MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — The WVSSAC Baseball State tournament will begin on June 6 at Marshall University’s Jack Cook Field. This is the first edition of the four-class, eight-team, single elimination tournament. Radio broadcasts of all state tournament games will air on the MetroNews Radio Network and will be streamed at wvmetronews.com. MetroNews, in conjunction with Video Productions will also produce HD video broadcasts of the four championship games.
(Stats from information uploaded to MaxPreps and WVSSAC roster pages)
Class A:
No. 1 Huntington St. Joseph’s (31-3) vs. No. 8 Trinity (13-12)
The Irish own the most wins and fewest losses of any team in the state tournament field across all classes. They are 3-1 against state tournament qualifiers, with their lone loss coming against Sherman. HSJHS enjoyed a 17-game winning streak bridging the months of March and April.
St. Joe’s went 3-0 in regional play with a win over Tolsia and two wins over Wahama.
Camden Kellar leads the Irish with a .520 batting average. Wyatt Pence leads the team in home runs (8) and runs batted in (53). Jacob Courts and Brody Runyon have each earned six victories on the mound.
Trinity claimed the program’s first regional title and state tournament berth with a victory over St. Marys in the decisive game of the Region I tournament. The Warriors also won at Magnolia in postseason play.
Parker Hopkins leads Trinity in batting average (.521) and runs batted in (20). Sam Fulk owns a 2.98 earned run average in a dozen pitching appearances.
No. 2 East Hardy (21-11) vs. No. 7 Pendleton County (16-16)
Region II rivals meet in the quarterfinal round. East Hardy opened their season with a 17-7 win over the Wildcats and they defeated them nine days later, 6-0 in Baker.
The Cougars look to defend their Class A state championship and they are unbeaten against in-state Class A opponents in 2026. East Hardy went 2-0 in regional play with victories against Paw Paw and Tucker County. They are 2-4 against state tournament qualifiers. Half of their regular season games against in-state opponents were against teams in higher classifications. After a 4-3 start, the Cougars hit their stride by winning nine of eleven games in the middle of their schedule.
Many of the Cougars are multi-sport athletes that helped East Hardy advance to the state quarterfinals in football, state semifinals in basketball and a third-place finish at the state track meet.
Veteran head coach Sam Yokum is looking to lead the Wildcats to their second state championship under his leadership. PCHS won the Class A crown in 2004, the final tournament played at Watt Powell Park.
Pendleton County went 3-0 in the Region II tournament with a win over Pocahontas County and two victories against Tygarts Valley. The Wildcats have scored in double digits 14 times this season.
Travis Owens leads the Wildcats with a .420 batting average and he has a dozen doubles. He shares the team RBI lead (25) with Chase Owens.
No. 3 Sherman (24-8) vs. No. 6 Madonna (16-13)
The Tide opened their season on a seven-game winning streak. Sherman defeated Greenbrier West twice to advance through regional play. Sherman is 3-2 against state tournament qualifiers, including a split of two games against No. 1 seed Huntington St. Joseph’s
Luke Tagliente leads Sherman in hitting with a .443 batting average. Brayden Hamrick has collected a team-best 39 runs batted in. Tagliente (11) and Hamrick (6) have combined for 17 of Sherman’s 24 victories.
Madonna finished as the Class A state runner-up in 2025. The Blue Dons won three consecutive elimination games in the Region I tournament to qualify for the state tournament, including back-to-back victories at No. 1 seed Cameron.
Jacob Lazear (.471) is Madonna’s leading hitter. He also leads the team in doubles (17) and runs scored (25).
No. 4 Gilmer County (27-7) vs. No. 5 Greater Beckley Christian (23-13)
Under the leadership of 2009 GCHS graduate Jacob Wolfe, the Titans have advanced to the state tournament in back-to-back seasons. GCHS won 16 of their first 17 games to open up the season. They won the third place game in the Little Kanawha Conference Night of Champions against Class AA state tournament qualifier Buffalo, 6-2.
Gilmer won a decisive game in the Region IV tournament against Man after splitting the first two games against the Hillbillies. GCHS also defeated Calhoun County in their regional opener.
The Titans are led in hitting by Kolten Holbert (.480). He also leads the squad in home runs (4) and runs batted in (52).
The Crusaders have qualified for the state tournament for the first time. GBC won a decisive regional game against Webster County after splitting their first two regional games against the Highlanders. Greater Beckley Christian also defeated Montcalm in their postseason opener. GBC won eight of nine games in their best stretch of the season in Mid-April.
Gilmer County defeated Greater Beckley Christian, 12-6 on March 24.
Class AA:
No. 1 Wheeling Central Catholic (27-5) vs. No. 8 James Monroe (20-16)
The Maroon Knights are looking to defend their Class AA Championship and earn the program’s fifth title. Central enjoyed a 21-game winning streak before dropping a state tournament tuneup game at Morgantown. Four of their losses have come against Ohio schools. The Maroon Knights defended their Ohio Valley Athletic Conference tournament title with an 8-0 win over Barnesville, Ohio on May 1. A day earlier, Central won at Class AAAA state tournament qualifier, 6-2. They also defeated Class AA state tournament qualifier Logan.
Wheeling Central swept a pair of games from Weir to qualify through the Region I tournament.
Mercyhurst signee Steven Brodegard is the ace of the Maroon Knight’s pitching staff.
After dropping their postseason opener to Midland Trail, the Mavericks won five consecutive elimination games to qualify for the state tournament through Region III. James Monroe won consecutive games at Wyoming East to lock up a trip to Huntington. JMHS also defeated Bluefield, Westside and a rematch with Midland Trail in that tournament. The Mavericks won just five of their first 14 games before winning 15 of their last 22.
WVU commit Kadyn Hines leads the Mavericks with a .500 batting average in 98 at bats. He also leads the squad in home runs (8) and runs batted in (36). Hines has posted a 1.58 earned run average in 14 appearances.
No. 2 Frankfort (24-7) vs. No. 7 Lincoln (21-13)
The Falcons have advanced to championship Saturday in each of the past two seasons. FHS won the Class AA title in 2024 and they finished as the Class AAA runner-up last year. Frankfort also won the 1988 Class AA crown.
FHS defeated Braxton County, Philip Barbour and Moorefield in Region II play to qualify. The Falcons bring an eight-game winning streak into the state tournament. Frankfort owns a 5-4 record against state tournament qualifiers, including victories over Class AAAA heavyweights Hurricane and Jefferson.
Lanson Orndorff leads the Falcons in batting average (.421) and doubles (14). Jaxon Hare leads FHS with 28 runs batted in. Orndorff owns an 8-3 record with a 0.52 earned run average in 14 appearances on the mound.
The Cougars will compete in the state tournament for the first time since they won the Class AA title in 2009. Lincoln also claimed the state championship in 2003.
Lincoln defeated Berkeley Springs, South Harrison and Petersburg in Region II postseason play to qualify for the state tournament. Seven of their 13 losses have come against state tournament qualifiers.
Christopher Mazzei leads LHS in batting average (.385). Alex Greene is tops on the team in home runs (5) and runs batted in (34).
The Falcons defeated the Cougars, 5-0 in Shinnston on May 9.
No. 3 Independence (29-8) vs. No. 6 Buffalo (21-13)
The Patriots are two years removed from a state runner-up finish. The Patriots defeated Mingo Central and Liberty Raleigh twice to qualify through the Region III tournament. IHS has posted a 6-2 record against state tournament qualifiers. The Patriots head to Huntington with wins in 14 of their last 17 games.
Micah Cuthbert leads Independence with a .504 batting average. Brady Williams leads the team in doubles (12) and runs batted in (43).
Buffalo entered the postseason as the No. 5 seed in the Region IV tournament. However, they defeated No. 1 seed Sissonville and No. 4 seed Charleston Catholic twice to qualify. The Bison endured a 1-6 stretch in late April before finding their form at the start of postseason play. Seven of their 14 losses have come against state tournament qualifiers.
Luca Signorini leads the Bison with a .349 batting average. He has also hit five home runs. Signorini and Hunter Rutan lead the team in runs batted in with 18 each.
No. 4 Logan (21-12) vs. No. 5 Doddridge County (26-9)
Logan is seeking their first state championship since winning back-to-back titles in the 2021 and 2022 seasons. The Wildcats have won eight state titles.
LHS defeated Roane County and Scott twice to qualify through the Region IV tournament. The Wildcats are 4-4 against state tournament qualifiers, including a 1-0 win over defending Class AAA state champion Ripley on May 28. Logan heads to Huntington with 11 wins in their last 13 games.
The Bulldogs won the Little Kanawha Conference Tournament title on May 1 with a win over Williamstown. The Bulldogs defeated Ravenswood, Oak Glen and Williamstown to qualify through Region II. Doddridge opened the season with 13 consecutive wins.
Caleb Hall leads the Bulldogs in batting average (.518), home runs (6) and runs batted in (49). Hall also leads the team with a 1.94 earned run average.
Class AAA:
No. 1 Bridgeport (30-4) vs. No. 8 East Fairmont (22-10)
Bridgeport is back in the state tournament field after a three-year absence. Robert Shields has guided the Indians to nine state championships (’92, ’00, ’14-’21). Shields earned his 1,000th career coaching victory on May 5.
The Indians defeated Keyser and Elkins to qualify through Region II. BHS enters the state tournament on a 10-game winning streak and they have won 18 of their last 19 games. Bridgeport is 10-4 against state tournament qualifiers and they own the most victories in that category among the 32 state tourney teams.
Guy Avolio leads the Indians with a .538 batting average. Owen Sondericker has posted a 6-1 record on the mound.
The Bees are in the state tournament field for the first time since winning the title in 1990. With a roster of just 13 players, East has received contributions throughout their roster. EFHS took two games from Brooke in regional play to qualify through Region I.
East owns a 5-3 record over state tournament qualifiers. They head to Huntington with 12 wins in their last 14 games.
Bridgeport defeated East Fairmont, 12-2 on April 14 in their lone regular season meeting.
No. 2 St. Albans (29-6) vs. No. 7 John Marshall (22-12)
The Red Dragons are seeking their first state title since the 2019 season, when they won their second championship in three years.
St. Albans has won 19 of their last 22 games. SAHS posted three shutouts in the Region IV tournament, defeating Chapmanville, Nitro and Point Pleasant by a combined score of 23-0.
The Monarchs defeated Grafton twice in regional play to qualify through the Region I tournament. They are making their first state appearance since 2009. John Marshall won nine of their first ten games to open up the season.
No. 3 Shady Spring (27-7) vs. No. 6 Robert C. Byrd (23-11)
Shady Spring started the season with a 3-4 record before running off victories in 24 of their next 26 games. The Tigers ran through Region III postseason play by winning all three of their games by a combined score of 29-5. Shady is 6-2 against state tournament qualifiers.
Tyler Wilhite is Shady’s leading hitter (.475). Sam Barnett has driven in a team-high 41 runs. Wilhite (8) and Barnett (6) have combined for 14 of Shady’s 26 victories.
Under Liberty High School graduate Derek Bowen, the Flying Eagles qualified for the state tournament through Region II. RCB defeated Hampshire in the decisive game of that tournament after splitting the first two games with the Trojans. Six of their losses have come against state tournament qualifiers and the Flying Eagles split a regular season home-and-home series with Bridgeport.
Cooper Floyd leads Robert C. Byrd in batting average (.451), home runs (11) and doubles (14). Jax McGlowski (40), Saverio Destito (38) and Xavier Carvelli (37) lead the squad in runs batted in.
No. 4 Ripley (24-10) vs. No. 5 Spring Valley (25-10)
The defending Class AAA state champions endured a slow start to the season due to key injuries before regaining their form in May. After a 6-6 start, RHS has won 18 of their last 22 games.
Ripley enters state tournament week on a ten-game winning streak. They defeated Greenbrier East and Herbert Hoover twice to qualify through the Region III tournament. Ripley is 8-3 against state tournament qualifiers, with notable wins coming against Class AAAA squads Morgantown and Hurricane.
WVU commit Bryson Casto was limited to 16 games due to an early-season injury. He is batting .326 and has posted a 4-0 record on the mound with an earned run average of 0.56. Landon Meadows leads the team with a .333 batting average. Kyler Doss and Parker Keller lead the team with 22 runs batted in.
Spring Valley will play in the state tournament for the first time. The Timberwolves defeated South Charleston, Lincoln County and Winfield in the Region IV tournament to qualify. Eight of their ten losses have come against state tournament qualifiers and they own victories over Class AAAA qualifiers Huntington and George Washington.
Caidon Lovejoy leads Spring Valley in hitting (.396). Parker Phillips has a team-best 34 runs batted in.
The Vikings defeated the Timberwolves, 13-0 at Jack Cook Field on April 1 in the Huntington Highlander Classic.
Class AAAA:
No. 1 George Washington (29-5) vs. No. 8 Huntington (19-15)
The Patriots advanced to the Class AAAA semifinals last June. GW opened the season with wins in eight of their first nine games and they have won 16 of their last 17 contests. George Washington is 12-5 against state tournament qualifiers and they own a 4-3 victory over Morgantown in the Mon County Classic. GW defeated Parkersburg South and Huntington to qualify through the South Region.
John Fala leads the Patriots in batting average (.558). Ryan Anderson leads the team in home runs (9) and runs batted in (51).
Huntington defeated Parkersburg and Parkersburg South to qualify for the state tournament through the South Region. The homestanding Highlanders are 3-1 in games this season played at the state tournament site, Jack Cook Field. HHS owns a pair of victories over their rivals from Cabell Midland.
Jacob Ramey leads the Highlanders in batting average (.416). Xavier Goodwin has a team-best 23 runs batted in. Clemson football signee Tayveon Wilson owns a .354 batting average.
The Patriots are 3-0 against the Highlanders this season.
No. 2 Morgantown (29-5) vs. No. 7 Cabell Midland (20-15)
Morgantown returns to the state tournament after finishing as the runner-up in 2025. The Mohigans won both of their regional games against Wheeling Park and Spring Mills to qualify through the North Region. MHS won the Ohio Valley Athletic Conference 5A Championship with a 4-1 victory over Steubenville, Ohio on May 1. The Mohigans opened the season on a 10-game winning streak and they have won their last eight games. MHS is 9-5 against state tournament qualifiers.
WVU signee Slade Barton leads the Morgantown pitching staff with a 7-0 record and a 1.68 earned run average. Fellow senior Lucas Shinn also owns a 7-0 record on the mound. Kai Henkins leads the Mohigans with a .375 batting average. Kane Williams owns a team-best 25 runs batted in and Lincoln Thornton has added 22.
The Knights are seeking their third state championship in four years after winning the Class AAA titles in 2023 and 2024. CMHS has won three state championships overall.
After defeating Buckhannon-Upshur and losing to Hurricane in their first two South Region games, the Knights won a winner-take-all game against Riverside to secure their state tournament spot. Midland won the Mountain State Athletic Conference Championship, winning both of their tournament matchups as the No. 4 seed. The Knights are 6-10 against state tournament qualifiers.
Morgantown defeated Cabell Midland, 1-0 on April 1 in the Huntington Highlander Classic at Jack Cook Field.
No. 3 Hurricane (25-9) vs. No. 6 Martinsburg (25-11)
Hurricane won the first-ever staging of the Class AAAA state tournament last year and the Redskins have won four state titles since 2014. HHS won both of their regional games against Oak Hill and Cabell Midland to qualify through the South Region. The Redskins are 8-7 against state tournament qualifiers.
Martinsburg dropped their regional opener before winning three consecutive elimination games over Musselman, Wheeling Park and Spring Mills to qualify through the North Region. The Bulldogs allowed a total of one run in their three elimination games.
The Bulldogs are allowing just 2.9 runs per game.
No. 4 Washington (23-10) vs. No. 5 Jefferson (28-7)
Eastern Panhandle Athletic Conference rivals share the field in the No. 4 vs. No. 5 quarterfinal. Jefferson has won two of three meetings this season.
Washington won both of their regional games against Hedgesville and Jefferson to qualify through the North Region tournament. WHS is one of three Eastern Panhandle Athletic Conference teams (Jefferson, Martinsburg) advancing to state tournament play. The Patriots have won ten of their last eleven games and they are 5-3 against state tournament qualifiers.
Connor Smith leads Washington in batting average (.471). Smith, Brayden Edwards and Marshall Derrick all share the team lead with six home runs. Derrick has a team-best 49 runs batted in.
John Lowery is seeking his 13th state championship while leading the Cougars (’79, ’88, ’91, ’92, ’93, ’98, ’99, ’05, ’07, ’11, ’15, ’16). In 54 seasons, Lowery is closing in on the 1,500-win plateau. JHS rebounded from a regional loss to county rival Washington in the North Region tournament to defeat Hedgesville in a decisive game to qualify for the Class AAAA field. Jefferson opened their season on a 12-game winning streak. They are 7-4 against state tournament qualifiers.
Jett Gross leads JHS in batting average (.405). He and Serf Guerra are tied for the team lead in runs batted in (26). Gross owns a 6-0 record in the mound with an earned run average of 1.17 in 12 appearances.