The two-day, 21-game, double-elimination West Virginia State High School Softball Tournament is an exercise in focus and perseverance for the 12 teams
– four in each of three classes – that will gather at Vienna’s Jackson Park for Wednesday’s and Thursday’s games.
If weather comes into play
– and it often does – there will be tournament workers scrambling to make the three fields playable while teams wait for rain to stop. If the forecast holds, sunshine and temperatures in the upper 80s and lower 90s are expected for the two days. Here’s a look at the schedule and field of teams:
Class AAA
Wednesday: John Marshall (Glen Dale) vs. St. Albans, 10:30 a.m.; Logan vs. Jefferson (Shenandoah Junction), 30 minutes after first game.
Teams:
St. Albans (31-1)
– The Red Dragons have a 241-83 record over the last 10 years, but for the first time will play in the State Tournament. St. Albans owns a 31-1 record and is led by senior pitcher Samantha Snodgrass. St. Albans was 84-7 from 2006-08, but failed to make the final four.
"We just felt a lot of pressure with all the talk about never making it to states," Snodgrass told the Daily Mail. "We just tried to stay focused and not get down on ourselves."
John Marshall (26-5)
– St. Albans’ first-round opponent has a 1988 state title under its belt when the tournament was one class. Amy Rotriga is the catalyst for Coach Ed West’s Monarchs, striking out 14 in a 2-1 regional victory over East Fairmont.
"We were disappointed that we lost in the OVACs (Ohio Valley Athletic Conference tournament), but I told the girls that wasn
’t the most important thing," West told The Intelligencer. "They are going to enjoy the experience. I think we have a shot. I think we can play with anybody."
Jefferson (29-4)
– Desire Miller’s grand slam in the sixth inning lifted the Cougars to their first regional title. Coach Mary Beth Vickers’ Cougars will face Logan on Wednesday.
"It was interesting, really interesting, too close for me," Vickers told the Martinsburg Journal, "but, it made for a good regional game."
Logan (27-4)
– Ali Neace leads the Wildcats with a 16-1 record and one save. She had a two-hit shutout with 14 strikeouts in Logan’s 6-0 regional victory over Nicholas County, a team the Wildcats have defeated four times this year by a combined score of 35-2.
Class AA
Wednesday: Chapmanville vs. Ritchie County (Ellenboro), 10 a.m.; Shady Spring vs. Liberty-Harrison, 30 minutes after first game.
Teams:
Chapmanville (15-15)
– The Tigers will face a tall task to win their second consecutive state championship led by sophomore pitcher Allison Evans. Chapmanville has three seniors, two juniors, seven sophomores and nine freshmen.
Ritchie County (34-2)
– The Rebels needed eight innings, but handed Magnolia a 4-0 defeat in the regional championship game. Ashley Knight had 16 strikeouts and no walks against the Blue Eagles.
"It
’s becoming harder and harder every year to get to state," Ritchie County coach Dave Mossor told the Parkersburg News.
Shady Spring (17-10)
– Shady Spring won state titles in 1989, 1992 and 1993 as a Class AAA team and 1994 as a Class AA school. The Tigers avenged two regular-season losses to Independence by earning a 4-0 victory in the regional. Amber Woody pitched a complete-game shutout in the tournament play-in game.
Frankfort (23-10)
– Frankfort has won 11 consecutive games entering its first-round tournament game against Shady Spring.
Class A
Wednesday: St. Marys vs. Man, 9:30 a.m.; Fayetteville vs. South Harrison (Lost Creek), 30 minutes after first game.
Teams:
Man (23-5)
– The Hillbillies try for their third consecutive Class A title behind senior pitcher Marlena Frye.
St. Marys (23-10)
– The youthful Blue Devils have one senior, one junior and 14 sophomores and freshmen. They’ve won 15 of their last 18 games entering Wednesday’s game against Man.
Fayetteville (21-9)
– The Pirates lost five of their first nine games before bouncing back. The Pirates have won three of the last four regionals, but are looking for their first state tournament win during that time.
South Harrison (17-8)
– South Harrison, which is formerly competed in Class AA, will be looking for its first state softball championship.
Rich Stevens, a sportswriter for the Charleston Daily Mail, covers West Virginia
for MaxPreps.