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Jefferson Forest’s Breckin Nace bats against Liberty Christian on May 2.
E.C. Glass junior Mike Harpster pitches against Western Albemarle on Wednesday. Harpster threw six hitless innings, gave up an unearned run and struck out 11 to lead the Hilltoppers to the Region 4D semifinals.
After a thrilling win over top-seeded Western Albemarle in the opening round of the Region 4D baseball tournament Wednesday, E.C. Glass coach Allen Jones addressed his team.
"You don't even realize what you just accomplished," Jones told them. Bottom-seeded Glass had not only earned a major upset, it also had taken down the second-ranked team in all of Class 4 baseball, comprised of 57 schools across the state.
"They just shook their heads, like 'What?'" Jones said in an interview Friday. "They didn't even know."
Perhaps that strategy was best leading up to regional play. If the Hilltoppers didn't know Western Albemarle (17-2) was such a giant, maybe they would show no fear.
After all, this is a team that, a couple weeks ago, looked to have no postseason future before eking out the eighth and final spot in the region. They're surprised and happy to get to this point, so they might not scare easily.
"The kids, coming into the season, I don't think they had any idea they were heading into becoming a postseason team," Jones said. "In my five years, we've never been in a position of playing in June-ish. ... Now we can actually accomplish something here. I told the guys, 'The table has not only been set, the meal is prepared.'"
A huge part of their upset victory was due to Mike Harpster, the flame-throwing junior righthander who threw six hitless innings, allowed one unearned run and fanned 11 to earn the win.
"He had to battle the elements," Jones said of his ace, citing rain and a muggy night that made gripping the ball difficult. "I think the Western Albemarle coach would say the same thing. The strike zone was the tightest I've ever seen. That's not to complain about the umpire; that's just how it was. And Mike did very well. ... It's all about composure, and he maintained himself very well."
Now Glass (11-8) is trying to prove it can win Saturday's region semifinal against No. 5 Salem without Harpster. In Saturday's other semifinal, second-ranked Jefferson Forest will rely on its deep pitching and strong defense to carry it through against sixth-ranked Orange County.
Both Glass and JF can notch automatic state berths should they win Saturday. Glass plays Salem at Kiwanis Park in Salem at 6 p.m. Forest hosts Orange at the same time at Forest Middle School's Thacker Field. Both games originally were scheduled to be played Friday but were moved because of inclement weather.
The Cavaliers (18-4) were dominant Wednesday, earning an 8-0 win over Pulaski behind a gem from starter Peyton Smith, who threw six innings, allowed two hits and struck out 10. Connor Lane closed things out with a prefect seventh.
It was also a big night at the plate for leadoff hitter Breckin Nace, who went 3 for 3 with two runs scored. Smith, Evan Mace and Alex Whitaker each had two hits.
"Pretty much our whole season our pitching and defense has been carrying us," JF coach Ryan Gilleland said, "and against Pulaski it was the same thing. We played good defense and the pitching was clean. And the offense has been coming along the last couple weeks."
Here are a couple stats that indicate just how dominant JF's pitching has been. In 22 games, the staff has posted nine shutouts. JF has held opponents to two runs or less 14 times this season.
Smith won't be available to take the mound Saturday, so JF could rely on any combination of Breckin Nace, Luke Gouldthorpe and Sam Bell. Gilleland said Friday evening he hadn't made a decision yet on who would get the start.
As much as JF has cruised this season, it did endure a rough patch: a three-game skid that started with being upset 6-4 by Amherst on April 29, continued with a 2-1 home loss to LCA on May 2 and concluded with a 4-2 loss to E.C. Glass three days later. Hoping to infuse life into the lineup, Gilleland switched it up, concentrating on changing the first four positions.
He moved Nace from hitting cleanup to leadoff. The junior definitely responded. In five games since taking over leadoff, he's hitting a white-hot .667 (12 for 18) with six RBIs and eight runs scored. Prior to the move, all his hits this season had gone for singles. But over the last five games, Nace sports four extra-base hits: three doubles and a triple.
"I think our offense was getting a little stale," Gilleland said of the three-game losing streak. "No magical changes, just changing things up to give some guys more confidence. ... [Breckin] had a really high on-base percentage, so we said let's put him at leadoff. I think his first at-bat at leadoff he hit a double."
Win Saturday and JF advances to its first state tournament since 2015. It would have made a state appearance last spring after advancing to the region title game, but the VHSL changed its rules for the COVID-shortened season, deciding that only region champions would advance to state tourneys.
At E.C. Glass, the Hilltoppers are unaccustomed to playing this late in the season. But here they are, one win away from a state berth. To defeat Salem, they'll rely on offensive production and hope to get a lockdown performance from sophomore Cooper Campbell.
Jones said he'd been hearing chatter surrounding Saturday's game, specifically that his Hilltoppers are a one-man crew, that they can't win without Harpster.
But the May 5 game against Forest says otherwise. Campbell threw five innings in relief of Jimmy Evans, and the two pitchers gave up just two hits apiece, one run each and combined for seven strikeouts in the upset.
Campbell enters with a 4-2 record. The righty has a 2.62 ERA across 40 innings pitched.
"His game isn't striking out 15," Jones said. "He's deceptive, he's funky. He's not 90 miles per hour like Harpster, but he has his own way of pitching and he's effective."
Jones' Hilltoppers don't practice specifically for an upcoming opponent. The coach does all the homework on opponents but doesn't tend to pass much of it on to his players. He wants them to stay lose and react, not think and be overwhelmed. Maybe that's why his players were a little surprised to find out how good Western Albemarle was. And now, all of the sudden, the Hilltoppers are within striking distance of an impressive feat.
"We could be looking at a state championship position," Jones said. "Not that we win it, but we could be in that situation before we know it. These kids are mentally prepared should that happen. As a coach I tell them, 'I've done my best all year to know how you play. I don't want to affect how you play, but here we are.'"
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Jefferson Forest’s Breckin Nace bats against Liberty Christian on May 2.
E.C. Glass junior Mike Harpster pitches against Western Albemarle on Wednesday. Harpster threw six hitless innings, gave up an unearned run and struck out 11 to lead the Hilltoppers to the Region 4D semifinals.
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