The Oakton baseball team had a surprising year last year. They had their second losing record in ten years. This was surprising because of how good they should have been. With sluggers like Joe Rizzo and pitchers like Toma Shagiki-khan Oakton should have been one of the best in the district. Coach Janis said that the team chemistry on the field was not what it should have been, and that was one of the reasons that his team was unsuccessful. After last year Oakton baseball isn’t sure how they are going to do. They have had two scrimmages with a one and one record. This is a good start it shows they have the capability to compete with the other teams in the conference. Oakton will have one of the best pitching staff in all of virginia with two division one commits in the rotation. Oakton success will depend on three factors pitching, hitting, and fielding.

Pitching wise Oakton is set. Toma Shagiki-khan and Owen Lamon are both division one commits and Seth Richards rounds out the rotation. Toma sits around ninety two to ninety four with an amazing curve and an exquisite changeup. Owen Lamon throws between ninety and ninety one, and he also has an amazing curve and changeup. Seth Richards who is only a sophomore throws around eighty three to eighty four. He is a left handed pitcher which can really come in handy against teams that stack lefties in their lineup. Not only are the pitchers incredible, but the guy that receives the pitches is incredible. Ryan Davis is an extremely talented defensive catcher with a pop time on par with a few MLB catchers. The bullpen also adds some depth to the pitching staff. Jared Kimball and  J.P. Neary are just a few of the relief pitchers Coach Janis can call on to get Oakton out of a tough inning.

Offensively Oakton could use some work. They have a few really good hitters, but overall there are many other teams with better offenses. Eric Lingbach is Oakton’s best hitter. He can hit for average and he can crush a ball over the fence from time to time along with him Jared Kimball, Owen Lamon, and Ethan Sullivan are not bad hitters. They don’t hit as well as Lingbach, but they are pretty good. Mainly Oakton’s hitting is not great, and they need to drastically improve by the start of the season to be able to compete for a state championship. One of the complaints that I have heard is that Oakton focusses too hard on bunting and they don’t focus enough on hitting. Last year Oakton’s JV team batted .220 while hitting and .360 while bunting. That can mean two things. One Oakton needs to bunt a lot or Oakton needs to work on its hitting. The final key to success for Oakton is fielding.

Oakton’s fielding is average other than shortstop and catcher. Cole Wagner is Oakton’s starting shortstop, and he is an extremely talented player. Cole fielding is unparalleled by any other infielder at Oakton. As I said before Ryan Davis is an incredible player. His blocking and pop time are one of the best in the state, but he could work on his hitting. The other fielders on Oakton’s roster are not bad. Eric Lingbach and Jared Kimball are decent fielders, but they make it up with their bats. The first baseman spot is being fought over by Chris Vin and Danny Good. A few other talented fielders are Chas Billak, who plays infield and outfield, and Will Ripey, an outfielder. Overall Oakton’s fielding is pretty good, but it could use some improvements throughout the infield and the outfield. Pitching, hitting, and fielding are the three things Oakton needs to work on to be able to compete for a state championship.