Miller Brothers Power Wolverines to Program’s First VHSL Class 4 Baseball Championship
PURCELLVILLE, Va. The Woodgrove Wolverines won the program’s first state baseball championship Saturday, defeating top-ranked Atlee 2-1 in the VHSL Class 4 state final at Woodgrove High School.
The win delivered the first state baseball title in school history for a Woodgrove program that had finished as state runner-up twice before, in 2021 and again in 2025. The Wolverines, who served as the host site for the Class 4 state semifinals and finals in baseball, softball and girls’ soccer, knocked off a Raiders program that entered the 11 a.m. final ranked No. 1 in the state and defending its 2024 Class 4 title. Atlee arrived at 22-1, while Woodgrove finished the season 20-5.
A Freshman Sets the Tone
Freshman Brady Miller started on the mound and pitched six innings for head coach Rusty Smith’s team, holding Atlee to a single run. His older brother, Bryan Miller Jr., caught the entire game before moving to the mound to close out the seventh.
Miller Brothers Account for Both Runs
Woodgrove tied the game 1-1 when Brady Miller singled on a hard ground ball to right field, scoring his older brother, Bryan Miller Jr., who had reached base and stolen second.
The Wolverines took the lead for good with two outs, when Atlee tried to turn a double play on an infield grounder and the throw sailed over the first baseman’s head. Miller came around to score on the error, making it 2-1.
A Tense Seventh
Protecting a one-run lead, Bryan Miller Jr. came on to close. He walked the leadoff batter, but Woodgrove erased the runner on the very next pitch when backup catcher Josiah Cameron picked him off at first base, leaving the Raiders with no one aboard. Miller retired the side to seal the championship.
Third Boys Program to Win State
The title is Woodgrove’s first in baseball and the fifth boys state championship in school history, though baseball is only the third boys program to claim one. The 2018 football team won the school’s first football state title, and the wrestling program captured three straight Class 4 team titles from 2024 through 2026, becoming the first Loudoun County Public Schools program to win a state wrestling crown in 2024.
The school’s other state championships have gone to girls’ teams, including a softball three-peat and the girls’ basketball team’s Class 4 title in 2024.
Path to the Final
Woodgrove advanced to the championship by defeating Jamestown in Friday’s state semifinal. Atlee reached the title game with a 3-2 walk-off win over Jefferson Forest in its semifinal the same day.
Photos: Steve Prakope of Plaid Sheep Creative.
Team photo: Amy Lovelady.
