HARRISONBURG, V.A.—The thirteenth edition of Beast sets the stage for a compelling measuring stick between four teams with postseason ambitions. With Cincinnati and Ohio testing themselves out of region against surging East Coast contenders James Madison and Virginia, every matchup carries implications for rankings, confidence, and momentum heading toward the spring championship push. Style clashes, recent rivalries, and a charged home-court atmosphere promise a weekend that could reshape the national picture.
Cincinnati
Losses to up-and-coming Kent State and a close defeat to #1 Ohio State their last time out should not make dodgeball fans worried about Cincinnati. Despite having the second-hardest strength of schedule thus far, Will Hyatt & Co. have weathered the storm and now sit just above .500 at 5-4 and 7th in the overall standings. Prior to Beast, UC has only faced one out-of-region opponent, thrashing Illinois 8-1 at the South Oak Showdown in October. That’s not to say Cincinnati and JMU don’t have history – they played twice at Nationals 2025, and UC walked away with dominant 5-0 and 5-1 victories (the latter sending the Dukes home for the summer). However, Cincinnati and Virginia have never met on the court. The style clash of UC’s strong power throwing from Hyatt, 2025 Rookie All-American Brett Sweeney, and others with UVA’s slow pace and strong catchers should make for an incredible first meeting.
Ohio
Ohio will look to avenge East Coast losses in their matches at Beast – last April, Virginia closed out a tough overtime win against the Bobcats, and they were then sent home in the opening round of the tournament by James Madison in another overtime loss. After another disappointing loss to the Dukes amid a disappointing home tournament performance to end the Fall at the John Betters Bobcat Bonanza, Ohio sits at 6th in their region and 13th overall. Terence Checkett and Andrew Krankowski still lead a stalwart group, but they need to right their 3-6 ship and fast if they want to make the deep run their home fans have been waiting for come April nationals in Athens. At full strength, Ohio knows they can compete with anyone after the Bobcats opened the season by handing OSU their first loss of the year. That motivation will be key for them to leave Harrisonburg 2-0.
JMU
The tournament hosts are reeling after a defeat to rivals Virginia in Charlottesville to close out the fall, but they won’t get the chance to avenge that loss until the East Coast Dodgeball Cup next month. Instead, they’ve got their sights set on rebounding from their 0-2 performance against Cincinnati last April. They’ll also look to follow up on an overtime victory against Ohio in November. Sitting at 9th in the overall standings, positive out-of-region results could vault them up the leaderboard and put them in a great spot as we head towards postseason play. JMU’s standout player this season has undoubtedly been JW Harrington—the sophomore is always a catch threat as he anchors the middle of the Dukes’ lineup. They’ll need strong performances from him and co-captain Ryan Pendleton to successfully defend their home turf.
Virginia
The Wahoos are rocking after a dominant performance their last time out at the Cavalier Clash, where they dispatched their East Coast rivals to take the first seed in the region. Sitting at 10th in the overall standings, wins Saturday could propel Virginia to their highest overall ranking all time. The road to that accomplishment isn’t easy, however – Beast will be the Hoos’ first out-of-region competition since Nationals 2025, and Cincinnati specifically will be the highest ranked opponent they’ve faced this season. The Cavaliers will have to rely on their depth to succeed – shoo-in All-Region corners Ben Wu and LJ Jones can’t do all the work. Up-and-comer Will Niermann has the game sense and arm to help push Virginia to a 2-0 Beast record, but the Cavaliers need to stay consistent and capitalize on their opponents’ mistakes to get there.