We didn’t have many records set in the 2019 Valley League season, it’s true, but we did have a couple.

One that might have flown under the radar is the record for the biggest win improvement by a VBL team since 2001. The record was obliterated by the Woodstock River Bandits, who finished 5-37 in 2018 and 25-17 in 2019, an improvement of a whopping 20 games. (Yes, I admit that this is not a true “improvement” by the same set of guys (since all the ’19 Bandits were new to Woodstock), but it’s still a fun stat to track.)

Let’s take a look at the best improvements in the last 19 seasons:

Team Years From To
Diff.
1 Woodstock 2018-2019 5-37 25-17 20
2 Front Royal 2008-2009 12-32 29-15 17
Charlottesville 2016-2017 15-27 32-10 17
4 Waynesboro 2005-2006 14-30 27-15 14
5 Fauquier 2007-2008 14-30 27-17 13
6 Covington 2017-2018 14-28 26-16 12
7 New Market 2002-2003 16-24 26-14 10
Covington 2004-2005 18-26 27-15 10
Harrisonburg 2010-2011 22-22 32-12 10
10 Woodstock 2006-2007 11-31 21-23 9
Strasburg 2015-2016 21-21 30-12 9
Strasburg 2018-2019 17-25 26-16 9

The flip side to this is biggest declines. The list:

Team Years From To
Diff.
1 Covington 2002-2003 26-14 11-29 -15
New Market 2006-2007 32-10 18-26 -15
3 Staunton 2015-2016 29-13 15-27 -14
4 New Market 2013-2014 28-15 15-28 -13
5 Haymarket 2006-2007 22-20 11-33 -12
Waynesboro 2008-2009 30-14 18-26 -12
7 Haymarket 2010-2011 30-14 19-25 -11
8 Winchester 2004-2005 29-15 19-25 -10
Front Royal 2007-2008 22-22 11-32 -10
Staunton 2009-2010 27-15 18-26 -10
Woodstock 2013-2014 26-17 15-26 -10
Waynesboro 2016-2017 30-12 20-22 -10
Front Royal 2018-2019 24-18 14-28 -10
Purcellville 2018-2019 25-17 15-27 -10

Congratulations to the 2019 Woodstock River Bandits!

(And remember, to read much, much more about the Bandits and the 2019 season, purchase your copy of the 2019 Valley League Annual!)

Woodstock