Post 180 to Rely on Pitching in State Title Run

Looking to secure its first state title since 1990, the Vienna Post 180 squad will continue to rely on strong pitching for success throughout the Virginia American Legion Senior Baseball Tournament, which kicks off Tuesday in Fredericksburg.

have put up a 25-7 record through last week's district tournament, and have won 12 of their last 13 contests. Post 180 will look to continue its three-game win streak against Stafford Post 290, the tournament's host team, at American Legion Sports Complex in Fredericksburg 8 p.m. Tuesday. 

No player from this year's squad has had the opportunity to play in the state tournament, as Post 180's last berth into the tourney was in 2007. Post 180's most veteran player, Chris Hanson (James Madison University), joined the team in 2008. Coach Frank Werman has been at the helm since 2006.

Brandon Chandler (Oakton '12), in his fourth season with Post 180, said the pitching staff separates this year's squad from years past. 

"It's a lot different. Usually we have a good hitting lineup, but we struggle with pitching. This year we have more pitching than I've had in my four years," Chandler said. "I think on this team, we can get through a double-elimination tournament. We can get through four or five games in a row and still have a lot of pitching available to us."

Throughout the season, Vienna Post 180 has mostly relied on three starting pitchers — Tim Davis (Madison '12), Daniel Bayer (Madison '13) and Mark Gunst (Paul VI '12) — who have each started seven games. The trio boasts an average ERA of 1.38, posting a combined 15 wins.

Davis, with the starting pitching staff's lowest ERA at 0.90, has and two complete games. Bayer (1.01) has also pitched two complete games, while Gunst (2.23) tallied his first complete game — — in last week's District 17 Tournament game against Falls Church Post 130 to put Post 180 in the championship.

At 2.06, the entire pitching staff is on pace to post the lowest ERA in Post 180 history. The record, set in 1983, stands at 2.29.

Davis, a Georgetown University commit, will likely start in the opening round against Post 290 on Tuesday after missing last week's district tournament. 

"We'll be missing Chris [Hanson, who leads the team with 26 RBI], but we'll have our whole pitching staff," Werman said. "Our pitching is just so dominant, so it's a big deal that we'll have everyone."

Jack Anzilotti (Madison '12), who shares the starting catcher's role with Hanson, said though he expects the pitching to carry them through the tournament, he is also confident the offense will be able to continue the bursts of scoring rallies it's pulled off all season to provide the necessary run support. 

"Our offense can be very streaky. Better to be lucky than good. We'll have a couple innings where we get a couple big hits, or even good bunting will help get us a couple runs," said Anzilotti, who holds Vienna Post 180's second-highest batting average at .375. "We're never out of a game. No matter what the score is, we're always fighting to come back. We always have a big inning and pitchers always shut it down."

Chandler also acknowledged some his squad's offensive struggles in the early innings, but said a relaxed, positive attitude has kept his teammates focused for all nine innings of every game.

"We actually don't really get worried. The atmosphere [in the dugout] is usually very relaxed. We expect to win. There's not a point in the game where we think we've lost," he said. "I'd say this is by far the most confident team I've been on. It's not if we're going to win, it's how we're going to win."