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.
2019 Regular Season Recap
The Generals put together their best regular season since the team was created in 1935. They finished with the best record in the league of 31-11. After starting the year 6-5, the Gens won 25 out of their last 31 games. They had three separate winning streaks of at least five games. Those three streaks include the last five games of the regular season that the Gens were able to win. They enter the playoffs hot at the right time.
Offensively, the Gens put up a .285 batting average with just under 100 doubles and 41 long balls. A big contributor in those categories was Wes Clarke (Forest, VA | South Carolina). Wes finished fifth in the league in hitting with a .364 batting average. He led the team in doubles with 14 and home runs with six. Other key players in getting the batting average up to that high number of .285 were Connor Norby (Kernersville, NC | East Carolina) with a .333 batting average with 4 triples and 4 homers, Jack Murphy (Orinda, CA | St. Mary’s) with a .314 batting average with 11 doubles, three home runs, and 25 RBI, and finally, Gunner Peterson (Salem, WI | Illinois St.) with a .321 batting average with three home runs. The team didn’t just sit around and wait for extra base hits either. They were able to steal 65 bases. Jackson Tate (Pike Road, AL | Alabama) stole 12 to lead the team. Kobe Lopez (Orlando, FL | Florida International) stole 11 bases to follow up Tate. Finally, Bryson Worrell (Sims, NC | East Carolina) stole eight to round out the top three. With all these extra base hits and stolen bases, it should come as no surprise that the team averaged right around eight runs per game. The top five run scorers on the team were Kobe Lopez with 37, Wes Clarke with 33, Jackson Tate with 32, Connor Norby with 31, and Jack Murphy and Joey Kinker (North Port, FL | Florida Gulf Coast) tied with 30. The people with the highest amount of runs driven in looks pretty similar to the people that have scored the most runs. Top five RBI men were Jackson Tate with 31, Wes Clarke with 29, Jack Murphy with 25, Kobe Lopez with 23, and Eli Quiceno (Berryville, VA | Gannon University) with 21. Finally, the Gens organization wants to thank our top five guys in games played. These guys brought it every night for the team and never complained once. Kobe Lopez and Joey Kinker with 40 games played, Jackson Tate and Jack Murphy with 38 games played, Wes Clarke with 37, and Ethan Cady (Soddy Daisy, TN | East Tennessee State) with 32.
Those offensive numbers were phenomenal considering the team’s pitching was so dominant. There were some nights where the pitching had to carry the load, and this team could do it with starters or a suffocating bullpen. Our top 5 pitchers for wins include Deven Judy (Belle Vernon, PA | Gannon University), Zach Kirby (Upland, CA | East Tennessee State), Zach Blankenship (Fleming Island, FL | Valdosta St), Luke Short (Los Gatos, CA | St. Mary’s), and Tyler Shuck (Cape Coral, FL | Florida Gulf Coast). The five-man tie for the team lead in wins saw them get three wins. As for the suffocating bullpen, the team picked up a total of nine saves. McLain Harris (Griffin, GA | Young Harris Col) led the team with three, Christian Edwards (Hartselle, AL | Jacksonville State) had two, and a host of players with one apiece. They include Nick Zegna (Newark, DE | George Mason), Christian Dearman (Pembroke Pines, FL | Florida International), Jan Figueroa (Trujillo Alto, PR | Florida International), and Matt Mercer (Chattanooga, TN | East Tennessee State). The team’s ERA was 3.72 and the total amount of runs given up per game sat at just 4.70. The top five players in ERA for the team were Christian Dearman with a 0.45 ERA, McLain Harris with a 0.85 ERA, Luke Short with a 2.18, Jan Figueroa with a 2.82 ERA, and Deven Judy with a 3.21. The staff was able to strike out a little over nine per game to take pressure off the defense. The top five strikeout men were McLain Harris with 31, Zach Kirby with 29, Deven Judy and Daniel Casto (Olive Branch, MS | Memphis) with 27, and Tyler Shuck and Luke Short with 26.
With the playoffs set, let’s look at how the Generals fared against the possible opponents from both divisions.
#2 Seed in the South: Charlottesville Tom Sox
The Gens were 4-2 against their rivals from just down I-64. However, the Generals won their last four decisions against the Tom Sox. The last time the Tom Sox were victorious over the Gens, it took 10 innings on June 21st. The Tom Sox scored an unearned run in the 10th to win by a score of 2-1. That moved the season series to 2-0 in favor of the Tom Sox. However, the Generals rattled off four straight wins to win the season series. That included three consecutive games for the Generals from July 4th to July 8th.
#3 Seed in the South: Covington Lumberjacks
The Gens were 5-1 against the Jacks on the season. The one victory that the Jacks had against the Gens came on June 4th. They also had a very good opportunity to win a back end of a double header vs. the Gens on July 18th, but the Gens mounted a comeback from three runs down in the top of the sixth of a seven inning game with five runs to win the game 5-4.
#4 Seed in the South: Staunton Braves
The rivalry was a bit one-sided in the regular season. The Gens won all six matchups between the two teams. The Braves had a very good chance on June 26th. The bases were empty in the ninth with two outs in the inning and they were leading by three runs at their home ball park. However, the Gens mounted a comeback that was highlighted by a game-tying 3-run homer by Joey Kinker to tie it up. The Gens would eventually win in the 10th.
#1 Seed in the North: Strasburg Express
The Gens were 3-0 against the North division’s top team. This includes the 17-4 victory in Strasburg on the final day of the regular season for the Gens to clinch the best win-loss record in team history. The other two matchups between the teams saw the Gens winning by a margin of four runs each time.
#2 Seed in the North: Woodstock River Bandits
The Gens finished 2-1 against the River Bandits this season. The two wins they had against Woodstock were both high-scoring affairs. The Gens took the first matchup 20-10 in Woodstock. They mounted a five run comeback in the ninth to tie and eventually win the game in the 11th inning in the second matchup. Finally, the River Bandits came up with a victory against the Gens in Woodstock.
#3 Seed in the North: New Market Rebels
The Gens lost the season series 2-1 to the Rebels this season. The Rebels were only one of two teams in the entire Valley League that had a winning record vs the Generals. The Gens took the opening game in New Market on June 6th by a score of 13-5. But The Rebels swept a double header at Kate Collins Field on June 16th. The Rebels took both games by one run. The first game finished at 5-4 and the second finished at 2-1.
#4 Seed in the North: Winchester Royals
The Winchester Royals were the other of the two teams that had winning records vs. the Gens this summer. The first matchup on June 27th saw the Gens pick up their one win over Winchester with a 10-6 score. A go-ahead 3-run homer by Ethan Cady in the bottom of the 5th would prove to be the game-winner. However, the Royals took the next two games of the series. The first was at Waynesboro that they connected on a couple homers to win 9-6. The other was in Winchester when they shut out the Gens 4-0. That marked the only time the Gens were shutout on the season.
Now that the scene is set, it’s time to enjoy some playoff baseball in the Valley League! Game One of the first series against the Staunton Braves is Sunday, July 28th, at Integrity Home Mortgage Park at Kate Collins Field at 7 PM. The Gens are looking for their 7th VBL Championship and first since 2014.
Gens Get Back In Win Column
A two-run home run in the bottom of the seventh by Jackson Tate put the Generals ahead for good on Monday night in a makeup game with the Harrisonburg Turks.
The Turks jumped out to an early lead in the game with two runs in the first inning. All the offense in the first came with two outs in the inning. Cole McNamee singled and Caston Peter was hit by a pitch to put runners at first and second. Aaron Levy drilled one into left center for a double that scored the first run of the game. The next batter was Jack Roberts who singled up the middle for the second run of the inning. The Gens would sniff out a play that Roberts would steal second, but once the throw was made by the catcher, he stopped in his tracks. Once the throw was made, the runner from third tries to steal home. Fortunately for the Generals, Kobe Lopez (Florida International) delivered a strike to the catcher and the runner was caught stealing at the plate for out number three.
The Generals weren’t able to respond in the bottom of the first, but in the bottom of the second they made up for it with three runs to take the lead after two innings of play. Jack Murphy (St. Mary’s) started the inning with a double over the left fielder’s head. Two batters later, Bryson Worrell (East Carolina) worked his way on with a walk to put runners at first and second. After a strikeout, Connor Norby (East Carolina) bounced a single up the middle to bring in the first run of the game for the Generals. When Worrell tried going from first to third on the hit, the throw got away from the third baseman to allow Connor Norby to scoot into second base. Two runners were now in scoring position for Kobe Lopez. Kobe came up big with a double that was scorched into the left center field gap. Both runs would score and the Gens had the lead.
The Turks would tie things back up with a run in the fourth inning. The run was an unfortunate one for the Gens. The inning started with a routine ground ball that was fielded cleanly at third by Connor Norby. When Norby made the throw across, it was going to be on target, but the ball was right in the sun for the first baseman Wes Clarke (South Carolina). When the ball skipped away, Immanuel Wilder was able to reach second base. Wilder then stole third to put himself just 90 feet away with nobody out in the inning. After a strikeout, the Turks came up with an RBI groundout to short by Nick Zona. The score was tied at 3 going into the bottom of the fourth.
The Generals took the lead right back in the bottom of the fourth. Bryson Worrell came up after the first out was made, and in a 2-2 count, he hammered a no-doubter to right field for his third home run of the summer. Bryson showed exactly why the Gens chose him to be our representative in the home run derby on Sunday in Harrisonburg for All-Star weekend. The Gens led 4-3 after four complete innings.
The Turks didn’t let the lead last very long. They tied the game up in the top of the fifth. Caston Peter led things off with a walk. He moved to second on a wild pitch, then to third on a ground ball to the right side. Jack Roberts, who had just given up the home run after coming into pitch in the last half inning, made amends with an RBI single up the middle. This tied the game and Roberts got himself off the hook for the loss.
After a few innings of not scoring, the Generals broke the tie in the bottom of the seventh in a big way. After Jack Murphy was hit by a pitch with one out in the inning, Jackson Tate (Alabama) was quickly in an 0-2 hole. He said in his post game interview that after a curveball in the dirt got away and allowed Murphy to go to second that the next pitch had to be a fastball. He was right. He took the elevated fastball deep to left center for his third home run of the summer to give the Generals the lead 6-4 after seven innings.
That put the pitcher of record, Christian Dearman (Florida International) in a spot for his second win of the season. Dearman was lights out once again. He threw three innings, allowing just two hits, no runs, walking one, and striking out three. After working the sixth, seventh, and eighth, he turned the ball over to McLain Harris (Young Harris College) for the save opportunity. McLain, as he has been all year, was shut down once again. He allowed a hit and a walk to get the go-ahead run to the plate, but to home fans, the game never really seemed in doubt. Harris was able to strike out two batters in the ninth to pick up his second save of the season.
Key Performers for Harrisonburg:
Jack Roberts: 2-5, 2 RBI
Cole McNamee: 3-5, R
Nick Zona: 2-4, RBI
Key Performers for Waynesboro:
Jackson Tate (Alabama): 1-4, Go-Ahead HR in 7th (3), 2 RBI, R
Jack Murphy (St. Mary’s): 2-3, 2B, 2 R
Bryson Worrell (East Carolina): 1-3, HR (3), RBI, 2 R
Connor Norby (East Carolina): 2-4, RBI, R
Christian Dearman (Florida International): W (2-0), 3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K
McLain Harris (Young Harris College): SV (2), 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K
The Generals (16-8) are back in action on the road in Covington. They take on the Lumberjacks on Tuesday in a double header consisting of two seven inning games. After the win over South division foe Harrisonburg, the Generals have a good opportunity to put some space between themselves and Covington to lengthen their lead on the rest of the division. First pitch of the first game set for 5 pm with the second game starting approximately 30-45 minutes after the completion of game one.
