By Rich Stevens
MaxPreps.com
Players at the state tennis tournament spent the better part of three days dodging raindrops and venue-hopping in Charleston.
The first of West Virginia’s spring sports championship events took place at the Charleston Tennis Club and Kanawha City’s Tennis Indoor Center and Charleston Tennis Club.
The tournament’s most intriguing matchup came in the Class AAA girls finals, where Parkersburg sophomore Alex Bush faced Cabell Midland freshman Stephanie Fox.
Bush, one of a handful of outstanding underclass girls’ players in the Mountain State, defeated Fox in straight sets, 6-1, 6-2, to win her first state title. Bush returned to the courts her freshman year after taking off three years during middle school, citing burnout.
The precocious talent of Parkersburg Coach Pam Reeves lost in the 2007 finals to George Washington’s Erica White. White, a junior who had won the championship as a freshman and sophomore, lost on Friday in the semifinals to Fox.
The 2008 results set up an interesting 2009 season when Fox – who was 2-2 against Bush this season – will be a sophomore; Bush will be a junior and White will be a senior.
Charleston Catholic stole the show in Class AA-A, winning the boys and girls titles behind five champions, including junior Tyler Whipkey. The Fighting Irish’s No. 2 player has won three consecutive championships, but fell short in the doubles.
Charleston Catholic No. 3 Ryan Czul won a singles titles, defeating Poca’s Brian Sigman.
The George Washington boys won the Class AAA boys championship for the second consecutive year, getting championships at No. 2 singles (Jamie Hanna); No. 4 singles (Ryan Lucci); No. 2 doubles (Spears/Lucci) and No. 3 doubles (Garret Rhodes/Will Lorensen).
Track
The next spring sports championship event is track and field, scheduled for Friday and Saturday at University of Charleston Stadium.
Last year’s champions were Wheeling Park (Class AAA boys), Preston (Class AAA girls), Winfield (Class AA boys and Class AA girls), Williamstown (Class A boys) and Doddridge County (Class A girls).
The state meet begins at 2 p.m. Friday with the girls Class AAA shot put finals.
Baseball
Jefferson High, the winner of nine Class AAA state baseball championships and considered the cream of the state’s baseball crop, won’t be defending its title.
The Cougars lost for the second time in the double-elimination Region 2 Section 2 tournament, falling 4-2 to Hedgesville.
Jefferson had only a total of five hits in sectional losses to Martinsburg and Hedgesville.
The elimination of the Cougars leaves the Class AAA baseball chase wide open, while making Nitro the favorite.
The Wildcats eliminated Kanawha County rival St. Albans, 9-4, on Friday at Loftis Field, St. Albans’ home facility.
In the best-of-three sectional series between the Wildcats and Red Dragons, the road team won every game. Nitro hit 10 home runs in the two games and senior Chase Pickering picked up both pitching victories.
George Washington won its first sectional championship in more than 10 years with a 1-0 victory over South Charleston.
Junior Tyler Wilson, the staff ace for GW, pitched a one-hitter for the Patriots.
The regionals won’t take place until Tuesday, May 20. The baseball postseason takes a week off because of the WESTEST – The West Virginia Educational Standards Test – which will be administered Monday through Wednesday.
The Patriots will face Capital in the Class AAA Region 3 semifinals at South Charleston’s Bryan-McIlwain Field on May 20.
The other Region 3 semifinal is scheduled for Princeton, where Greenbrier East will face the winner of tonight’s Beckley Woodrow Wilson-Nicholas County game.
In the Region 4 semifinals, Nitro plays host to Parkersburg South on May 20, with the winner facing the winner of the other Region 4 semifinal between Hurricane and Spring Valley.
In Class AA, defending champion Herbert Hoover will play Winfield at Poca on Monday, May 19.
Softball
Teams will play for a spot in the state tournament on Friday, when the regional championships take place across the state.
The state tournament is scheduled for May 21-22 in Vienna.
Two of the defending champions have a shot at returning to hold on to their crowns.
Huntington – the 2007 Class AAA state champion – faces St. Albans in the Region 4 championship on Friday at Jackson Park in Ripley.
Wheeling Central – the two-time defending Class A champion – faces St. Marys on Thursday at Jackson Park as part of a regional doubleheader.
The 2007 Class AA champion – Chapmanville – was eliminated at the sectional level.
Rich Stevens, a sportswriter for the Charleston Daily Mail, covers West Virginia for MaxPreps.
