By: Rusty Udy, Register-Herald Sports Writer | Posted: May 6, 2018 | Source: Beckley Register-Herald
Is it really May already?
With all of the snow and rain over the first few weeks of the softball and baseball season, it seems like the season really just started a couple of weeks ago.
Yet here we are on the cusp of baseball sectional play which starts Monday.
You think predicting the crazy West Virginia weather is tough, try predicting a favorite in each of the sectional tournaments in our area. It is enough to make you throw your crystal ball out the window.
But ultimately, that is the real beauty of this year’s tournament. Each section has multiple teams that have legitimate dreams of grabbing the sectional crown.
Here is a look at the sectional breakdown for our area.
l Class AA Region 3, Section 1 seeding: 1. Wyoming East, 2. Independence, 3. Oak Hill, 4. Liberty, 5. Westside.
Easily the most intriguing sectional battles in Region 3 are in Class AA where seven teams have a chance to walk away as sectional champions.
The Warriors have been the most consistent team in this section, but any of the top four teams could finish as the champion. The Warriors split two games with Independence, while beating Oak Hill and Liberty.
Independence beat Oak Hill in their only meeting, but has not played county rival Liberty this season. The Raiders split a double-dip with the Red Devils.
Independence has two excellent pitchers in Logan Stump and Fisher Horton who are also hitting well over .400.
Liberty has a solid twosome on the hill in brothers Chris and Trenton Begley who are also tough outs at the plate.
Wyoming East starter Matt Caldwell went toe-to-toe with Stump in a battle this season and East’s staff may be the deepest of the section.
Oak Hill is young, but talented. The Red Devils may be a year away from a sectional crown, but they have played well over the last part of the season with Nate Bloomfield and Logan Lawhorn swinging big bats.
l Class AA Region 3, Section 2 seeding: 1. James Monroe, 2. Shady Spring, 3. Bluefield, 4. PikeView, 5. River View.
Ultimately this looks to be a showdown between the top two seeds, but Bluefield is a cause for concern.
James Monroe is looking for a return to the state tournament after winning the regional title last season. They definitely have the firepower back to do it led by multi-sport star Grant Mohler. Mohler was a one-man wrecking crew last year and has been a thorn in the side of teams again this year.
Shady Spring seems to be peaking at the right time winning eight of its last 10 games, several in impressive fashion. The Tigers are averaging over 10 runs per game over that span and are hitting the ball well throughout the lineup. They also have a solid 1-2 punch on the hill in Justin Lovell and Caleb Lilly.
Bluefield has not been a dominant team this year, but pitcher JoJo Brooks has been. One of Shady’s two recent losses was to Brooks and the Tigers will likely see him again in their opening round clash.
• Class AA Region 2, Section 2 seeding: 1. Lewis County, 2. Nicholas County, 3. Clay County, 4. Herbert Hoover, 5. Braxton County, 6. Roane County.
Nicholas County owns a win over top-seed Lewis County and has impressive wins over Wyoming East and Independence. Noah Parker and Nick Nutter are hitting over .400 to lead the Grizzlies who have a solid shot to take the sectional title.
• Class AAA Region 3, Section 2 seeding: 1. Greenbrier East, 2. Woodrow Wilson, 3. Riverside, 4. Princeton.
This section looks to be a two horse race between two old rivals Greenbrier East and Woodrow Wilson, but Riverside and Princeton cannot be overlooked.
The two old rivals will have to win opening round games in order to meet in the second round. They really need no extra incentive to beat each other, but since the two teams did not play in the regular season and with the magnitude of sectional play, the battle could be even more intense.
The Flying Eagles have a solid twosome both on the mound and at the plate in Michael Maiolo and Hunter Fansler. East will counter with West Virginia University commit Mike Kluska.
Maybe more so in this section than any other, winning the first two games is going to be crucial to a sectional championship.
• Class A Region 3, Section 2 seeding: 1. Greater Beckley Christian, 2. Greenbrier West, 3. Summers County, 4. Mount View, 5. Montcalm, 6. Meadow Bridge.
Greater Beckley Christian looks to be the team to beat, but Greenbrier West has a solid team and will have something to say in this section.
The Crusaders have won 12 of their last 13 and have several players hitting over .400 led by Garrett Matherly, Chase Bowman and Brett Riffe. The roster may be small, but the Crusaders pitching staff is solid led by Tanner Buchanan.
Greenbrier West and Greater Beckley did not meet in the regular season, while Summers County lost a close game to the Crusaders.
• Class A Region 3, Section 1 seeding: 1. Charleston Catholic, 2. Fayetteville, 3. Valley, 4. Midland Trail, 5. Webster County, 6. Richwood, 7. Pocahontas County.
It is really no secret that everyone in this section is chasing the defending Class A state champions — Charleston Catholic.
The Irish have wins over Class AA powers Scott and Chapmanville as well as two wins over St. Joe. They have not played all the teams at Region 3, but are undefeated against the ones they have played.
Valley played Catholic well in a 4-2 loss and Fayetteville has the firepower to give the Irish trouble.
Email: rudy@register-herald.com and follow on Twitter at @Rusman1981.
