CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA (CVILLE RIGHT NOW) – As the Charlottesville Tom Sox approach the Valley League playoffs, coming out of a season that started 0-7, Charlottesville native and catcher Dom Cafferillo approaches the slate with confidence.

“We’ll go all the way, no doubt,” Cafferillo said.

His reason for that confidence, despite a difficult opening run, is something most other teams in the Valley League tend to lose by the end of the summer ball season – depth. 

“I really don’t see any other team in the valley having the depth we have,” Cafferillo said. “In terms of morale and where everyone’s minds are at, this is where we need to be.”

For Head Coach Randy Tomlin, getting to that point is proof of his team’s potential in the playoffs when many would have lost faith after challenges in the beginning of the regular season. But the Sox’s 19-17 record has been proof of a compelling turnaround.

“This team has shown a lot of resilience,” Tomlin said. “Starting (the) season 0-7 would, you know, would put most teams out for a long time. Guys tend to kind of just want to go through the motions from that point. But this team has responded really well to come together and play together.”

This season marks Cafferillo’s third year of summer ball but first with the Tom Sox, which has offered the rising junior at Georgetown the opportunity to experience a different side of his hometown. Having played at Charlottesville High School and the Miller School of Albemarle, he signed for the elite level of competition the league offers, as well as its proximity to home.

In conversations with Georgetown baseball staff, Cafferillo was able to have more of a say where he played this year. Ultimately, the pick was an easy one.

“Getting to play in front of my parents, family every day is just an amazing opportunity,” he said, “especially when you’re not sacrificing level of play … it was a no-brainer for me.” 

Cafferillo has also spent the summer alongside teammates he didn’t expect to catch from again, one of them being Lucas Arbelaez, a pitcher and rising freshman at Randolph-Macon College, who also made the team’s roster by chance. After the Valley League removed limits on high school players, initially allowing two on the roster per team, Arbelaez became another addition to a pitching core of around 20 players.

His first time pitching for the Tom Sox ended up being to Cafferillo, who he hadn’t played with since they were both at Charlottesville High School.

“I haven’t pitched to him since my 8th grade year, which is crazy,” Arbelaez said. “He’s the only other former CHS player on the team. So it’s been really cool to reconnect with him and he’s gotten so much better. He’s probably one of the most baseball focused kids on the team.”

That focus can be hard to maintain in summer ball when some players haven’t had a break between their college and summer seasons, which makes the endurance and depth the Tom Sox tout a major asset going into the playoffs.

“It’s a long summer. It’s hot. It’s, it’s grueling, especially when you consider, you know, there have been guys that have been playing since February and they came straight here,” Cafferillo said.  “That is a huge piece of it.”

The work, then, has fallen to the Tom Sox players as well as their front office to keep the team committed, healthy and swap in fresh players when needed, an experience that has added longevity and left the impression of a player-first organization.

“Compared to my other summer ball teams, this has been amazing. I think the level of competition in the Valley is really strong and I’ve been so impressed by how the organization runs everything and takes care of us,” Cafferillo said. “I really think the Tom Sox prioritize us as players and as people.”

The Valley League playoffs are made up of two series, with the Tom Sox facing the Staunton Braves in the first round. The Braves and the Waynesboro Generals are arguably the Tom Sox’s biggest competition for the title and have given them plenty of frustration during the regular season.

“It feels like every game we’ve played against (the Braves) has been really competitive, and been really up and down,” Cafferillo said. “They’re probably our biggest opponent, just because they’re so immediate … but the Waynesboro Generals we played a lot early on in the season when we weren’t at our best, and so it’s going to be interesting to see how we can do once we’re at full strength.” 

Building that kind of momentum and full strength is an asset for the Tom Sox, particularly in a playoff environment where stakes are heightened and both teams look to outlast each other.

“One of the greatest strengths is that they’ve been through so much during the season that the pressure of coming into playoffs … they’re going to be able to handle it,” Tomlin said. “Each game became more increasingly important as they kept climbing to get in position to secure the playoffs.” 

Aiden Harris, a third baseman and incoming junior at Virginia Commonwealth University, noted that the Tom Sox’s answer to the pressure lies in their frame of mind.

“If we have our minds set on something, we’re gonna do it and accomplish it,” Harris said. “It’s just a matter of us just saying we can do it and (winning) it all.”

The Valley League playoffs begin tonight at 7:30 p.m. in Staunton, with the Charlottesville Tom Sox facing the Staunton Braves in a three-game series at John Moxie Memorial Stadium.