By Rich Stevens
MaxPreps.com
The Nitro High School baseball team finished off a dream season last weekend at Charleston’s Appalachian Power Park by winning a pair of 10-0 games and claiming the Class AAA state championship.
The Wildcats (32-4) had won 24 of their last 25 games entering the tournament and had boasted one of the state’s premier players in senior pitcher and center-fielder Chase Pickering.
They also had 49 home runs and added three more at the state tournament.
“I don’t know if we’re the best team ever, but I know we’re the best team this year,” said Pickering, who was named the Gatorade Player of the Year for West Virginia last week.
Nitro defeated Martinsburg 10-0 in the semifinals on Friday, winning in five innings to invoke the 10-run mercy rule. Sophomore Andrew Pickering, the younger brother of Chase, hit a solo home run in that game.
In the championship, the younger Pickering hit two more home runs against Fairmont Senior, giving him three home runs in the two-game West Virginia state tournament.
“The ball was huge,” said Andrew Pickering, whose hitting picked up as well as his fielding as the season progressed. He finished with 10 home runs this season.
“I struggled until we got back from the beach,” he said, speaking of the Wildcats’ week-long tournament in Myrtle Beach, S.C., early in the season. “When we got back from the beach, it all started clicking. It was that way last year too. I didn’t start off too well and when we got back it all kicked in.”
The title was the second for Nitro Coach Steve Pritchard, whose 1996 team at Sissonville won the Class AA crown.
Much like that Sissonville team, Nitro exhibited a swagger. That’s Pritchard putting his stamp on the program.
“I think it’s a confidence thing,” Pritchard said. “Our kids respect their opponents. We play hard.”
Chase Pickering, a candidate for the West Virginia Sports Writers Association Player of the Year, didn’t have time to rest after the game. As one of only two senior regulars for the Wildcats, he was chosen to compete in the next day’s North-South All-Star Game, pitting players from the northern part of the state against players from the southern half.
Pickering earned the MVP award for the South, which gets him a $500 scholarship.
He’s already committed to West Virginia University, but could forego a college career if he gets chosen in Thursday’s Major League Amateur Draft.
Earning spots on the All-Tournament team were Andrew Pickering, Chase Pickering, J.R. Bradley and Brett McClanahan of Nitro; Joe Buonaiuto, Mike Ice and Garrett Fetty of Fairmont Senior; Ryan Chaney and Ben Huffman of George Washington and Spike Geffert of Martinsburg.
Results
Semifinals – Nitro 10, Martinsburg 0 (5 innings); Fairmont Senior 8, George Washington 7 (8 innings)
Championship – Nitro 10, Fairmont Senior 0 (5 innings)
Class A Baseball: Wheeling Central Repeats
Wheeling Central won its second consecutive Class A state baseball championship with an 11-4 victory over 2006 champion Buffalo.
The Maroon Knights (19-13) were led by right-handed pitcher R.J. Miller, who battled dehydration to finish with 16 strikeouts.
“They’re a good team, solid all the way through,” Buffalo Coach Jimmy Tribble said. “My hat’s off to him, he threw a fine ballgame.”
Wheeling Central sophomore Jack Weishar pitched the semifinal against Charleston Catholic, earning his third State Tournament victory in three games. During Central’s run to the 2007 title, the crafty left-hander had victories in the semifinal and championship.
In Buffalo’s 2-0 semifinal victory over Clarksburg Notre Dame, Bison left-hander Jason Lewis struck out 15 in a complete-game shutout.
Earning spots on the All-Tournament team were Miller, Weishar, Zach Foose and Paul Ratcliffe of Wheeling Central; Chris Belcher, Jason Lewis and Adam Scott of Buffalo; Brody Prudnick of Charleston Catholic and Adam Funk and Preston Musgrave of Notre Dame.
Results
Semifinals – Buffalo 2, Notre Dame 0; Wheeling Central 7, Charleston Catholic 2.
Championship – Wheeling Central 11, Buffalo 4.
Class AA Baseball: Logan Moving Up in Style
Logan ended its time in Class AA with a championship, defeating Point Pleasant 13-3 in Saturday’s championship game.
The Wildcats, who have six state championships in Class AAA and Class AA, return to the state’s largest classification next year after six seasons in the middle class.
Logan senior Josh Motto, who transferred from fellow Logan County school Chapmanville Regional, was 3-for-4 with three RBI and two runs.
Earning positions on the All-Tournament team were Motto, Thomas Adkins, J.R. Blevins, Jordan Butcher and Josh Wilson of Logan; D.W. Herdman and Ashton Jones of Point Pleasant; Tyler Oliver and Tyler Zimm of Oak Hill and Austin Richards of Lincoln.
Results
Semifinals – Logan 10, Lincoln 3; Point Pleasant 2, Oak Hill 1.
Championship – Logan 13, Point Pleasant 3 (6 innings).
Rich Stevens, a sportswriter for the Charleston Daily Mail, covers West Virginia for MaxPreps
