Dishon Named VBL's No. 2 Prospect By Basaeball America

LSU outfielder Johnny Dishon was named the No. 2 prospect in the Valley Baseball Leauge in Baseball America's Top 10 summer league rankings.

"Dishon, in the words of one scout, might have been "the most talented outfielder in the Valley" this year. He redshirted last spring, but Dishon revealed his five-tool potential this summer when he hit .304 with 11 doubles, four home runs and 19 stolen bases in as many attempts. He showed good pop with his compact and powerful stroke, although his plate discipline needs work, as he struck out in nearly one-third of his plate appearances. He is also a plus runner with a very good throwing arm that would suit him well in right field. Dishon has obvious present tools to go along with an athletic 5-foot-11, 185-pound build, but he still needs to develop his knowledge of the game, which he will try to do as a redshirt sophomore at LSU next spring." - Baseball America

Braves first baseman Todd Brazeal (South Florida) was named the No. 6 prospect in the VBL.

"A Freshman All-American last spring, Brazeal is a savvy hitter with plus raw power, demonstrated by his .495 slugging percentage and impressive strikeout-to-walk ratio (36-to-32) in his first year with the Bulls. He showed a similar proficiency with a wood bat this summer, belting eight home runs for Staunton and compiling a .507 slugging mark. Brazeal has some length in his swing, but he has advanced pitch recognition. He is a solid defender at first base with good athleticism for his size (6-foot-3, 225 pounds), a soft glove and quick feet that could also play at a corner outfield position. He also draws praise for his instinctive play and good work ethic. " - Baseball America

Three Braves Ranked Among VBL's Top 25 Prospects by Perfect Game

Three Staunton Braves were ranked among the Valley Baseball League's Top 25 prospects released by Perfect Game.

Outfielder Johnny Dishon (LSU) was the top-ranked Brave, checking in at No. 3 on the list.

South Florida first baseman Todd Brazeal (pictured at right)) was ranked No. 7 and Blake McDade (1B/OF, Middle Tennessee State) was ranked No. 18.

Seven Braves picked for VBL All-Star Game

Seven members of the Staunton Braves have been selected to play in the annual Valley Baseball League All-Stat game scheduled for July 12. The game will be hosted by the Woodstock Riverbandits.

Selected from Staunton were pitchers Aaron Swenson and David Gibson, first baseman Todd Brazeal, third baseman Kent Burford and outfielders John Dishon, Chris Clinton and Blake McDade.

Swenson, Clinton receive VBL weekly honors

Staunton Braves teammates Aaron Swenson and Chris Clinton were named the Valley Baseball League South Division Pitcher and Player of the Week by the league office Monday.

Swenson (Youngstown State) earned the Pitcher of the Week award for the second time this summer. Swenson pitched a complete game two-hitter to defeat Haymarket, 6-2. He allowed two runs, both unearned while striking out eight and walking two. Swenson is now 4-0 on the season with a 0.97 ERA.

Clinton (pictured) hit .579 this past week (11-for-19) to earn Player of the Week honors. Clinton had an on-base percentage of .600 and a slugging percentage of .737 for the week. He leads the Valley League in hitting with a .429 average.

Braves No. 21 in Summer Top 25 poll

The Staunton Braves are ranked No. 21 in the Summer Top 25 in the recent rankings posted by Perfect Game.

The Braves, 13-6 on the season, were ranked No. 14 last week.

Luray is ranked No. 17 in this week's rankings.

Brazeal named to freshman All-American second team

Staunton Braves first baseman Todd Brazeal (South Florida) has been named to the Freshman All-American second team by Baseball America.

Brazeal is batting .295 and leads the Braves this season with five homers.

Brazeal hit .348 with five homers and 50 RBIs at South Florida.

Swenson, Dishon earn Player of the Week honors

Youngstown State righthander Aaron Swenson (bottom photo) and LSU outfielder John Dishon have earned South Division Player of the Week honors for the Staunton Braves over the past two weeks.

Swenson is currently 3-0 on the season and ranks third among the league leaders in ERA with a 1.27 mark. He is also ranked third in the league in strikeouts.

Dishon leads the Braves and ranks third in the VBL in hitting with a .404 average. He is also third in the league in runs scored, fourth in slugging percentage and fifth in on-base percentage.

Braves edge 'Jacks; McDade named Player of the Week

Following Sunday night's tough 3-1 loss to Woodstock, the Staunton Braves bounced back Monday and snapped their two-game losing streak with a 7-6 win over Covington.

Luke Padgett (Virginia Tech) belted a two-run homer in the bottom of the seventh to give the Braves the 7-6 lead.

Padgett finished the game with three hits while Cameron Brown (Richmond), Todd Brazeal (South Florida) and Donovan Huffer (Concord) added two hits each.

Donal Howell (Bluefield) pitched the final 1.1 innings to earn his second save of the season.

Also Monday, Braves' first baseman/outfielder Blake McDade (Middle Tennessee State) was named the Valley Baseball League South Division Player of the Week. McDade (pictured) had 10 hits in his first six games and leads the VBL with 13 RBIs.

Braves improve to 4-0 on the season

The Staunton Braves improved to 4-0 on the season with a 9-3 victory Thursday over the Front Royal Cardinals. The loss with the first of the season for the Cardinals.

Blake McDade (picture) was 3-for-4 with three RBIs to lead the Braves offense.

Four Staunton pitchers combined to limit Front Royal to just four hits. Harrison Slutsky pitched two innings in relief to get the win and Nate Eppley finished with two scoreless innings to record the save.

Three more Braves go in the draft

Three more former Staunton Braves were selected on the final day of MLB draft.

Justin Dignelli a RHP from George Washington University was selected in the 34th round by the Dodgers. John Housey, a righthander from Miami was taken in Round 36. Housey played briefly for the Braves two years ago before finishing the season in Woodstock. Jamie Hayes (pictured), a righthander from Rider, went in Round 48 to the Atlanta Braves.

Huffer named to All-American First Team

Donovan Huffer, a pitcher/shortstop for Concord University, was named by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association to a first-team NCAA Division II All-America spot as a utility player.

Huffer's .439 batting average and 54 runs scored ranked first in the West Virginia Conference. He also managed a 6-2 pitching record with a 3.50 earned run average as the Mountain Lions qualified for the NCAA tournament for the second consecutive season.

Huffer played with the Staunton Braves in 2008 and is back with the team this summer.

Squatrito, Hernandez picked in draft

The Staunton Braves had two players selected in the first 30 rounds of the Major League baseball draft.

Josh Squatrito, a righthander from Towson was drafted in the 25th round by the Cardinals and Bobby Hernandez, a righthander from Barry, was selected in Round 28 by the Dodgers.

Squatrito pitched for the Braves in 2008 and was one of the top relief pitchers in the Valley Baseball League.

Hernandez, who pitched for the Braves in 2007, was also drafted in last year's draft.

Copeland helps send Southern Miss to Omaha

Former Staunton Braves pitcher Scott Copeland helped send Southern Miss to the College World Series with three strong innings of relief in an upset victory over Florida.

Copeland picked up the win with three scoreless innings in which he allowed just one hit during Southern Miss' 7-6. The Golden Eagles took two straight from the Gators to advance to Omaha.

Swenson pitches Braves past Waynesboro

The Staunton Braves improved to 2-0 on the season by defeating Waynesboro,10-1, Sunday night.

The Braves received another strong pitching effort as starter Aaron Swenson (Youngstown State). Swenson (pictured) went six innings and allowed just three hits and one earned run. He struck out three and walked one.

The Braves finished with 11 hits and took advantage of four Waynesboro errors to take control of the contest.

Blake McDade (Middle Tennessee State) was 2-for-3 with four RBIs and Todd Brazeal (South Florida) was 1-for-3 with three RBIs. Johnny Dishon (LSU) and Anthony Porter (Youngstown State) added two hits each for the Braves.

Braves win season opener

Todd Brazeal (South Florida) belted a solo homer in the first inning and Shane Pysh (Radford) allowed just four hits in seven innings as the Staunton Braves opened the 2009 Valley Baseball League season with a 4-1 victory at Rockbridge.

The Braves scored three runs in the top of the first. Chris Clinton (Eckerd) led off with a bunt single and stole second. Clinton scored on a double by Luis Llerena (South Florida). Llerena moved to third on a passed ball and scored on Cameron Brown's grounder for a (2-0) Braves lead. Brazeal then belted a towering homer to put Staunton on top 3-0.

Pysh (pictured), who struck out four and walked three, lost his shutout in the seventh.

With the score, 3-1, Staunton added a run in the eighth on a single by Brown and run-scoring double by Blake McDade (Middle Tennessee State).

Donovan Huffer (Concord) struck out two in the eighth and Donald Howell (Bluefield) fanned two more in the ninth to nail down the save.

Brazeal named Feshman All-American

South Florida first baseman Todd Brazeal was named to the Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American team presented by Collegiate Baseball.

Brazeal, a third-team All-Big East pick, hit .348 and led the Bulls with 50 RBIs this past season.

Brazeal is playing with the Staunton Braves this summer.

Blackburn MVP at Southern Conference tourney

Georgia Southern junior designated hitter Kyle Blackburn was named the Most Valuable Player at the Southern Conference baseball tournament. Blackburn has signed to play with the Staunton Braves this summer.

Blackburn, who started the year in a 3-for-29 slump, went 7-for-16 (three homers, triple, two doubles) with six RBI in the tournament.

In the tournament opener, a 4-3 win over Davidson, Blackburn was 2-for-4 with a pair of doubles and one RBI. The Eagles then defeated Appalachian State, 6-5, with Blackburn going 3-for-4 with a triple, homer and two RBIs.

After going 0-for-5 in a 16-4 victory over Furman, Blackburn was 2-for-3 in the 7-3 victory over Elon in the title game. Blackburn belted a three-run homer in the sixth to break a scoreless tie.

“I feel great. I got off to a slow start at the beginning (of the year), but tried to stay positive and got hot toward the end of the season and tried to help the team out. It’s awesome,” said the junior designated hitter. “No one on this team has experienced this before, and it’s been a while since Georgia Southern has won one, so it feels amazing to come up here and win the tournament.”

Georgia Southern advances to the NCAA tournament and will play out West in the Cal State-Fullerton regional. Georgia Southern in the No. 2 seed and will play No. 3 seed Gonzaga in the opener. Cal State-Fullerton, the top seed, meets Utah in the other first round contest.

Huffer earns All-Anerican honor

Concord University junior Donovan Huffer was named to the ABCA Division II Alll-American Third Team at the utility position.

Huffer was 6-2 on the mound for the Mountain Lions and led the team with a .437 batting average.

Huffer played for the Staunton Braves in 2008 and will rejoin the team for the 2009 season.

Howell MVP at NCCAA tournament

Bluefield College pitcher Donald Howell was named the Most Valuable Player at the National Christian College Athletic Association national tournament.

Howell helped lead the Rams to the NCCAA national title with two saves and two wins.

Howell picked up a pair of saves as Bluefield won two straight games in regional action. At the national tournament, he added a pair of wins as the Rams won the title.

Howell played for the Braves in 2008 and will rejoin the team for the 2009 season.

Brazeal has two hits in USF win

Freshman Todd Brazeal was 2-for-2 with four runs scored and one run batted in as South Florida opened the Big East tournament with a 12-2 victory over Pittsburgh.

Mahoney leads High Point to upset win over Winthrop

High Point won its second straight game at the Big South tournament as the Panthers upset No. 2 Winthrop, 7-4.

Sophomore Kyle Mahoney was 3-for-5 with a homer and two RBIs to lead High Point to the victory.

McDade drives in 3 for MTSU

Junior Blake McDade had a big day at the Sun Belt tournament to help lead Middle Tennessee State to a victory over Florida Atlantic in the tournament opener.

McDade was 3-for-5 with a double and three RBIs for the Blue Raiders.

Huffer earns postseason honors

Concord junior Donovan Huffer has received several postseason honors on the diamond.

Huffer was named to the All-WVIAC first team as a utiltity player. He lead the Mountain Lions in hitting with a .439 average and doubles with 16. He ranked third in the conference in batting average and second in both hits and runs scored. Huffer was also 6-2 on the mound with a 3.50 ERA. He ranked second in the conference in innings pitched and fourth in strikeouts.

Huffer was also named to the Daktronics All-Atlantic Region first team (picked by the region's sports information directors) and the Rawlings/ABCA All-Atlantic Region first team (picked by the region's coaches.

He is now eligible for the ABCA Division II All-American team to be released Friday, May 22.

Braves earn all-conference honors

Several former Staunton Braves and one 2009 signee have earned all-conference honors this season.

JMU outfielder Matt Townsend (2008 Brave) was named to the All-CAA first team and his Dukes teammate, Matt Browning (2008 Brave) was selected to the All-CAA second team.

Old Dominion outfield Max Most (2008 Brave pictued at right) was named to the All-CAA third team.

Rider's Jamie Hayes (2007 Brave) was named to the All-MAAC second team and Aaron Crittenden (2007 Brave) was named to the All-Atlantic Sun second team.

South Florida freshman Todd Brazeal, who has signed to play with the Braves this summer, was named to the All-Big East third team.

Huffer leads Concord to sweep over Shepherd

Donovan Huffer helped lead the Concord Mountain Lions to a three-game sweep over conference rival Shepherd.

In the first game of a doubleheader, Huffer went 1-for-4 and in Game 2 of the twinbill he hit and pitched Concord to the win. Huffer was 2-for-4 at the plate with a double, a homer and three RBIs. On the mound, he pitched a seven-inning complete game in the 6-5 victory.

Huffer finished off the series with a 3-for-5 effort at the plate with a run scored and one run batted in. Concord finished off the sweep with a 5-4 win.

Duffy snaps out of slump in a big way

Central Florida outfielder Chris Duffy snapped out of a recent slump with two big offensive games in a pair of wins over Memphis.

Duffy went 3-for-6 with a double, triple and five RBIs in Game 2 of the series against Memphis, a 12-7 win for the Golden Knights.

In the third game of the series, Duffy was part of an amazing ninth-inning rally as UCF defeated the Tigers, 5-3. Trailing 3-0 with two outs and nobody on, Kiko Vazquez put the Golden Knights on the board with a solo homer. After a single by D.J. Hicks, Duffy belted a two-run homer to tie the score. After another single, Colin Arnold belted UCF's third homer of the inning to complete the 5-3 comeback victory. Duffy finished 2-for-4 with two RBIs.

Swenson hurls complete game for Penguins

Youngstown State righthander Aaron Swenson turned in a dominating performance this past weekend to lead the Penguins to a 6-1 victory over Butler.

Swenson pitched a complete game, limiting Butler to five hits. He struck out 10 batters and walked just two.

Pysh picks up victory against Winthrop

Radford University righthander Shane Pysh turned in a solid start Saturday to lead the Highlanders to a 7-5 victory over Winthrop.

Pysh pitched 6.1 innings to pick up the victory. He allowed seven hits and three runs, two earned, while striking out seven and walking just two.

Pysh, now 2-1 on the season, is slated to play for the Staunton Braves this summer.

Polizzano earns Sun Belt honor

Florida International pitcher Corey Polizzano was named the Sun Belt Conference Pitcher of the Week after a dominating performance in a 13-2 victory over conference foe Arkansas-Little Rock.

Polizzano pitched a seven-inning complete game and allowed just five hits and one earned run. The lefty struck out 11 and walked just three.

For the season, Polizzano is 1-1 with a 2.65 ERA. He has 18 strikeouts in 17 innings pitched.

Huffer has big series against Fairmont State

Concord University junior shortstop had a big series in a three-game set against Fairmont State. The Mountain Lions won two of the three games with Huffer going 8-for-14 with a pair of doubles and six RBIs.

For the seaosn, Huffer is batting .428.

Clinton steals four bases in one game

Eckerd College sophomore outfielder Chris Clinton stole four bases in a game Wednesday against Purdue-North Central. Clinton was 2-for-4 in the 10-3 victory for Eckerd and was also hit by a pitch. He stole third base three times in the game.

For the season, Clinton is hitting .352 and leads the team in doubles with 10 and stolen bases with 13.

Porter plays well in JMU series

Youngstown State junior catcher Anthony Porter had a solid showing it a two-game series this week at James Madision. Porter was 3-for-5 in the two games and drew a pair of walks.

After a slow start, Porter has raised his average to .257 on the seaon.

Clinton having solid season at Eckerd

After getting off to a slow start, Eckerd College outfielder Chris Clinton is now batting .354 in 20 game. Clinton leads the team in doubles with seven and stolen bases with eight

This past weekend in a three-game series with St. Leo, Clinton was 6-for-11 with five runs scored and four RBIs. He had two doubles and a homer in the series.

The Eckerd College sophomore is scheduled to play for the Staunton Braves this summer.

Branca makes first start of season

Central Florida infielder Stephen Branca missed the first 10 games of the college season with an injury, but he made the most of his first start of the season.

Branca, who played with the Staunton Braves last summer and is scheduled to come back this year, started at second base and hit in the leadoff spot for UCF this past weekend against Monmouth. He went 3-for-5 with two runs scored and three RBIs. He had one double and his first college homer in UCF's victory.

UCF teammate Chris Duffy, who also is set to play for the Braves in 2009, also homered in the game.

UCF's Duffy off to fast start

Central Florida junior outfielder Chris Duffy has his seven-game hitting streak to start the season stopped in Wednesday's loss at Florida International.

Duffy is hitting .323 to start the season with one homer and five RBIs for the Golden Knights. UCF is 2-6 with three of the losses coming on the road at No. 1 ranked LSU.

Ferguson, McCracken pitch well in win

Tennessee Wesleyan teammates Jason Ferguson (right) and Matt McCracken pitched well in Tuesday's 3-2 victory over Trevecca Nazarene.

McCracken got the start and worked 4.2 innings. He allowed just two hits and two runs, both unearned. He struck out three and walked four.

Ferguson pitched the final two innings to pick up the save, allowing no runs and just one hit.

For the season, McCracken is 0-1 with a 5.12 ERA in seven appearances. The lefty has struck out 16 in 19.1 innings and opponents are hitting just .281.

Ferguson has a 3.12 ERA in eight appearances with three saves. Opponents are hitting a miniscule .111 against Feguson's submarine deliveries.

Both pitchers have commited to pitch for the Braves in 2009.

Huffer named conference pitcher of the week

Concord University junior Donovan Huffer was named the WVIAC Pitcher of the Week following the opening week of play in the conference.

Huffer, who also plays shortstop at Concord, pitched a complete game in a 3-1 victory over Mansfield. He worked seven innings and allowed six hits, all singles, and no earned runs. He struck out three and did not walk a batter.

At the plate this season Huffer is batting .400 (6-for-15) with four doubles.

Huffer ,who played shortstop for the Staunton Braves last year, has signed a contract to return to the Braves in 2009.

Mahoney leads High Point past Duke

Sophomore Kyle Mahoney belted his first homer of the season Thursday to help lead High Point to a 10-2 victory over ACC foe Duke.

Mahoney, a C/1B who will play for the Braves in 2009, was 2-for-4 with four RBIs in the victory over Duke. For the season, he is second on the team in both batting average (.385) and RBIs (nine).

Former Braves on 40-man rosters

Spring training is in full swing and several former Staunton Braves are on MLB clubs' 40-man rosters.

Luke Scott and Aubrey Huff are back with the Orioles and pitcher Shawn Camp recently signed a one-year deal with the Blue Jays.

Veteran Chad Tracy is back with the Diamondbacks and Jason Michaels has signed with the Astros.

Trying to make MLB rosters when spring training breaks are Joe Koshansky with the Rockies, Gaby Sanchez with the Marlins and Chris Perez with the Cards. Perez has the best chance and could be the Cards' closer when the season opens.

McDade Off To Fast Start

Middle Tennessee State junior Blake McDade is off to a sizzling start this season. Through the first six games, McDade is batting .556 (15-for-27) with two doubles, one homer and a team-leading 10 RBIs. MTSU is off to a 5-1 start.

McDade played with the Braves in 2008 and has signed a contract to return in 2009.

Welcome

Welcome to the Staunton Braves Baseball blog.
During the offseason, you can check here for the latest updates about roster moves, player accomplishments, team news and past players.
During the season, we will post about Braves games and Valley Baseball League matters.
Hope you enjoy.