Atlee baseball fans have become accustomed to victory. It wasn’t always that way.

When Mike Morris arrived as coach in 2022, he’d watched Hanover build a baseball dynasty, and watched his sons play for competitive Mechanicsville squads. During that time, the Raiders had talent, but were never able to parlay it into deep playoff runs.

Now that Morris has firmly entrenched the “Play For The A” mentality, the Raiders have enjoyed great success, winning the Class 4 state championship in 2024, followed by a state semifinal appearance last year.

But, for said mentality to work, you’ve got to convince teenagers to eschew any personal goals, and do whatever it takes to succeed as a squad. A total team performance was on full display Tuesday night, as Atlee dispatched Churchland High School out of Portsmouth 11-2 to clinch a third consecutive berth in Class 4’s state semifinal.

Leading the way was Thomas Layne, who deftly maneuvered through 4 ⅔ innings, striking out seven Truckers. Layne, who fanned 11 in the Raiders’ 3-2 win over Eastern View in the first round of the Class 4, Region B playoffs 13 days ago, was pumped to see his name in the lineup.

“I was really excited. I was a little nervous at the start,” Layne confessed. “I’ve pitched a good amount this year, more than I thought, and I just go to the mound, try to throw strikes.”

Layne, one of 14 seniors playing their final game on home turf, notched two strikeouts in a 1-2-3 first inning. Atlee (22-1) got to work at the plate, as Cooper Molloy reached second on a deep drive to left field which was dropped by Isaiah Bunch, scoring on a Tyler Rutman double later in the frame.

The Truckers answered in the second, taking advantage of two Raider errors to tie the game at one as Daniel Sellers’ grounder in the hole at shortstop was bobbled by Max Baedke, allowing Michael Rodgers to score. 

Two batters later, the play of the night denied Churchland its only real chance to take the lead when Sellers left second base not realizing Trent Arrington’s rope to center was going to be caught. He watched helplessly at third base as Atlee completed the double play.

After that, the Raider offense took over, scoring three in the second, two more in the third, then answering Churchland’s other run in the top of the sixth with five of their own in the home half of the inning.

Brayden Robinson scored three runs and drove in another, while Andrew Miller reached base three times on a hit and two walks, scoring twice. Every Atlee starter reached base at least once, and seven different Raiders plated a run.

When Churchland breathed life into its cause on a two-out walk in the top of the fifth, Morris ended Layne’s stay on the mound, as Chase Mottley came on in relief. Mottley fired three pitches, the last of which fell into the strike zone thanks to a nasty off-speed pitch, stranding the runner.

Layne threw 75 pitches, Mottley 34 in his 2 ⅓ innings, allowing a run and a hit in the sixth.

“Mottley was great – he threw amazing tonight,” Layne said with a smile. “He came in and shut them down.”

The performance by the duo on the hill gives Atlee the blessing of top-line starters available for Morris in Friday’s Class 4 state semifinal against Jefferson Forest. VMI commit Chase Blumberg and Richmond signee Evan Salapka will be well rested and ready to go. Morris was thrilled with how Layne set the pace and how Mottley finished the job.

“I’m not surprised,” Morris explained. “Thomas (Layne) threw big in the region quarterfinal for us, he’s pitched other big games like Benedictine. And Mottley’s curve started landing after June 1st. We joked that he’s a summer pitcher.”

Throughout the game, the home dugout was filled with chants, shouts, noises, and, most importantly, purpose. They cheered the pitchers and the defense, and rallied around them constantly. Nary a negative word was uttered. It’s a shining example of that aforementioned culture that has allowed the Raiders to become the kings of Hanover County high school baseball.

But that’s not enough. The Class of 2026 saw four members start as freshman, six of them start as sophomores on the 2024 state title team. When asked, Morris said the disappointment of falling short of the championship contest last year hasn’t been a continuous focal point of the 2026 Raiders. He challenged them once, earlier this season.

“We tied to keep it in perspective. We remember what 2024 felt like, and we remember what 2025 felt like,” Morris noted. “Use 2026 to feel one of those two feelings.”

Morris’ deep roots in Hanover County baseball helps him understand the crown jewel this senior class truly is. Ten of them played together on Atlee Little League’s 2019 District V championship team, which finished as runner-up at the Tournament of Champions that summer in Greenville, North Carolina. 

“Let’s keep this going for them,” Morris told his team when discussing the seniors. “The trophies are going to be great, but if our focus is on our brothers, and don’t lose sight of what we’re trying to do, we’re fighting for something that’s real. Eighteen years of emotions, friendships, and being present. These guys love each other.”

They’ll need it all: emotion, drive, discipline and execution. Jefferson Forest enters at 21-2, coming off a miracle come-from-behind 2-1 extra inning win over Loudoun Valley in their state quarterfinal. The other semifinal pits Jamestown and Woodgrove, which gets the advantage of being the host school for the final two rounds. Host sites are determined well in advance of the postseason.

First pitch at Woodgrove for the Raiders Friday is at 10am.