ALL STAR ROSTERS SET FOR SATURDAY
Gameday Announced the 1st All Star Game Rosters and Starters Today. Chantilly's John Colella and Lake Braddock's Brian Derner will be the starters in Saturday's All Star Game....
Chantilly's John Colella gets the start for the West Squad after leading the Chargers to an impressive 18-6 season and a berth into the Northern Region semifinals. Colella struck out 33 hitters in his last 3 starts of the season.
Photo By : Marc Gold / Gameday Magazine
Lake Braddock's Brian Derner will be the starting pitcher for the East Team in Saturday's All Star Game at Chantilly High School. Derner is a crafty left-hander, and his play helped Lake Braddock advance to the state playoffs this season.
Photo By: Phil Dolinger / Marc Gold / Gameday Magazine
CHANTILLY, VA - The 1st All Star Weekend will be held this Friday and Saturday at Chantilly High School, and today Gameday announced the names of the players who were selected. The starting pitchers in the All Star Game will be Chantilly's John Colella and Lake Braddock's Brian Derner.
Colella led the Chargers to an 18-6 overall record this spring. In his last 3 outings, Colella struck out 17 against Robinson, 9 against Stone Bridge, and 7 against West Springfield. He helped the Chargers to the Northern Region semifinals where they fell narrowly to West Springfield in extra innings 2-1.
Lake Braddock's Brian Derner was the ace on the Bruin staff this spring. The left handed pitcher helped the Bruins to a 17-7 record and an appearance in the state quarterfinals. He will get the start for the East Team, and will be joined by pitchers Joey Zaralla of Langley, and Joel Himan of C.D Hylton.
Also pitching for the West Team will be Osbourn Park seniors Matt Wainman and Zach Bargeron. Considered by many to be the best 1-2 punch in the Cedar Run District on the mound, Bargeron and Wainman helped lead the Yellow Jackets to the regular season district championship and the regional playoffs.
Potomac Fall senior Jake Kline will also see time on the mound for the West Team after leading the Panthers to and undefeated Dulles District record and all the way to the state semifinals.
Stone Bridge's Johnny Bladel and Westfield's Ryan Williams were both selected as position players, but could also see action from the bullpen in the game for West Team head coach Chuck Welch.
The starting infield for the West Team will include Chantilly's Brian King at first base, Sherando's Nick Merchant at 3rd, and a couple of Westfield Bulldogs will anchor the middle infield. Ryan Williams will start at shortstop and fellow Westfield teammate Tommy Verbanic will be the starter at second base.
Rounding out the West infield will be Potomac Falls senior Rob Malan, who will play 3rd base in the game. The future VCU Ram hit close to .400 in his senior season, and finished with 3 home runs. Heritage second baseman Brenton Peters and Chantilly's Danny Bates will play second and shortstop respectively in the game, and Brentsville's Hayden Gilmer will see time at 1st base.
The starting catcher for the West will be Loudoun Valley's Wes Walker, who led the Vikings to 12 straight victories in the final weeks of the season. Walker will be joined by Potomac Falls senior Mike Spring, who led the Panthers with 4 home runs this year.
Johnny Bladel will start in left field after leading Stone Bridge to another 20 win season. The future JMU Duke had a tremendous season yet again, garnering All Region honors for the second straight year. Westfield's Kevin Reardon will start in center, and teammate Cole McInturff will get the start in right field.
Joining Bladel, Reardon, and McInturff as West squad outfielders will be Centreville's Will Fuka, Osbourn's Ben Garlick, and Stone Bridge's Michael Prince.
Westfield's Chuck Welch is the West Team head coach, and his assistant staff consists of Stone Bridge's Sam Plank, Potomac Falls' Joe Terango, and Chantilly head coach Kevin Ford.
Anchoring the East Team defense is Herndon catcher Zach Leach. Leach hit over .500 in his senior season for the Hornets, and led Herndon in nearly every hitting category this spring. He will be joined by Alex Jacquez from Madison and West Springfield's Tucker Tobin behind the plate for the East squad.
Starting at first base for the East squad will be South County's Seth Jordan. Considered one of the area's best power hitters, Jordan helped the Stallions reach the state semifinals this spring. McLean's Erik Payne will also see time at 1st in the game.
The East Team starting middle infield is comprised of Marshall's Kevin Nutter at second, and Langley's Jack McLindon at shortstop. Both Nutter and McLindon helped lead their teams to the Northern Region playoffs this season, and are outstanding fielders. McLean's Brett Bleiweis and Robinson's Mike Kenah also will play second and shortstop respectively on Saturday for the East Squad.
Oakton's Adam Henne, who was one of the better hitters in the Cougar lineup this spring will get the start at 3rd base on Saturday.
Langley's Chris Sievers, Woodbridge's Michael Lott, and Potomac's Ryan Moriarty will be the starting outfielders for the East team Saturday. Sievers is one of the area's finer athletes and can flat out hit. Lott is considered by many to be the fastest player in the region in the outfield, and Moriarty is a solid defensive player with major power at the plate.
Potomac's Tyler Covington and Gar-Field's Andrew Steinberg were also named to the East squad as outfielders. Covington hit .544 for the Panthers, and Steinberg finished with a .470 batting average for Gar-Field in his senior season.
The coaching staff for the East All Stars is led by McLean's John Thomas, and his assistants will include Hylton's head coach Craig Flesher, Marshall head coach Joe McDonald, and Herndon's veteran skipper Alan McCullock.
ADMISSION TO THE GAME:
The 1st All Star Weekend is open to the general public with first pitch scheduled for 7pm on Saturday night. Admission to the game will be $10 and proceeds will benefit the Chantilly High School Booster Club.
LIVE BROADCASTS:
GamedayMagazine.com will be broadcasting the 1st All Star Game live on the Gameday Radio Network with live coverage beginning at 6pm. In addition, the All Star Game will be televised by the Gameday TV crew and put up for On-Demand later on Saturday evening. Our photographers will also be present and you can follow the action live on the Paintworx scoreboard with real time updates during the game. Family and friends who are not able to attend will be able to follow the action live online at GamedayMagazine.com.
