By John Leonard

We're down to the last five previews: Today we have the Waynesboro Generals!

What Happened in 2018

The 2018 Waynesboro Generals finished 24-18 in the regular season, tied for second in the South with the Charlottesville Tom Sox. The Tom Sox won the tiebreaker (by winning the season series with the Generals, 4 games to 2), so Waynesboro was the third seed. In a hard fought series, the Tom Sox eliminated the Generals two games to one. It was the ninth straight year the Generals advanced to the playoffs, which is tied with Harrisonburg for the the longest current streak.

What's Up in 2019

First of all, Waynesboro hired a new-yet-old head coach for the summer: former New Market Rebel head coach Zac Cole, who led the Rebs to the Valley League title in 2018. Zac brings a wealth of experience to his position, as he was the head coach in New Market for the past three seasons, and even played for the Waynesboro Generals in 2004. Zac's teams in New Market over the past three years put up a 66-59 regular season record, and advanced from no playoffs in year one, to a first round exit in the playoffs in year two, and then a title in year three. Cole is the current associate head coach and recruiting coordinator at Andrew College. Of his new experience, Cole said, "I'm personally excited about the opportunity to coach in a place that I once played. I have been coaching for almost a decade and this is the first chance I have had to lead a team I once played for. Waynesboro represents a new challenge but the goals never change."

The Generals will have a mix of youth and experience. First of all, three potential Freshmen All-Americans will be coming to the 'Boro- Ethan Murray (Duke), Joe Kinker (Florida Gulf Coast), and Lane Hoover (East Carolina). The team has two returners to the league as well- Kobe Lopez (Florida International) and Matthew Mercer (East Tennessee), both of whom played for New Market in 2018.

The catchers look like a strong crop, with Santi Garcia (Alabama State), Luis Olivier (Embry-Riddle), and Wes Clarke (South Carolina) all due to arrive in Waynesboro. Clarke is a previous draft pick of the Milwaukee Brewers. He was a 40th round selection in the 2018 draft. Garcia was the Most Valuable Player of the MINK Collegiate Baseball League in 2018 after hitting 346/400/608 in 130 at-bats and leading the league in RBIs.

Cole is also high on Jackson Tate (Lawson State, Alabama signee). "He is one of the very best players in all of Alabama junior college baseball... All the coaches and scouts we spoke to raved about this kid and the way he plays the game," he said. Tate hit an otherworldly 377/525/815 this spring, with 19 doubles, 5 triples, 14 home runs, and even 26 stolen bases.

How about the pitchers? Cole said, "The pitching staff will include thirteen pitchers that have already logged at least 25 innings. From a pure stuff standpoint, Joe Acosta (East Tennessee State) is a guy that stands out. He has an outstanding arm featuring a low 90's sinking fastball. He is a future pro pitcher."

Also watch out for Pedro Castellano (Central Florida), whose father played in the major leagues in the 1990's for the Colorado Rockies, and Stuart Barrett (George Mason), who played for the local Miller School in high school.

Time will tell if Cole will become the rarest of specimens- a Valley League coach to not only win back-to-back titles, but titles for different franchises in back-to-back seasons.

Waynesboro opens the 2019 season on May 31st, hosting against Covington. First pitch is scheduled for 7 PM. 

Remember that if you are unable to attend, you can always watch games live on Facebook, courtesy of Sheetz and Subway, or listen to the broadcast on Stretch!

And if you want to read much more about the Valley League, check out allthingsvalleyleague.com.