VIENNA-A trio of Mid-Ohio Valley teams will be competing in the West Virginia State High School Softball Tournament next Wednesday and Thursday at Jackson Park.
That should raise the level of interest in the tournament -not to mention the attendance -to historic proportions.
For the first time since 2004, Parkersburg South has qualified in Class AAA. Thanks to Genna Trippett's three-run home run in the bottom of the sixth inning in Thursday's Region 4 championship game, the Patriots of Jennifer Null downed visiting Cabell Midland, 3-1, behind the pitching of CeCe Bailey.
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Photo by Jeff Baughan
Parkersburg South's Katelyn Hamilton and her Patriot teammates will be competing in the West Virginia State Softball Tournament next week at Jackson Park. The Patriots will face Logan Wednesday in the opening round.
As a result, South (23-12) will meet Region 3 champion Logan in the second game of Wednesday morning's session. The Wildcats (26-6) of coach Randy Robinette will be making their fourth straight state tournament appearance, meaning the senior members of the Logan team are the first group in school history to qualify for the state throughout their high school careers.
As with all strong softball teams, Logan has a standout pitcher in Morgan Aguirre, who has compiled a 15-4 record with a 1.38 earned run average, while recording 174 strikeouts.
In the Class AAA opener, set for 10 a.m., Region 1 champion John Marshall (32-3) will meet Region 2 champion Robert C. Byrd (22-13). The Monarchs of coach Ed West have been knocking on the door of the school's first state championship since 1988 and with Amy Rotriga on the mound, John Marshall might well be considered the Class AAA favorite.
Fact Box
W.Va. State Pairings
At Jackson Park
Class AAA
All games on Field 1
Wednesday
10 a.m.: John Marshall (32-3) vs. Robert C. Byrd (22-13)
30 minutes later: Logan (26-6) vs. Parkersburg South (23-12)
5 p.m.: Morning losers
30 minutes later: Morning winners
Thursday
10 a.m.: Elimination game
2:30 p.m.: Championship round
Class AA
All games on Field 3
Wednesday
9:30 a.m.: Ritchie County (26-5) vs. Keyser (24-9)
30 minutes later: Shady Spring (15-12) vs. Wayne (26-5)
4:30 p.m.: Morning losers
30 minutes later: Morning winners
Thursday
9:30 a.m.: Elimination game
2 p.m.: Championship round
Class A
All games on Field 2
Wednesday
10:30 a.m.: St. Marys (26-4) vs. Moorefield (32-4)
30 minutes later: Fayetteville (10-19) vs. Buffalo (28-6)
5:30 p.m.: Morning losers
30 minutes later: Morning winners
Thursday
10:30 a.m.: Elimination game
3 p.m.: Championship round
In Class AA, defending state champion Ritchie County is back to defend the title it won last year, the second in school history. Led by pitcher Kelsey Waggoner, the Rebels (26-5) of coach Dave Mossor advanced to the state with a hard-fought 1-0 win at Magnolia on Thursday for the Region 1 championship.
The Rebels will meet Region 2 champion Keyser (24-9) in the first game of the day on Thursday, a 9:30 a.m. start. Keyser is making its first state tournament appearance. The Golden Tornado are led by pitcher Meghan Anderson, who tossed a four-hitter with 10 strikeouts in a 2-1 regional title win over Lincoln.
Once the Ritchie-Keyser game concludes, it will be time for Region 3 champion Shady Spring to take on Region 4 champion Wayne. At 15-12, Shady Spring has the lowest winning percentage of any team in Class AA, but it also has the most state championships of any of the 12 participating teams.
The Tigers of coach Angela Bostic are led by returning first team all-state pitcher Katie Snodgress, who pitched a 5-0 shutout over Liberty Raleigh in the regional championship game.
Wayne (26-5) is making its first state tournament appearance since 1994. It is coached by Tish Smith, a 1984 Wayne graduate. The Pioneers are led by a pair of returning first team all-selections in sophomore pitcher Jessie Rose and junior shortstop Jessica Watts, who already has verbally committed to play softball for Marshall University.
In Class A, the prospects of a first-round game between two Little Kanawha Conference teams didn't pan out when Doddridge County fell in the Region 2 final to Moorefield (32-4), 17-4 in five innings. Thus, Moorefield will return to Vienna for the first time since 2007. Moorefield is led by pitcher Danica Rogers, who has compiled a 14-2 record with a 1.25 ERA and recorded 118 strikeouts.
In the Region 1 title game at Wheeling, St. Marys defeated Wheeling Central, 9-1, in six innings, gaining revenge for last year's regional finals loss to the Maroon Knights. St. Marys (26-4) is led by pitcher Mandy Cokeley and outfielder Boogie Grose, a returning first team all-stater. St. Marys and Moorefield will open the Class A tournament at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday.
Once that game concludes, it will be time for the Region 3 matchup pitting Fayetteville (10-19) against Buffalo (28-6). Fayetteville, the only team in the entire tournament with a losing record, punched its ticket to Vienna with a resounding 15-2 win over Richwood in the Region 3 title game. Coach Mike Bone's squad is by senior pitcher Morgan Wheeler, who pitched four perfect innings in the regional title game before Richwood got a runner on base. It marks the fourth straight year the Pirates have qualified for the state meet.
Meanwhile, Buffalo (28-6) also rolled in the Region 4 title game, blasting Man, 10-1. Buffalo, the defending Class A state champion, is led by pitchers Chelsey Parkins and Ali Burdette, who also was the hitting star of the regional championship.
