Latest news with #RegionI
Dominion Post
a day ago
- Sport
- Dominion Post
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.
Dominion Post
3 days ago
- General
- Dominion Post
University's Brance McCune named OVAC 5A baseball Player of the Year
MORGANTOWN – University High School outfielder Brance McCune was announced as the recipient of the 2025 OVAC 5A Player of the Year award over the weekend after a strong senior campaign for the Hawks. McCune is the second University player to hold the honor in four years, as former third baseman Aaron Forbes did so in 2022. The University graduate and Bethany College signee was a crucial piece of the puzzle for UHS this season in all phases of the game. McCune averaged an outstanding .454 at the plate, tallying 44 hits in 97 at-bats. Ten of those hits came for extra bases (seven 2B and three 3B) with 18 RBI, 26 runs, and 17 walks, only striking out eight times all season. He held a .534 on-base percentage, stealing 14 bases. He was also errorless defensively in the outfield. For Brance, this season was all about having confidence in himself. 'Honestly, I was a little surprised when I first heard the news,' McCune said. 'I had confidence in myself this season and once I got settled in, just tried to go out there and make an impact for my team every chance I could. Having a good season and being recognized for the work you put in is the best part.' McCune earned at least one hit in 26 of the Hawks' 31 games this season with separate hitting streaks of nine and ten games. During his nine-game hitting streak between April 11 and April 28, seven of those games were multi-hit ones. His effort offensively during the second half of the schedule was key for the Hawks, as they saw themselves sitting 6-10 after a 4-0 loss to George Washington in the Mon County Classic. But UHS turned its season around, finishing 11-4 after the loss to GW. McCune earned 27 of his 44 hits, scored 17 runs, stole eight bases, and struck out only twice during the final 15 games. 'I think that weekend (Mon County Classic) we really showed ourselves what we could do,' he said. 'We realized we had to turn something around to make the most of the rest of the season and finish strong.' McCune is a four-year varsity player for UHS and credits his early years as an underclassman for shaping the work ethic he has as a senior. He made the trip to Charleston as the Hawks won the Region I championship in 2023. 'Sophomore year is definitely one of those that I point to as a year that changed my game,' he said. 'Being around that senior class and group of guys, they really pushed me to be a better player and set me up to learn how I could excel going forward while continuing to improve my game.' Brance says one thing he will take away from his time at UHS is the way he learned to be a good teammate and how a positive environment helps him become a better player. 'Being around a bunch of guys and making those bonds, that's something I'll take with me,' he said. 'I feel like that's something I'll be focusing on a lot at the next level.'
Dominion Post
28-05-2025
- Sport
- Dominion Post
Trinity Christian softball to make first state tournament appearance in program history
MORGANTOWN – When the Trinity Christian High School softball team takes the field on Wednesday morning in Game 1 of the 2025 WVSSAC Class A state softball tournament, they will do so with confidence and with pride. The Warriors enter the week as the Region I champion and will face off against top-ranked Pendleton County (29-2) at 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday to begin play. 'For the players to have reached this point to be among the final four teams is remarkable,' TCS assistant coach Dan Lohmann said, who will act as head coach at the state tournament due to scheduling conflicts with head coach Bryan Phillips. 'There has been a steady build of the program, and I'm not sure we thought this would be possible in our fourth year since the program restarted. That just speaks to the player's belief in themselves and their teammates.' The Warriors are making their inaugural appearance in the state tournament, marking a significant milestone for a program that was reestablished just four years ago. During the 2022 and 2023 seasons, Trinity Christian School (TCS) secured only a single victory. Before the current season, the program's most recent sectional championship occurred in 2010. Trinity concluded the regular season ranked ninth in the MetroNews Coaches Poll. 'We want our girls to have the same approach of being resilient and to stick together when things aren't going our way,' Lohmann said. 'They have been able to come back from some type of deficit in all five games this postseason. Sometimes when the stage is bigger, we feel like we have to do more, but we want them to have the mindset of doing the same things that got us here.' Pendleton County enters the tournament as the Region II champion. The Wildcats have held the top spot in the MetroNews Coaches Poll for the final three weeks of the regular season and lead the state with 29 victories. Their only two losses have come against state tournament qualifiers from higher classifications. The Wildcats have outscored their postseason opponents by a combined margin of 57-4 over four games. 'Pendleton County is an excellent team,' Lohmann said. 'We need to be able to play sound defense, communicate clearly, and take advantage of any opportunities we may have at the plate.' TCS finished regular-season play with an 8-10 record and was in the midst of a six-game losing streak. Despite this, the Warriors have demonstrated a remarkable turnaround, compiling a perfect 5-0 record in sectional and regional competition. In their regional championship victory over Magnolia, Trinity overcame a three-run deficit in the seventh inning to secure a 9-8 win. The Warriors are currently averaging 8.6 runs per game. Josalyn Phillips leads the team offensively with a batting average of .479, along with a team-high eight home runs and 33 runs batted in. Pitcher Paige Hopkins enters the state tournament with a 3.64 earned run average. While some may say the Warriors will be happy just to be making an appearance, Lohmann knows his players have a fire in them to win games, and the state tournament does nothing but stoke the flames. 'I think these girls have enjoyed proving something to themselves and being able to stand tall with other top-notch programs,' he said. 'We have asked them to take steps in overcoming challenges throughout the entire year, and to watch that grow in these players and the team has been incredibly rewarding.'
Dominion Post
27-05-2025
- Sport
- Dominion Post
Morgantown set to battle Wheeling Park in Region I baseball championship series
MORGANTOWN – The Morgantown High School baseball team will meet Wheeling Park in the Class AAAA Region I championship series this week, with the winner earning the right to represent Region I next weekend in the 2025 WVSSAC state baseball tournament in Charleston. The two sides have met three times this season, with Wheeling Park taking two of the three contests. The Patriots won both regular-season matchups by one run before MHS took the OVAC 5A title game 4-2. Wheeling Park will host Game 1 on Tuesday. Game 2 will move to Dale Miller Field at Mylan Park in Morgantown with a decisive Game 3 heading back to Wheeling, if needed. 'We've been working on fundamentals and making sure we are ready to do what we do best,' MHS head coach Pat Sherald said. 'In this series, you're going to see two talented baseball teams go head-to-head and battle. We had three close games against them already this season. They're a well-coached club who pitch well and are strong defensively. But I like our team as well and I think we're going into the week prepared and focused on the task at hand.' In the three games the two sides played this season, the Patriots had success at the plate, earning more hits than MHS in all three contests. Particularly, the bottom half of the Wheeling Park lineup. 'They can hurt you all through their lineup,' Sherald said. 'They had a few guys have some very strong games against us and we've been able to see some tendencies. But for us we just need to worry about controlling what we can control and putting the blinders on to achieve our goal.' One thing that may benefit the Mohigans this week is their pitching rotation of Vinnie Aloi, Maddox Boggs, and Lucas Shinn. The trio has combined for a record of 15-3 this season and each have an ERA under three runs while throwing more than 35 innings. Aloi and Boggs have each thrown 30 strikeouts as well. Closer Judd Messerly has three saves in as many attempts this season. 'I think that benefits us in a best-of-three,' Sherald said. 'I really like where those three are right now and hopefully they continue throwing strong and throwing strikes. We got some good innings for them against Bridgeport and Fairmont Senior this week in preparation and we will be ready to go come Tuesday evening.' Morgantown and Wheeling Park begin the Region I championship series Tuesday at 5:00 p.m. in Wheeling. Game 2 will be at 5:30 p.m. in Morgantown on Wednesday.
Dominion Post
23-05-2025
- Sport
- Dominion Post
Morgantown's Elecia McCurrie enters 2025 state track and field meet with her eyes forward
MORGANTOWN – Last year at the 2024 WVSSAC state track and field meet, Elecia McCurrie made an emphatic statement as a freshman by taking home three state titles and vaulted herself to the top of the rankings among the state's best sprinters. This season, McCurrie has continued to lead the way. The sophomore speedster holds the fastest 100-meter dash time in the state in 2025 at 12.14, which she set at the Region I championship last week. With the state meet this weekend, somewhere she has already made history and cemented her name, McCurrie says she is entering the 2025 version with a clear mind. 'Coming into this season, I knew what commitment it would take to achieve the goals I set for myself,' she said. 'This weekend is about not worrying about the pressure of being the state champion last season. It's a new season, competition, and state championship meet.' Last season, McCurries captured the 100-meter title in Class A with a time of 12.26, slower than her state-best time of 12.14. 'Knowing that going into the weekend does nothing but motivate me more, honestly,' Elecia said. 'My goal is to set a new state-meet record, so knowing where I am now gives me confidence. My goal is never just to be in first place. Every time I step foot on the track, I'm not only racing against my opponents; I'm also racing against the clock. This weekend is no different. I aim to run for new personal bests and state records.' McCurrie can also impact the meet when it comes to the team competition as well, as the Mohigans have struggled to earn points in the sprint events in the past. Just last season, MHS shared first place for the AAA girls team championship with Jefferson, but would've taken the title outright with success in the sprints. With McCurrie being one of the strongest sprinters in the state, the Mohigans may have the difference they need to win the Class AAA team title. 'Going into my second state meet, I just want to first and foremost thank God for giving me the ability and strength to compete at this level in the sport I love,' McCurrie said. 'I just want to remain humble and healthy and give everything I've got.' The girls' 100-meter dash finals will begin at 1:25 p.m. on Saturday, with Class A, Class AA, and Class AAA.
