WINCHESTER — Seven Winchester Royals were honored with team awards prior to Sunday's Valley Baseball League regular-season finale at Bridgeforth Stadium, and one of the outfielders received a plaque from the members of the press box in recognition of the "work ethic and dedication" he's displayed this summer.
Those qualities have been on display all summer from 2022 James Wood High School graduate Bodie Pullen. They've served him well all his life, which is why he's made such a meteoric rise during his college baseball career and proven to be one of the Royals' best players in his second full summer with the team.
Second-year Winchester manager Brian Burke said work ethic and dedication are just two of the qualities worth mentioning when it comes to Pullen, who is transferring to NCAA Division I University of Richmond for his redshirt senior year after starting all 102 games in 2025 and 2026 for NCAA Division II Shepherd University in Shepherdstown, West Virginia.
"First and foremost, his character speaks volumes," Burke said. "The kid is just amazing on and off the field. He cares for everybody that he's come across. He's always there. If you need a level-headed person to talk to, whether it's baseball or something else, you can count on Bodie to give you some sound advice. Character comes first with him, and really matters to him. He's so respectful and and caring of everybody."
Opposing pitchers probably wish Pullen respected their stats a little more.
This past spring at Shepherd, the 6-foot-2, 190-pound Pullen had a team-high 63 runs, 25 stolen bases (in 26 attempts) and nine triples. That triples total set a school record and tied for the NCAA Division III lead with Southern Arkansas' Preston Smith. Pullen also had a slash line of .341 (batting average)/.464 (on-base percentage)/.597 (slugging percentage) with six home runs and 45 RBIs.
Despite not always being healthy this summer and transitioning back to wooden bats after using aluminum in the spring, Pullen is the Royals' regular-season team leader in runs (30), stolen bases (14) and at-bats (111) and is the co-leader in hits (32). Pullen is batting .288 and has a .407 OBP in 28 games, which is tied for third on the team.
"He's worked through some minor setbacks with his back," Burke said. "He's tried to play through it, and needed some time off. He's done a good job. All-around, he's done his job day in and day out, and met or exceeded our expectations."
When talking about why he loves baseball, the personal side of the game is a major reason for Pullen.
"Just coming to the field and being with my best friends every day, it makes playing the sport a lot easier, because the sport can be very mentally taxing," Pullen said. "Coming here and having fun with my guys is what makes this experience a lot better."
Pullen has a strong inner drive, but he never had to look far for someone to push him to a higher level growing up.
From the time he was 6 until he graduated high school, Pullen's father Adrian was a coach on whatever team Bodie was playing on at the time.
Adrian Pullen was The Winchester Star's Player of the Year in 1990 at James Wood, and later played at George Mason University. He has been the head coach at James Wood for the last six years, earning Star Coach of the Year honors four times and leading the Colonels to the Class 4 state tournament four times. Adrian coached Bodie with Winchester Baseball until age 10, Blue Ridge Baseball through high school, and with James Wood.
"He's just a great guy to work with," Bodie said. "It makes it a lot easier for me to become the best ballplayer I can."
Bodie was a pretty impressive one under his father. As a senior shortstop at James Wood in 2022, Pullen broke the James Wood single-season record with 35 stolen bases. He scored 32 runs, hit .341, had 16 RBIs, and was named Class 4 Northwestern District Player of the Year, the Region 4C Co-Player of the Year, and earned Virginia High School League Class 4 Second Team All-State honors.
In a interview before Sunday's game, Adrian said he was probably harder on Bodie than the other athletes he's coached over the years. Adrian wanted the best for Bodie. Bodie said his coaching made a big impact on him, particularly with the mental side of the game.
"Not only is he a coach, he's my dad," Pullen said. "He can kind of help me with whatever I'm going through, whether it's at the plate or struggling in the field. It's nice having my dad to be there for me."
Pullen's transition to college not only meant no longer playing his father, but figuring out to adjust to adjust to a reduced role. Pullen didn't play in any games at Shepherd in 2023 in what wound up being a redshirt season. In 2024, Pullen appeared in 11 of Shepherd's 46 games (three starts) and went 1 for 10 with two RBIs and seven runs.
Millbrook graduate Ethan Burgreen was Pullen's roommate throughout all of Pullen's four years at Shepherd, and they helped each other stay positive during that time. The career arcs for Pullen and Burgreen are extremely similar. Burgeeen didn't play as a freshman either in his redshirt season of 2023 and played 10 games (five starts) in 2024, batting .182 (4 for 22) with five runs and two walks. Bu he also started all 102 games for Shepherd in 2025 and 2026.
"You just have to bide your time, you've got to work hard, and continue to just wait your turn, and that's what he did," said Adrian of Bodie. "He sat there for two years and did everything that was asked of him and did everything that was expected. When it was time, he took advantage of it."
In Pullen's first two years, he played under head coach Matt McCarty, the former Sherando and Shenandoah standout. McCarty guided Shepherd to a 349-208-2 record and four NCAA Tournament appearances in 12 years. McCarty is now in his second year as the associate head coach at NCAA Division II Francis Marion.
In August of 2024, Shepherd hired former Liberty University assistant Andrew Kowalo as McCarty's replacement. Pullen quickly clicked with Kowalo. Pullen said Kowalo emphasized being more aggressive when he was ahead in the count, and gave him numerous different hitting drills to help with his approach at the plate.
"He helped me out a lot offensively," Pullen said. "He helped me mature."
Pullen shined with a .293/.348/.470 slash line with five home runs, 30 RBIs, and a team-high 41 runs and 22 stolen bases as Shepherd's leadoff hitter and center fielder while starting all 50 games.
"I knew once I got my chance, I would make the most out of it," Pullen said. "Just a lot hard work went into that."
Adrian said he was glad Bodie's perseverere paid off in 2025.
"He didn't get upset and want to leave," Adrian said. "He wanted to stay there and be a part of the Shepherd program, with his friends, and play with them, guys that he went to school with and worked hard with in practice."
Prior to college, Pullen had almost never played in the outfield. Adrian said Bodie might have last played the position when he was 10. Pullen got work there in his first fall at Shepherd.
"I think it was a good move to put me in the outfield," Pullen said. "I feel like with my speed, I do better in the outfield. I'm more valuable out there. It was a pretty easy transition. I could just go out there and be an athlete."
Pullen's athleticism and knowledge of the game makes him particularly dangerous on the basepaths. Pullen stole 47 bases in 48 attempts during his career at Shepherd, and he's a perfect 14 for 14 stealing bases this summer for the Royals.
"I love to run," Pullen said. "Anytime I get to first base, I love to steal."
Pullen returned to leadoff and center field for the 2026 season. In a season in which he improved his numbers dramatically off the board, Pullen increased his walk total from 13 to 39 and cut down on his strikeouts (47 to 34).
"I was swinging at a lot more strikes and not chasing as much," Pullen said. "Gaining confidence was the biggest thing."
There were only four games all season in which Pullen didn't record a hit, walk or run.
"He did well with the things he wanted to work on," said Adrian of Bodie's 2026 season. "Just knowing the strike zone, getting a better feel for it, being able to hit his pitch, being able to hit good pitches, and not get himself in bad counts. [In 2025], he was constantly 0-2, 1-2. It's hard to be successful as a hitter, being down in pitchers' counts. This past season, he was able to turn things into hitters' counts, which helped him with his production."
Pullen was twice named the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference East Athlete of the Week this spring.
On March 3, he was recognized for a 3-0 Rams stretch in which he had a .545 (6 for 11)/.667/.727 slash line and had eight runs, three RBIs, two doubles and six stolen bases. On April 6, Pullen was honored for helping Shepherd to a 5-0 week with a slash line of .600 (9 for 15)/.714/1.400 and three home runs, nine RBIs, 13 runs, a triple, a double and two stolen bases.
Pullen helped the Rams go 29-23 overall and 14-14 in the PSAC. He decided before the season ended to enter the transfer portal.
"I loved my time there at Shepherd," Pullen said. "It's not like I was leaving because I didn't like it. I just definitely wanted to take a chance on playing Division I baseball like I always dreamed of."
Pullen was contacted quickly by Richmond via email, and he eventually committed to play for the Spiders in early June. Richmond — which went 33-24 and 20-10 in the Atlantic 10 Conference this year — are led by third-year head coach Mik Aoki.
"I loved everybody up there from the start," Pullen said. "When I went on my visit, I loved everything about it. I went on a visit on a game day, and they made a lot of time for me, which showed they were definitely interested in me. It was a pretty easy decision to go to Richmond."
He'll go there after a much stronger summer with the Royals than last year. Pullen battled an ankle injury in the summer of 2025 and played in 12 games, hitting .195 (8 for 41) with four RBIs, 11 runs and two steals.
"This summer, I came in with a lot more confidence, especially coming off a really good spring season," Pullen said.
Pullen had been batting at the top of the order for the Royals, but he had just one mult-hit game in July heading into Sunday's regular-season finale against Strasburg. Batting seventh on Sunday, he went 3 for 4 with two runs and two RBIs.
"That's the first time he's hit out of the seven [hole] and it worked well for him," Burke said. "Just trying to relieve some of the pressure of him trying to do too much."
Burke said there's no question Pullen tries hard for the Royals.
"He's devoted to the game, cares about the game, but more than that, he cares about making his team better," Burke said. "The world that we live in right now, and kids doing crazy things, you can always count on Bodie to bring an even keel. You're just going to miss a guy like that in the dugout [next year]. He brings everything.
"I look at kids like Brodie and [fellow Royals] Brody Connors and Jaime Padilla, and they truly are an extension of the coaching staff. They're in the game. They have so much knowledge of pitching and sharing that knowledge out in the dugout. It's incredible to have a kid like Bodie who has grown up in the area and to be able to come back and play for the Royals, and have the success he's had."
Adrian said it was special that Bodie received the Jim Gallagher Press Box Award from the Royals. As much as he appreciated coaching Bodie during his childhood, he's enjoyed watching Bodie's growth during his college years even more.
"He's earned everything he's gotten," Adrian said. "He does work hard, and gets after it on his own time.
"The opportunity he's given himself to go to Richmond, I'm super proud of him and his effort, and how things are working out. I think it's a great coaching staff at Richmond, and they have a lot of things there that can help him improve as a player."
The 20-16 Royals are North Division champions this year for the first time since 2012, and received an unexpected North Division semifinal bye when New Market elected to not compete in the playoffs due to a lack of player availability. Winchester is just two two wins away from its first Jim Lineweaver Cup finals appearance since that 2012 season. The Royals will host Game 1 of the best-of-three North Division final series against the No. 2 Strasburg-No. 3 Purcellville winner on Saturday.
"It's been fun," Pullen said. "I think the biggest thing is we've kept our team together. It's a lot easier to win games when you're playing with the same guys every day, and everybody is bought in and actually wants to be here."
— Contact Robert Niedzwiecki at
Follow on X @WinStarSports1