Morgantown baseball set to battle George Washington in state tournament semifinals
CHARLESTON – For the second consecutive season, the Morgantown High School baseball team earned a spot in the state tournament as the Region I champions and will meet MSAC champion George Washington on Friday night at Go-Mart Ballpark in Charleston in the semifinals of the WVSSAC Class AAAA baseball tournament.
The Mohigans, also winners of a conference title as the OVAC 5A champions, return to the state tournament for a second consecutive year after sweeping Region I postseason play. Morgantown went 4-0 in the playoffs, defeating its rival, University, and Wheeling Park in back-to-back series. The Mohigans (ranked No. 4 in the latest MetroNews Coaches Poll) have won 13 of their last 15 games.
Offensively, WVU signee Weston Mazey leads the team with 33 runs scored. Mason Bowers paces the lineup with a .395 batting average and a team-best 40 hits. Vinnie Aloi leads Morgantown with 31 RBI, while freshman Jackson Bredeson follows closely with 29 RBI and a team-leading eight doubles.
On the mound, Maddox Boggs (9-2, 1.35 ERA) and Vinnie Aloi (7-2, 2.22 ERA) have combined for 16 wins. Judd Messerly, a Potomac State signee, has posted a 1.34 ERA in 10 appearances and has three saves.
'Last year, there was a huge sense of excitement with it being the first time in a while that our program has been there,' MHS head coach Pat Sherald said. 'This year, there's the same excitement, but there's also a lot of purpose as far as taking care of business. We got a taste of it last year. We are going to go out and play as hard as we can and play our brand of baseball.'
George Washington returns to Charleston following a runner-up finish in 2024 and enters the tournament as the Region III champions. The Patriots posted a 4-0 mark in the postseason with wins over South Charleston and St. Albans. WVU commit Slade Barton tossed a no-hitter in the 4-0 regional title victory over the Red Dragons.
After a 3-4 start to the season, GW found its rhythm, winning 12 of its next 13 games. The Patriots are 4-2 this season against fellow state tournament qualifiers, including two victories over top-seeded Hurricane. In the Mountain State Athletic Conference title game, Chuck Kelly delivered an inside-the-park, walk-off home run in the seventh inning to secure a second win over the Redskins.
'George Washington has four very talented pitchers, but that's what you expect this time of year,' Sherald said. 'We know we will see the best from everyone, but it's all about what we can control and what we do out there. We must follow our game plan and maintain a no-nonsense approach. We will seek opportunities to capitalize on and position ourselves for success. We just plan to go out and play quality Mohigan baseball.'
First pitch is scheduled to be thrown 50 minutes after the conclusion of the first Class AAAA semifinal between Hurricane and Hedgesville, which is set for 5:00 p.m.
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Dominion Post
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CHARLESTON – The Morgantown High School baseball team earned its spot in the Class AAAA state championship game with a gritty 7-5 victory in the semifinals of the 2025 WVSSAC state baseball tournament on Friday night at GoMart Ballpark in Charleston. Senior relief pitcher Judd Messerly entered the game in the bottom of the fourth inning with two outs and a 6-5 lead as the Patriots had scored five runs in the frame. Messerly finished the game on the bump for the Mohigans, allowing only one hit in 3.1 innings with two walks and two strikeouts in 45 pitches. His effort, combined with a five-run second inning, propelled the Mohigans into the Class AAAA state championship game to battle top-seeded Hurricane Saturday night. The Redskins defeated Hedgesville 5-3 in the other AAAA semifinal. 'We came into a tough environment tonight against a very talented team and showed a high level of maturity to pull that win out,' MHS head coach Pat Sherald said. 'I can't tell you how proud I am of their effort tonight. Our mission was to come down here, compete, have fun, and give ourselves a chance to win a championship. They've answered that call, so now it's time to go back and rest up and come out prepared to face another very talented team.' Offensively, senior Vinnie Aloi was the difference for MHS as he drove in four runs in the contest, including a bases-clearing double that capped a five-run second inning. His sacrifice fly in the first inning opened the scoring. Sammy Watson reached on an infield single, followed by a walk to Kai Henkins. After two strikeouts, a pitch hit Bowers to load the bases, and a walk to Koa Silvers forced in a run, doubling the lead. Just three pitches later, Jackson Bredeson was also hit by a pitch, bringing in another run. With the bases still loaded, Aloi stepped up and delivered a massive blow with his double off the left field wall that cleared the bases and brought all three runners home, extending the lead to 6-0. George Washington punched back in the fourth with a five-run inning of its own, including a three-run double by Corbin Dixon off the left field wall. Messerly then entered the game for MHS and stopped the bleeding, making way for his offense to add an insurance run in the top half of the sixth. 'I literally told them 'thank you' after that happened,' Messerly said. 'That was such a huge run and helped me settle down in that seventh inning when my nerves started to set in. My heart started beating pretty fast in that last inning.' Sherald says Messerly has earned the nickname 'The Fireman'. 'When everything's burning down around, we call on him to come in and put out the fire for us, and that's exactly what he did,' Sherald said. He competed for us. We've put him in every high-leverage situation that we've had this season, and he's gone out and just competed for us.' Morgantown and Hurricane will battle for the Class AAAA state championship in the nightcap of Championship Saturday, with first pitch being scheduled for 50 minutes after the conclusion of the Class AAA championship, slated to begin at 5:30 p.m. BOX SCORE Morgantown 7, George Washington 5 MHS 150 001 0 – 7 4 1 GWHS 000 500 0 – 5 6 1 Morgantown – Mazey 3100 Bowers 2211 Silvers 2101 Bredeson 2101 Aloi 2014 Boggs 4000 Watson 3020 Henkins 3100 Nipper 2000 2B: Aloi 3B: Bowers George Washington – Fala 2111 Dixon 4013 Smith 3000 Kelley 4000 Gordon 2000 Barton 4110 Nelson 3120 Ellis 2100 Stewart 2100 2B: Dixon 3B: Nelson (W) Messerly: 3.1ip 1h 0r 2bb 2k (L) Barton 1.2ip 2h 6er 5bb 3k
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Dominion Post
a day ago
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Morgantown baseball set to battle George Washington in state tournament semifinals
CHARLESTON – For the second consecutive season, the Morgantown High School baseball team earned a spot in the state tournament as the Region I champions and will meet MSAC champion George Washington on Friday night at Go-Mart Ballpark in Charleston in the semifinals of the WVSSAC Class AAAA baseball tournament. The Mohigans, also winners of a conference title as the OVAC 5A champions, return to the state tournament for a second consecutive year after sweeping Region I postseason play. Morgantown went 4-0 in the playoffs, defeating its rival, University, and Wheeling Park in back-to-back series. The Mohigans (ranked No. 4 in the latest MetroNews Coaches Poll) have won 13 of their last 15 games. Offensively, WVU signee Weston Mazey leads the team with 33 runs scored. Mason Bowers paces the lineup with a .395 batting average and a team-best 40 hits. Vinnie Aloi leads Morgantown with 31 RBI, while freshman Jackson Bredeson follows closely with 29 RBI and a team-leading eight doubles. On the mound, Maddox Boggs (9-2, 1.35 ERA) and Vinnie Aloi (7-2, 2.22 ERA) have combined for 16 wins. Judd Messerly, a Potomac State signee, has posted a 1.34 ERA in 10 appearances and has three saves. 'Last year, there was a huge sense of excitement with it being the first time in a while that our program has been there,' MHS head coach Pat Sherald said. 'This year, there's the same excitement, but there's also a lot of purpose as far as taking care of business. We got a taste of it last year. We are going to go out and play as hard as we can and play our brand of baseball.' George Washington returns to Charleston following a runner-up finish in 2024 and enters the tournament as the Region III champions. The Patriots posted a 4-0 mark in the postseason with wins over South Charleston and St. Albans. WVU commit Slade Barton tossed a no-hitter in the 4-0 regional title victory over the Red Dragons. After a 3-4 start to the season, GW found its rhythm, winning 12 of its next 13 games. The Patriots are 4-2 this season against fellow state tournament qualifiers, including two victories over top-seeded Hurricane. In the Mountain State Athletic Conference title game, Chuck Kelly delivered an inside-the-park, walk-off home run in the seventh inning to secure a second win over the Redskins. 'George Washington has four very talented pitchers, but that's what you expect this time of year,' Sherald said. 'We know we will see the best from everyone, but it's all about what we can control and what we do out there. We must follow our game plan and maintain a no-nonsense approach. We will seek opportunities to capitalize on and position ourselves for success. We just plan to go out and play quality Mohigan baseball.' First pitch is scheduled to be thrown 50 minutes after the conclusion of the first Class AAAA semifinal between Hurricane and Hedgesville, which is set for 5:00 p.m.
