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As MIAA play began around the state on this colder Monday afternoon, I made the 2.5-hour hike to Towson as #7 Loyola Blakefield hosted top-ranked Archbishop Spalding on the opening day of conference play. In the end, Spalding would remain undefeated on their 2025 campaign, securing the win in shutout fashion over the Dons, 2-0. 

This game was a pitchers duel as two of the top prep arms in the state locked horns yesterday afternoon as Joseph Nottingham (Georgia), the #1 RHP in the MD/DE 2025 class, looked for an upset as they took on Nathan Wines (East Carolina), the #3 RHP in the class. Nottingham would take the mound first and strike out the side quickly before Wines ran into some trouble early in the first with three walks but battled back to strike out the side to keep the game scoreless. Loyola Blakefield would collect the first hit of the afternoon after a leadoff single from senior Luke Randazzo, but Wines would quickly end the inning. The offense would be quiet as both pitches were rolling through the mid-portion of the game, especially Nottingham, who was perfect through 3 1/3 until junior Noah Vasey would break up the perfect bid in the fourth with a double into the left-center gap. Nottingham wasn’t phased, though, as a spectacular diving catch in center field and a swinging strikeout on a high fastball would end the frame. Nottingham would be finished after five scoreless frames, and uncommitted junior southpaw Jacob Caponi would enter the game for the Dons. Spalding responded with a leadoff single by Braeden Martin (East Carolina), and a couple of walks and a wild pitch would allow the Cavaliers to draw first blood in the sixth. They would tack on one more run in the seventh following a bases-loaded walk to hold a 2-0 lead. Arian Vargas (Alabama) would relieve Wines after five scoreless to slam the door, striking out all 6 batters he faced to secure a win to open conference play.

Archbishop Spalding

 

Nathan Wines RHP / Archbishop Spalding, MD / 2025 Wines would pick up the win on this colder Monday afternoon, as he finished with 5 scoreless innings, only allowing one hit on the day while striking out six. The East Carolina commit ran into some trouble early on in this contest, loading the bases in the first and allowing two runners on in the second, but was able to precisely work out of it to keep his scoreless outing intact. Most of the trouble early came from a total of 4 walks surrendered in the first two innings, but he rebounded with lights-out pitching for his final three innings. Worked a two-pitch mix throughout the afternoon, utilizing the fastball to both halves of the plate to limit contact. He was more successful with the fastball to his glove side as he consistently sat 88-91 early and settled in at 87-89 throughout the third and fourth innings. Frequently mixed in the mid-70s curveball throughout to mess with hitters' timings, had success with the pitch in and out of the zone away from right-handers. Overall, Wines made some big pitches when it mattered, and once he settled in, he was virtually lights out.

Noah Vasey OF / Archbishop Spalding, MD / 2026 May not have filled up the stat sheet throughout this game, but the uncommitted junior may have had the hardest contact of anyone on the field yesterday. Struck out in his first AB on a high fastball before getting a hanging breaking ball during his second AB that he capitalized on, striking a double into the left-center gap for the Cavaliers’ first hit of the afternoon. During his third AB of the afternoon, he attacked a first-pitch fastball and sent another strong line drive into the left-center gap that was run down before drawing a walk in his final at-bat of the afternoon. A standout during our preseason events this winter, Vasey has shown evident strength G2G with the ability to get it done in game as well out of the DH spot in a loaded Spalding lineup. Impactful runner as well on the basepaths with sub-7 speed. An under-the-radar bat that is poised for a breakout junior campaign.

Arian Vargas RHP / Archbishop Spalding, MD / 2026 It was absolutely a lights-out outing from the Alabama commit last night, coming out of the bullpen and slamming the door, tossing the final two innings en route to a save, securing a 2-0 win over #7 Loyola Blakefield. He jumped up on the mound to start the sixth inning and struck out the side in 13 pitches, working primarily fastballs in the low-90s, grabbing two 94s during the inning. Just when you thought that would be enough, he came back out for the seventh and final inning, striking out the side again in only 14 pitches, still holding velocity with the fastball at 89-92, grabbing one 93. Vargas didn't need to rely as much on the secondary arsenal as the fastball was overpowering enough, but he mixed a couple of mid-70s curveballs in, getting swing and miss in and out of the zone. 27 total pitches, six batters faced, and six strikeouts for the 2024 Future Games alum. You can't ask for a better outing than that one.

Loyola Blakefield

Joseph Nottingham RHP / Loyola Blakefield, MD / 2025 This was personally my first in-person look at Nottingham in an extended period of time, and he definitely turned in an impressive outing. The righty received a no-decision in yesterday’s contest, tossing five scoreless innings and allowing only two hits while striking out eight batters. One of the things that stood out was how he commanded the game, allowing only one walk in his outing, which came in his fifth and final inning. Nottingham was electric in his first three innings, striking out the side in the first before inducing three fly balls in the second and collecting another two strikeouts in the third. He mixed in all four pitches during his five innings of work and did a good job keeping hitters off balance and making the right pitch in big-time situations. He could land the fastball virtually anywhere he wanted all afternoon, working in and out while collecting consistent swing-and-miss. Worked a curveball and slider that had similar shapes with different velocities, CB in the low-70s and the SL working mid to high-70s. Occasionally went to the splitter down below the zone that collected multiple strikeouts early on. Attached below is an in-depth extended look at the Georgia commit who turned in an impressive outing on Monday afternoon.

Colby Shilling SS / Loyola Blakefield, MD / 2026 On an afternoon where lights-out pitching really quieted the Loyola Blakefield offense, junior Colby Shilling, out of the leadoff spot, made some impressions even without recording a base hit. After fouling off four pitches in his first AB, he came back down 0-2 and worked a walk to lead off the game. After striking out in the second inning, he put a good swing on a 3-1 fastball and took it the other way for a long fly out to the warning track down the right-field line (video). In our multiple looks at the Dons this spring, Shilling has always been productive at the dish and should translate through the rest of the season.

Jacob Caponi LHP / Loyola Blakefield, MD / 2026 This was my first look at the 2024 Future Games alum since July of last year, and there was a lot to like. Looking into yesterday's performance, he took a while to settle in after allowing some early walks. Still, once he did, Caponi did an exceptional job at limiting hard contact, allowing only one hit through 1 1/3 innings in relief, which was a weak grounder through the right side. The uncommitted junior successfully worked the fastball in the zone while showing the ability to land the heater to both sides at 86-88, grabbing one 89. He had some struggles landing the mid-70s curveball early on, but his feel for the pitch increased as he settled in, collecting his lone strikeout on a curveball in the zone. Utilized the changeup arm side to both righties and lefties but had more control when thrown inside to lefties, inducing weak contact in the zone. It may not have been the most impressive line on the stat sheet, but there is definitely some intrigue as he should be a major contributor out of the bullpen for the Dons this spring.