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The VISAA Division II preview features thirteen teams, including the defending State Champion, Highland School. Will we have another new state champ in 2026, or will the Hawks take home their third title in the last few years? See detailed team previews and spotlights below.

VISAA Division II Previews:

Atlantic Shores Christian Seahawks   

2025 Record: 21-9

State semifinals and at the hands of the eventual state champion Highland Hawks. That is how the 2025 season ended for the Seahawks. In addition to ending the season two wins short of their goal, Shores lost some integral pieces to the program. Brett Beasley (ECU), Malcolm Forbes, Ross Horne, Patrick Dudley (South Carolina), Ty Woods (EMU), Jake Armstrong (Misericordia), and Ezekiel Medrano all graduated. Woods, Dudley, and Beasley were all VISAA First Team All-State selections and leave MASSIVE holes on this roster, especially on the mound. While they certainly carried more value than just on the mound, that is where their loss may hurt the most. Those three threw nearly 130 innings on the mound and they all hit .300+ for the season. Beasley had 9 homeruns, accounting for more than 50% of the long balls hit in 2025. You get the point right? Ian Thomas and Ty Thompson are two upperclassmen that could play a larger role this season. Angelo Banks, Braylan Pitscheneder (Chowan), and Joshua Long are three returners that should carry some significant weight on the mound and at the plate for Shores. Could a breakout season be coming for sophomore Brody Beasley? There are a lot of questions going into 2026, but there are plenty for other squads as well.

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Christchurch Seahorses    

2025 Record: 6-15

Christchurch finished 6-15 in 2025. In addition to a tough season, the Seahorses lose two of their top four offensive options with Cam Byers and Mac Bargatze. They only had three players hit over .250 with Dallas Davis and Trey Fitchett (Paul D. Camp) returning. Peyton West racked up the most innings on the mound in 2025 and will be back for his junior campaign. Regardless of who is returning on the mound, after hitting .196 as a team, the offense will need to pick up the production a bit in 2026.

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Covenant School Eagles 

2025 Record: 15-8

A big turnaround in 2025, going from 9-9 and 15-8 last season, Coach Zach Biermann was in his first year as head coach in 2025 and saw some really nice results. Moving on to 2026, the Eagles could see another nice jump in success after they return every single player from last year’s team, including seniors Hudson Reese (Dickinson) and Dayne Honaker. Joining Reese and Honaker are juniors Will Park, Jay Lineweaver, and Latham Clark. Park and Clark were team leaders in batting average, both hitting .375+ on the season. While all of them are key returners, the 1.228 OPS that Hudson Reese produced last season is vital to their success. Reese had 9 extra base hits and three homeruns in 2025. As a whole, the Eagles were extra base machines, producing 28 doubles, 13 triples, and added 6 homeruns to their 2025 totals. In addition to the barrel party that it was at times, the Eagles swiped 114 bases, with Reese and Park accounting for 44 of those. Underclassmen Phillip Venton and McKinley Pattie led the way on the mound in terms of innings. They both combined for nearly 84 innings and both held sub 3.0 ERA’s. Who could be the catalyst in 2026? You might want to keep an eye on junior Evan Pariseau for a breakout year. Pariseau contributed a solid amount on the mound, but his offensive production was huge. He led the team in doubles and was top three in RBI’s and Runs Scored. Covenant is definitely a team to watch in VISAA DII in 2026.

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Grace Christian (Mechanicsville) Kings    

2025 Record: 15-4

Grace Christian was 15-4 in 2025, securing a few big wins over North Cross, St. Anne’s Belfield, and Life Christian. While the Kings had some nice wins, they also had a few head scratching losses in the middle of the season. Andrew Whittington, Ben Best, Grant Boucher, and Mason Minor all hit over .400 last season and all of them return in 2026. Boucher and Minor were both freshman, hitting .415+ for the season. Whittington had a staggering 11 doubles last season while driving in 22 and scoring 26. As a freshman, Minor threw the most innings for Grace Christian, tallying 30 innings on the mound, followed by Braxten Lawrence and Jordan Lucy. The Kings have the offensive prowess to compete in 2026, but will they establish a shutdown arm?

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Greenbrier Christian Gators   

2025 Record: 24-5

The Gators went 24-5 last season, were the #1 seed going into the tournament, and would eventually be knocked off in the semifinals by the #4 seeded Steward Spartans. GCA saw a lot of big things in 2025, including Player of the Year type numbers from Thomas Conrad (VMI). The standout outfielder hit .486, had 7 homeruns, led the team in Stolen Bases (42),RBI (40), and Runs Scored (43). In addition to loss of his contributions the Gators lose an immense amount of production from other seniors. Josh Henkel, Alija Trone, Jack Bonney (Barton), Jackson Okonkwo (ODU), Tucker Rupe (Lynchburg), and Hunter Langston (Hampden-Sydney) all made significant contributions in their own ways. In combination with Okonkwo, Rupe, and Langston, fellow senior Luke Davenport’s innings on the mound will be sorely missed in 2026. The Gators have two arma returning that threw more than 15 innings with Hayden Dunlow and Zach Tew needing to carry a lot of the weight on the mound. Ryan Watson and Tyson Moravec should be the two mainstays in the lineup with experience and ability to produce at a solid level. There are a lot of questions to be answered, but generally speaking, the Gators don’t rebuild, they reload.

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Hampton Roads Academy Navigators    

2025 Record: 6-12

A tough year in 2025, Hampton Roads went 6-12 with no major outlier wins. While there are plenty of question marks surrounding this Navigators squad, they do return two solid pieces in Graham Hutchens (William & Mary) and Tyler Motley. Hutchens and Motley both led the team in hitting last season and will be joined by their leading arm, Connor Muse. The schedule sets up well for an improved 2026, but climbing the VISAA DII ladder to the top will be a tall task.

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Highland School Hawks   

2025 Record: 26-9 *VISAA DII State Champions*

After losing four games in a five day span in early May, the Hawks flipped the script for a dominating playoff run to another VISAA DII title. Highland won their final three games by a combined 22 runs, including a 12-2 victory over Steward in the championship game. Similar to GCA, Highland doesn’t tend to rebuild, they usually just reload. While there is a ton to replace in order for them to repeat, Highland has assembled another very strong team for this spring. The key piece in this puzzle should be Jake Gunning (William & Mary), especially if he can have a similar 2026. Gunning led the Hawks in batting average, on-base percentage, slugging, OPS, and homeruns in 2025. He will be the anchor for run production. In addition to his contributions the Hawks return Wright Broadhead (.380 BA), potentially some at bats from Ethan Hudson (William & Mary), and a big year lurking in the near future from junior Quinn Peck. Matthew McCauley (Richmond) is their biggest returning arm and should be joined by sophomore Ryan Gaines and the standout transfer junior Kaden Zimorowicz (JMU). Those three will more than likely be the three headed monster on the mound for Highland. However, there are two other new faces who could be wild cards for making a big splash on the staff. Liam Bunner (CNU) and Cole Plummer are two names that could add quality depth and stuff to this staff. There are a handful of sophomores that are must watch guys, now and later. Jack Arft could see full time catching duties this season, while Antonio Burke and Paolo Francioli are looking to carve out a role on this team. While last year was probably an offensive first team, this year the pitching staff will need to carry a little more of the load if they want to repeat.

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Nansemond-Suffolk Saints   

2025 Record: 12-13

A near .500 season in 2025 ended at the hands of the Steward Spartans in an extra inning quarterfinal game. NSA had some quality wins like St. Anne’s Belfield, North Cross, and Steward, but failed to capitalize on some close games versus teams like Walsingham and Atlantic Shores. The biggest loss from last season will certainly be Gavin Angelillo (Lynchburg). The two-way standout led the team in homeruns, RBI, triples (tied), and innings pitched. The biggest lift of his absence will be on the mound. Their second leading arm was Phoenix Hope. The now sophomore threw just over 25 innings in 2025 and while the ERA was less than stellar (5.25), just his sheer experience of pitching on the varsity level will bring something to the staff in 2026. Joining Hope on the mound should be Chase Eliason and Cam Bergen, who both threw 15+ innings last season. The offense is in a good place with Bergen, Joseph Petry (Paul D Camp), Noah Brooks, and Cole Goodman, but the production on the mound will need to be sorted through in order to be back at Shepherd Stadium in the middle of May.

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Norfolk Christian Ambassadors    

2025 Record: 9-14

The Ambassadors lose their only .300+ hitter with the graduation of Kasey Barcroft (Barton). Barcroft and fellow graduated senior Colby Payne threw 100 of their 150 total innings last season so they will need a big contribution from names like Ryan Lengkeek and Jackson Parker on the mound. There are a lot of questions surrounding the 2026 season with Norfolk Christian and they will need some of their junior and sophomores to step up this spring.

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North Cross Raiders   

2025 Record: 15-7

Similar to Covenant, North Cross saw some significant improvement in 2025 under a new regime. The Raiders improved to 15-7, up from 11-13 the season prior and this season they return eight starters and six arms. Probably some of the biggest factors that helped them turn the corner last season is the Raiders were extremely young in 2024 and the development of guys like Hanchen Ou and Tristan Lange. Ou and Lange were the two leaders across the board for North Cross. They both led the team in batting average, hits, RBI, innings pitched, and ERA to just name a few. While those two are two huge returning pieces in 2026, they should be joined by fellow seniors Charlie Zhoa, Chase Shannon and Ryan Thomas who both made significant contributions of their own last season. Between those five seniors and the new face of Oliver Ingram, we anticipate even more advancements with this squad in 2026. With Lange on the mound, the Raiders have a chance to beat anyone, but the biggest question is how will the offense fare versus the opposing big arms they face in those games.

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Steward School Spartans 

2025 Record: 15-11 *VISAA DII State Runner Up*

The Spartans lost 2025 VISAA DII Player of the Year, Brian Archer (George Washington). In addition to losing Archer, Steward lost other important seniors like Caden Proctor, Gavin Thomas, Jay Kim, and Cayden Diatelevi (CNU). While junior Carson King(Denison) will need to take a jump at the plate, his defensive abilities at shortstop are some of the best in the entire division. A healthy Reed Coppola and the return of Hunter Killian should bring some offensive impact to the middle of the order, but there are still plenty of other lineup questions for the Spartans. Ty Rhyne, Tex Stinnett (Belhaven), Noah Charity, and Rory Wittershiem return as the four biggest producing arms from last season, with their only real big inning arm that they lost being Jay Kim. Daniel Hoctor, Brooks Johnson, and Oliver McGregor could be three x-factors in the lineup if the Spartans want to be back in the title game in 2026.

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Trinity Christian School of Fairfax Gryphons   

2025 Record: 14-5

The Gryphons had a solid 14-5 record in 2025. The season ended on a seven game winning streak, defeating Fredericksburg Christian 14-1 in their season finale. 2026 will see this team return six offensive starters and five starters on the mound. Isaac Norman (St. Olaf), William Kapalka, Philip Long, and Yireh Yoon return as some of the leaders in the lineup, with Yoon and Norman having hit over .400 last year. On the mound Lucas Fisher is the top arm that is coming back for 2026. Fisher threw just over 30 innings last season. While the production on the mound will need to improve if they want a similar record, he does have the experience at that level. Norman has the keys to the offense. He led the team in batting average, runs, doubles, triples, and homeruns. He was also top three in essentially every offensive statistical category, but will need some help this season.

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Virginia Episcopal Bishops    

2025 Record: 13-8

The Bishops finished 13-8 overall last season. They had a couple of nice wins last season, including wins over Covenant, Nansemond-Suffolk, and Life Christian. In their bigger games it appears as though the offense struggled to produce moderate numbers, scoring one or fewer runs five different times. While those games did come versus solid opponents, those are the games that Virginia Episcopal will need to be competitive in and win a few in order to compete for a VISAA DII title. The Bishops lost two of their top four hitters from last year, with Nate Gobble and Nash Watson (Mid-America Nazz.) moving on from graduation. Lawrence Dempsey, Campbell Howard, and Caden Godsie all hit .335+ for the season and will all be returning in 2026. Dempsey led the team in Runs Scored (36), doubles (8), triples (4), and was second in hits (29). Another .300+ hitter that will be returning is junior Jack Mitchell. Mitchell hit .323 last season with four doubles and is the leading returning in the RBI department with 21 last season. In addition to his offensive production, Mitchell is returning the second most innings on the mound from 2025. He threw just over 19 innings last spring and should be joined by the aforementioned Campbell Howard who threw 25 innings. Without necessarily a true shut down arm, the offense will need to step up in the big games if they want to get deeper into a state tournament run this season.