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Virginia
Orioles target college hitters, including two Virginia products, on Day 1 of MLB draft
The Orioles have a type, and they landed three of them on the first day of the MLB draft.
Baltimore loaded up on college hitters in the first and second rounds Sunday, along with their prospect promotion incentive selection that occurred between the rounds.
After taking North Carolina outfielder Vance Honeycutt with the 22nd pick of the draft, the Orioles doubled up on Virginia players: shortstop Griff O’Ferrall and catcher Ethan Anderson. The pair of Cavaliers both played huge roles in Virginia’s 2024 season.
Baltimore selected O’Ferrall with the No. 32 pick, which they received because shortstop Gunnar Henderson won the American League Rookie of the Year award. Anderson was taken at No. 61 in the second round.
“We’re extremely excited about this group,” said Matt Blood, the Orioles’ vice president of player development and domestic scouting. “We’ve got three guys that are quality baseball players with a lot of skills and also incredible makeup. All three of these guys are players that their coaches rave about on and off the field. And so not only did we get some high-level baseball players, but we also got some really good people.”
Honeycutt headlines the class, and for good reason. He combines speed, power and stellar defense in the outfield. Honeycutt hit 28 homers and stole 28 bases in 2024, and he’s a two-time ACC Defensive Player of the Year.
But Baltimore’s next two picks, O’Ferrall and Anderson, are as intriguing.
O’Ferrall’s power doesn’t jump off the page. He hit five homers during his junior year at Virginia with 20 doubles, but he plays shortstop at a high level, starting every game at that position all three years at Virginia. O’Ferrall earned a Rawlings Gold Glove Award this year for his work at shortstop.
The 21-year-old makes up for a lack of power with plate discipline and bat-to-ball skills. He set Virginia’s single-season hit record as a sophomore with 108, and no Cavaliers player recorded more career hits in a three-year span than O’Ferrall’s 270. And, after posting a .324 average in 2024, he earned the Brooks Wallace Award, given to the country’s top shortstop by the College Baseball Hall of Fame.
“He’s a gamer,” Blood said. “He’s a really good baseball player. He can impact the game defensively, on the basepaths and he just wreaks havoc with his bat — ton of line drives, a ton of contact, he’s a really tough out. He’s the kind of guy that fans are gonna love, and I think that’s what you see when you see him play.”
Part of what stands out about O’Ferrall is that he walked 22 times and struck out just 24 times in 284 at-bats. He also joins Washington Nationals stalwart Ryan Zimmerman as the only Virginia players to record more than 90 hits in two seasons.
Anderson can play catcher and first base, and he was one of three Virginia players to start all 63 games this season. He hit .331 with 20 doubles and eight homers. The switch hitter earned first-team All-ACC honors, and he was one of 16 finalists for the Buster Posey Award, given to the best college catcher in the nation.
But Anderson only played 24 of his 63 games at catcher, which Blood said was less than “he probably would’ve liked.” Blood said the Orioles will help “him develop into that role with us” as they aim to focus his development as a catcher rather than first baseman.
“He has a very interesting and exciting offensive profile — gets on base a ton, makes a lot of quality contact,” Blood said. “He’s a switch-hitter and can do a lot of things to impact the game on the offensive side.”
The prospect promotion incentive program — which enabled Baltimore to receive another high draft pick — was put into place as part of the collective bargaining agreement signed between Major League Baseball and the players union in 2022. Its first use was this year, with the Arizona Diamondbacks taking outfielder Ryan Waldschmidt from Kentucky with the No. 31 pick before the Orioles turned Henderson’s monster rookie year into another middle infield prospect.
The Orioles still have two more days of draft picks ahead. When asked whether the Orioles would target pitching, Blood said Baltimore is “looking for the best player available at each pick and sometimes that’s gonna be a position player, sometimes it’s gonna be pitchers.”
For now, the best players the Orioles deemed available were college hitters, so they took three on day one.
Virginia
PHOTOS: Virginia Beach Police investigate firearm-related incident at Carriage House Apartments
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) — Virginia Beach Police are at the scene of a firearm-related incident at Carriage House Apartments Saturday afternoon, according to the Virginia Beach Police Department.
The department also confirmed there are no shooting victims at this time.
10 On Your Side is at the scene and working to gather more information about the situation.
10 On Your Side will update this story when more information is available.
Continue to check WAVY.com for updates.
PORTSMOUTH, Va. (WAVY) — Virginia Democrats are not happy about a state Supreme Court decision declaring last month’s referendum to draw new congressional districts null and void.
Democrats, however, have filed a motion asking the Virginia Court to delay its 4-3 decision while they file an emergency appeal to the United States Supreme Court.
Virginia’s current map that favors Democrats by a narrow 6-5 margin will stay in effect for the midterms. Both sides, though, have a lot to say to say about today’s decision.
Two months ago, you couldn’t avoid the political ads and mailers on both sides of the issue.
“Everybody remembers we got a few million dollars worth of flyers in our mailboxes, and everything with redistricting that whole referendum has now been overturned by the court decision,” said Old Dominion University Associate Professor of Political Science Jesse Richman.
On April 21, Virginia voters approved redrawing congressional maps that would have given Democrats a 10-1 advantage, giving them a strong chance to pick up four additional seats in November.
More than two weeks later, the Virginia Supreme Court rendered the results null and void, saying the required constitutional processes were not followed before this was put up for a vote. So what does that mean for Virginians?
“As it is, we stay with the districts we have,” Richman said. “If [Democrat] Bobby Scott’s your representative, he’s still your representative. The lines aren’t moving. If [Republican] Jen Kiggans is your representative, [she’s] still your representative.”
Scott and Kiggans spoke to 10 On Your Side shortly after today’s decision.
“I’m disappointed,” Scott said. “People voted, three million people voted, it carried in 55 of the 100 House of Delegates districts, so the people spoke.”
“It’s a big day for Virginia today,” Kiggans said. “It’s a victory for the rule of law [and] it’s a victory for fairness.”
That split reaction has also been felt among voters, some even rallying in front of the Virginia Supreme Court. One of them was Hampton’s NAACP Branch President Gaylene Kanoyton.
“We have got to make sure that we mobilize and don’t let this get us down,” Kanoyton said. “We need to be energized.”
Virginia Democrats have vowed to fight Friday’s ruling, saying they intend to file an emergency appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.
“I expect we’ll see more intense political campaigning in the midterms in this area because of the Supreme Court’s decision,” Richman said.
90+ artists to exhibit on the Va. Beach boardwalk with the backdrop of the Atlantic Ocean
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) — Get ready for the largest surf art show on the East Coast!
The 17th Annual Virginia Beach Surf Art Expo at the Virginia Beach Oceanfront on the boardwalk, 3rd through 7th streets, will begin Saturday, May 23, through Sunday, May 24, 10 a.m. – 6 p.m., ending on Memorial Day, Monday, May 25, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Courtesy: VB Surf Art Expo (Antone Nixon, with VB Sunrise)
The Virginia Beach Surf Art Expo features over 90 regional artists from Maine to the Mid-Atlantic region and down through Florida, capturing the essence of the beach, the ocean, wildlife, sea life, and surfing-related themes in art.
The Virginia Beach Surf Art Expo is partnered with the Coastal Edge Steel Pier Classic and the surfing competition at the 1st Street Jetty.
This event is an official kick-off to the summer season at the Oceanfront.
“Isn’t seeing an artist’s interpretation of the beach vibe the very best way to enjoy it? We drip salt water from our pores,” says Jodie Woodward, founder and show director of the Virginia Beach Surf Art Expo.
Surf art comes in all mediums, including painting, photography, jewelry, sculpture, ceramics, wood, metal, fiber, glass, and mixed media, all available for purchase at the art expo.
Each artist has a special connection with surfing, the ocean, beach life, sea life, seascape scenes, shells, coral, dolphins, fish, lighthouses, mermaids, custom surfboard and skateboard designs.
Expect to see more Patriotic themes this year in alignment with America’s 250th birthday, officials say.
“We can’t wait for the 23rd Annual Coastal Edge Steel Pier Classic presented by Katin,” says D. Nachnani, president of Coastal Edge. “This Memorial Day Weekend, the heart of Virginia Beach becomes the soul of East Coast surfing. We’re proud to host the WSL World Tour Longboard event alongside our professional shortboard competition. With over 300 athletes representing more than a dozen countries, and a combined $16,000 purse on the line, this is more than a contest—it’s a celebration of art, athleticism, music, and the surf culture that defines our coast,” Nachnani went on to say.
For more information about the Virginia Beach Surf Art Expo, click here, call (757) 348-1048, connect on the Virginia Beach Surf Art Expo’s Facebook here, or their Instagram here.
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