The VHSL State Championship is a dream for any team at the start of every new spring season. Last year’s impressive 20-8 record marked the beginning of what Westfield High School hopes will be a sustained period of success. Despite a narrow 5-4 defeat to their rivals, James Madison, in the state championship, the experience has only fueled the team’s motivation for future success. Jonny Farmelo, a standout figure for the Bulldogs since his high school debut, played a pivotal role in their remarkable playoff journey. Renowned as one of the nation’s top prospects, Farmelo’s performances attracted college and MLB scouts from all across the country, especially during last year’s regular season. Over his high school career, he boasted an incredible .385 batting average, hitted seven home runs-mostly in his senior year, and notched 29 RBIs in 48 games for the Bulldogs. Initially committed to the University of Virginia for college baseball, Farmelo opted to enter the 2023 MLB draft being selected as the 29th overall pick by the Seattle Mariners.

       With most of the players gone from last year’s team, it will be a difficult task to try to live up to the expectations, but if you ask  anyone on the team, they will tell you they believe they can live up to expectations, if not, surpass them. Interviewing Luis Palacios, 12, he said: “Obviously it is a hard feat to get back to where we were a year ago, and we might not have the top end talent anymore to help us get back to where we were, but we have the competitiveness as a team and grit.I think that could bring us a long way.” With this collective confidence from the team, and with a strong bond, they believe they can excel in the playoffs, regardless of their ranking or talent level. No one expected Westfield to even make it to the state playoffs, and last season was  just maybe a sign that Westfield has the capabilities to come back and do it again. 

          With tryouts just a few weeks ago, the Bulldogs now look ahead to the regular season with their first game March 12 against The Heights. A notable matchup on the early season schedule occurs when they face up against Highland High School who made it to the VHSL Division II State Quarterfinals last season with a very impressive record of 20-6. 

          Westfield will have a lot of returning players coming back this season with seven seniors: Palacios, Matthew Jenks who was a big contributor in the playoff run, Brady Gibson, John Keleher, Christian Kolman, Tyler Thompson, and Matthew Murphy. They also bring back starting catcher and shortstop Cochran and Blake Sanders, who are juniors. The Bulldogs also have a Freshman who will be looking to fight for the starting job Micheal Cadolino. 

          As for the upcoming season, there is a lot of excitement within the all players on the team and the coaching staff to try to reach the spot where their season ended last year, but this be the ones to raise the trophy and not their opponents. All these positives going into this year is certainly an indicator that Westfield High School will continue to build its success over the next couple of years and be one of the teams to beat in Virginia.