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The VISAA Division III preview features teams, three of whom found their way into the VISAA State Semifinals and beyond in 2025. Can anyone dethrone the Walsingham Trojans from their throne at the top of VISAA DIII? See notes and spotlights below.

VISAA Division III Previews:

Amelia Academy Patriots  

2025 Record: 8-8

Coming off of a .500 season that saw some convincing wins and some close losses, the Patriots return three of their top producers in 2026. Jacob Creswell, Carson Dietz, and Aiden Long are all back and looking for strong seasons once again. Creswell is the lone senior of the three and he had a big year in 2025, hitting .483 on the season, as well as leading the team on the mound in the ERA department (1.83 ERA). Amelia Academy graduated a lone senior, but return the vast majority of the production from last season. Brody Cleaton, also part of the 2026 class, joins Creswell as another major returner. Cleaton threw 45 innings on the mound and held a better than 3:1 K/BB ratio. While toppling Walsingham may be a tall task, look for Amelia Academy to challenge for a spot in that top tier of VISAA DIII teams.

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Blessed Sacrament-Huguenot Knights  

2025 Record: 10-11

Blessed Sacrament-Huguenot is another team that returns the vast majority of their 2025 production. The Knights graduate two players from last season, with Pete Bodman being a big loss. While the elder Bodman is a sizable loss, Brian Bodman brings some pop in the middle of the order. Brian Bodman hit two homeruns in 2025, drove in 15, scored 22, and hit nearly .350. In addition to his offensive prowess, Jon Michael Lee had a breakout freshman season that he looks to build upon. Lee hit .377 with 19 RBI and 7 extra base hits. Lee, Matthew Fountain, and Willie Poore (Chowan) return as the big contributors on the mound. While the offense put up some solid numbers in 2025, on the mound is the biggest area for improvement if they want to challenge for a VISAA DIII title.

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Brunswick Academy Vikings

2025 Record: 13-8

The Vikings are a perennial contender for that Saturday spot across the field from Walsingham. Last season BA finished 13-8 and ended at the hands of the Trojans during state quarterfinal play. The team carried a .306 batting average, with two players hitting .430+ and both of them are back in 2026. Nathan Wells led the team at .525 and will be looking for a repeat senior season. Joining Wells at the head of the BA offense was Ross Reese. Reese was a freshman standout, hitting .438 on the year and leading the team in doubles (9). After that they have some offense to replace from last season. On the mound they return their two biggest innings contributors in Wells and Grayson Newsome. Maybe the biggest issue on the mound last season were walks piling up, so the Knights will need to clean up the efficiency in the strike zone in order to take some weight off of the offense.

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Carlisle Chiefs  

2025 Record: 8-7

The Chiefs finished just over .500 last season. Their three best hitters were all seniors, with a significant dropoff coming after those three. In addition to the offense lost, all three of those seniors were their main arms. There are a lot of question marks in 2026 that will need to be answered in order for Carlisle to turn it around this spring.

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The Carmel School  

2025 Record: 5-8

A handful of starters make their way back this year, and they should be joined by two returning arms. Jerome Hill (VSU) is the lone college commit on this roster. Alfred Maass is the highest profile player on this roster, providing some serious offensive upside to the lineup. Jaxon Beasley, Hill, Justin Swanner, Elijah Shannon, and Devon Breeden are some of the top players that should join Maass. Isiah Valdez and Scotty Hill are two middle infielders to keep an eye on in the future. Garrett Marr is another sophomore that has some upside, his being on the mound. 

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Kenston Forest Kavaliers

2025 Record: 15-4

The Kavaliers rolled to a 15-4 record last season with two of their losses coming to Life Christian, the VISAA DIII state runner up. A slip up to Amelia Academy and a close loss to Southampton Academy were the other two losses, but otherwise they handled business all year. Do-it-all star Jobe Sullivan leaves a huge void on this roster. His impact at the plate and on the mound will be tough to replace. Graham Sledd returns for his junior campaign on the mound where he is looking to build off of his 43+ inning campaign in 2025. Sledd held a 2.58 ERA and accumulated 81 strikeouts. Tine Sledd joins Graham as the biggest offensive pieces returning, with Tine hitting .417 and Graham showcasing some two-way ability with his .375 batting average. After that there was not another Kavalier that hit better than .300 for the season. Tine and Graham should be the anchors for this team and the Kavaliers will go as far as those two take them.

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Life Christian Eagles  

2025 Record: 17-9 *VISAA DIII State Runner Up*

In their second year competing in VISAA DIII, the Eagles were runners up in the state tournament. Life Christian finished at 17-9 on the year, with four of their losses coming versus VISAA DI opponents and two of them coming to Walsingham. There was not one major contributing senior in the offensive lineup and that will give them a big leg up on other DIII teams in 2026. While JJ Jimenez did not make huge contributions at the plate, his 34 innings and 1.85 ERA on the mound will surely be missed. However, the Eagles have three other arms returning that should be able to combat that loss. Brandon Dorin, Conner Gaster, and Jason Theiss all threw 20+ innings last year, with Dorin and Theiss being the two big names of that trio of returners. At the plate, Dorin led the team, hitting .419 last season. Joining Dorin is Connor Radcliff, Gaster, Theiss, and Maddox McNeely in the Life Christian lineup. While there is still a gap between Walsingham and other DIII competition, Life Christian has certainly closed that gap and will look to make a run at the Trojans once again.

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Southampton Academy Raiders  

2025 Record: 13-8

The Raiders had a record of 13-8 in 2025, with their season ending at the hands of Brunswick Academy in opening round play of the VISAA tournament. Southampton Academy brings back some senior leadership and some offensive firepower in 2026. Owen Bailey, Tyler Jarratt, Ethan Webb, and Grant Applewhite were all integral parts of the SA lineup in 2025. All of them hit .370+ on the season, with all but Applewhite hitting .403+. Ethan Webb is a run-scoring spark plug in the order, leading the Raiders in runs scored (34) and stolen bases (22). Webb also led the team in innings pitched (32) and ERA (1.53). He should be joined by Grayson Holland and David Brantley on the mound. The Raiders’ season ended a little earlier than they would have liked and there is certainly the talent and experience to lead them back to Shepherd Stadium in mid-May.

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Walsingham Academy Trojans

2025 Record: 19-10-1 *2025 VISAA DIII State Champions*

The Trojans lost some important pieces from their 2025 state title team, but they return plenty of horsepower to bring home yet another trophy in 2026. Daniel Guntherberg (Holy Family) and Hamilton Adams (Johns Hopkins) were vital pieces that graduated, but the growth and talent of names like Chandler Howlett (VMI) and Andrew Cole (Randolph-Macon) are more than enough to help carry the offense. Guntherberg threw the most innings for the Trojans, but hopefully a fully healthy Matthew Swanson (JMU) will carry a few more innings in 2026. A name to watch on both sides is sophomore Edward Holstrom. Holstrom could provide some offense and once again be a big piece on the mound. Another name to watch is senior transfer Corey Overmeyer. The two-way talent brings some potential big stuff on the mound and some run production power in the middle of the order. Brayden VandeSand and Luke Rains both play important roles on this team as well, with VandeSand making significant contributions at the plate last year and Rains potentially being their best defensive outfielder. Coach Heisel has yet another state title favorite in Williamsburg and it will be a tough task to topple the Trojans.