By Duncan Nixon
Correspondent
The Fluco baseball team won the Class 3 State championship in 2019, just before COVID. Last year with a roster that coach Joel Gray described as “youthful, but very talented” the team went to the State quarterfinals and posted an 18-6 record. This year Gray is looking to get back to the State final four, which will be played at Fluvanna. Of course, reaching the State finals is a lofty goal and anything can happen in a long season.
Nonetheless, it doesn’t look like this goal is unreasonable. The Flucos are deep, experienced and talented. The talent starts with junior shortstop Sam Loving, a multi-sport athlete. Loving was Jefferson District Player of the Year in 2024 as a sophomore. Gray notes that Loving batted an astonishing .500 last season which made him only the second player in Gray’s extensive tenure to hit .500 or better for a season. Shortstop is a good place to start in building a championship team, but pitching is usually what decides the matter.
Two All-Region 3C senior pitchers will be returning to the mound for the Flucos. Caden Harris posted a 7-1 record last year and Cam Via was 6-1. They can pitch and hit. Both are power hitters who will bat in the middle of the order. Relief pitchers include seniors Logan Horner and Christian Lounsbury and junior Tremayne Minor. The pitching should be solid as long as there aren’t a lot of “ninety-foot freebies,” Gray’s term for walks. Due to Sste rules designed to protect young arms, pitchers are limited as to how many pitches they can throw per day, so pitching staffs need to be deep.
Joining Loving in defending the middle of the field will be Brody Shields at second base. Gray says Shields may be “the best glove we have ever had in the program.” Three seniors will be called on to handle first base. When not pitching, Caden Harris or Via will be there. Another senior first baseman will be Thomas Custer, who is recovering from an injury to his throwing arm. Custer is expected to be available by the fifth or sixth game. Third base will be handled by junior Kyle Harris who Gray describes as a solid defender and a “grinder” at the plate. Junior Carson Raines will handle the catching, with sophomore Noah Washington as his back-up. Raines is another of the team’s power hitters.
Gray believes that his outfielders can fly. Senior Jackson Fields is a track athlete and has committed to play in college at Bridgewater. He has a strong arm and will bat in the middle of the order. Other outfielders who have impressive range are Senior Jayden Hoy, Junior Carson Melton and freshman Jacob Loving. Minor will also be in the mix in the outfield, when not on the mound.
According to Gray, Jefferson District contenders include Louisa County and Orange County both of which have solid pitching, and Western Albemarle which has a strong baseball program. Nevertheless, the Flucos are probably heavy favorites to repeat as Jefferson District champions.
Gray is assisted by Stacy Barringer, Don Fields and Josh Barringer.
