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Woodstock News
2009 All Valley League Teams Announced
 Matt Blow |
 Steven Hunt |
 Shawn Ablett |
Three River Bandits have recently been named to the 2009 All Valley League Team. Woodstock placed Matt Blow (1B/Virginia Tech), Steven Hunt (OF/South Florida) and Shawn Ablett (C/Memphis) to the 11 man Central Division roster. These three ball players helped anchor a strong River Bandit team and along with a division leading pitching staff led the team to its most successful season. Congratulations on the accomplishment and good luck to each in their 2010 Spring season.
To read more, visit this link on the Valley League website.
Congratulations!
Cheyenne Farren and Shawn Ablett were wed on January 9th, 2010 in Memphis, TN. Shawn was the starting catcher for the 2009 River Bandits and was also recently selected to the Central Division All Valley League Team. Good luck to Shawn in his senior season with the Memphis Tigers and to the newlyweds.
Bobby Mosebach Pitching for Angels
 Bobby Mosebach |
The River Bandit's first major league baseball player, Bobby Mosebach, will be pitching for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim this Spring. Bobby reported with pitchers and catchers and is slated to be utilized out of the bull pen for the 2010 season. Mosebach was selected in the 9th round in 2005 and made three appearances with the Angels in 2009.
Bandit Coaching Staff Returns
Donn Foltz returns in 2010 for his 5th season of as Manager of the Woodstock River Bandits. Coming off the franchise's most successful season, Foltz is excited about what's in store for 2010 and continues working towards building on that momentum. Joining Foltz for his 5th season as Assistant Coach is John Cardamone. Taylor Dufrene returns as Pitching Coach. Dufrene's stable of Bandit hurlers led the Valley League for much of the season and finished 2nd in the League with a .347 ERA. The River Bandits are excited to be able to bring back the entire coaching staff and utilizing the positive continuity that's needed to build upon last season.
River Bandit Franchise Sold
effective September 1, 2009
As of September 1, 2009, the Woodstock River Bandits will have new ownership. Owner and founder, Stu Richardson, has sold the River Bandits franchise to retired businessman, Jim Yates, from Rappahannock, VA.
Richardson retired from teaching and coaching in Richmond, VA in 2004 and moved on to create the River Bandits franchise in Woodstock, VA. The River Bandits played their inaugural season in 2004 and have gone on to become a well established part of the Valley Baseball League and Woodstock community. During the past 6 years of the franchise, the River Bandits have had 34 players drafted or signed professional baseball contracts.
Richardson will continue to be involved with the River Bandits during the 2010 season as a consultant to the new owner. Robert “Porky” Bowman, retired Woodstock policeman and avid River Bandits supporter, has also been hired to serve as General Manager for the 2010 season.
Richardson encourages the Woodstock community to continue its support of the River Bandits and its new ownership. The high point for Richardson during the past 6 years has been the old friendships he was able to renew and the new ones he has made while owner of the River Bandits. Stu and Sue Richardson would like to thank all the people who have worked so hard to make the past 6 seasons so successful.
Highlights of the 2009 season
MOST SUCCESSFUL SEASON TO DATE
The River Bandits enjoyed their most successful season in the history of the 6-year franchise with a record of 24-22.
This record gave the Bandits a top seed in the VBL playoffs.
River Bandits also won the I-81 battle with New Market with a 5-3 record. The River Bandits have won
the I-81 trophy 4 of the 6 seasons.
The River Bandits advanced to the playoffs 4 of the 6 years. In this years playoffs the River Bandits were eliminated in the first round by Winchester 2-0, losing a heart breaker 2-1 in the final game. All four of the top seeds lost in the first round of the playoffs. #7 Haymarket Senators and the #8 Covington Lumberjacks played for the VBL title with Haymarket winning the VBL for the first time.
2008 Recap
RIVER BANDITS FINISH UP AND DOWN SEASON
After an up and down season, the Woodstock River Bandits finished strong by winning the last two games of the season against the top two teams in the northern division of the Valley Baseball League. Brach Davis, University of Memphis, threw a no hitter through eight innings against eventual Valley League champ, the Luray Wranglers. Mike Marshall, Stanford University, led the offense during the same game with two towering home runs. Marshall was named to the second team All Valley League Team.
The River Bandits started slow winning only two games of the first twelve. They then went on an 8-3 streak winning five games in a row. The Bandits were 12-8 over the next 20 games. The season ended with a disappointing losing streak of 9 games in a row before winning the last two.
Four River Bandits were named to the Northern Division All Star team: Jared Bard, pitcher from the University of Richmond; Brach Davis, pitcher from the University of Memphis; Cody Brown, third baseman from the University of Tennessee; and Adalberto Santos, infielder from New Mexico Junior College. Santos won the sixty yard competition at the All Star game. The River Bandits had several Players of the Week during the season: Brach Davis, pitcher from the University of Memphis; Brandon Beachy, pitcher from Indiana Wesleyan University; Adalberto Santos, infielder from New Mexico Junior College; Cody Brown, third baseman from the University of Tennessee; and Brad Roberts, second baseman from Florida Gulf Coast University.
One of the highlights of the season was the signing of Brandon Beachy by the Atlanta Braves. Beachy was signed right off the field two weeks before the season ended after a highly successful season as the River Bandits closer. Beachy pitched eighteen innings for the River Bandits striking our 33 batters.
Although the River Bandits were in playoff contention until the last two games of the season, they were disappointed when they did not make the playoffs. The River Bandits have been in the playoffs three of their five years in the Valley Baseball League and look forward to returning to the playoffs in 2009.
The River Bandits organization would like to thank the loyal fans in Woodstock who have supported us through good times and bad. The River Bandits will open the 2009 season on June 5. Can't wait to see all our loyal fans there!!
Valley League Baseball Links