Krusen, who had a nightmarish first start of the 2013 Valley League season, and enter Taylor Sandefur, who exuded what seemed to be an easy confidence upon getting the ball from Coach Mike Bocock.
Sandefur, a junior from Western Carolina, tapped gloves with his infield teammates before warming up on the mound, signaling, basically, Hey, I got this.
“I like to let my guys know, Hey, I’m going to go in here and compete my tail off, and I’m going to go out here and give it to y’all, y’all take care of me, and I’ll take care of y’all back,” said Sandefur, who went on to throw five scoreless innings of relief in what turned out to be an 11-5 Waynesboro win over the Winchester Royals on Wednesday night.
The W was bolstered by nine scoreless innings of relief from the Waynesboro bullpen and an eight-run bottom of the first that answered the Royals’ five-spot in the top of the first.
JoJo Woods (junior, Central Florida) got the first-inning rally going with a leadoff single and a mad dash around the bases on a double to left by Ben Boykin (junior, College of Charleston). Then, in his second plate appearance of the inning, Woods drew a two-out walk before coming around to score on an error on a grounder off the bat of Tyler Bocock (sophomore, Stetson) to score the eighth and final run of the rally.
“It’s kind of tough starting off the game like that. You just try to keep your focus and grind out at bats,” said Woods, who finished 2-for-4 to improve his batting average on the 2013 VBL season to .310.
Sandefur, for his part, picked up his first win of the VBL season to improve to 1-1.
“I just went out there, threw my fastball in, tried to control the inner half, and then expanded the zone away with fastballs and sliders, and really kept the hitters off-balance and tried to execute the pitches that Coach Mitchell was calling,” Sandefur said.
Woods, Krusen win weekly honors
JoJo Woods (sophomore, Central Florida) has been named Waynesboro Generals Player of the Week, and Ben Krusen (freshman, North Central) has been named Waynesboro Generals Pitcher of the Week.
Woods hit .417 for the week (5-for-12), including a 3-for-4 effort in the nightcap of the doubleheader sweep of Covington. Woods delivered the game-winning hit with a walkoff double that clinched the 4-3 win.
For the season, Woods is hitting .250 with one homer and 12 RBI. Woods also has three game-winning hits on the season.
Krusen picked up the win in game one of the doubleheader with Covington. The righthander pitched six innings in the 7-2 Waynesboro win, striking out nine and walking five while allowing a run on two hits.
Krusen is 1-1 with a 2.25 ERA in three appearances with Waynesboro.
