The final innings of the softball regular season are now in the books and postseason play is set to begin Monday across the state of West Virginia.
Unfortunately, it appears Mother Nature failed to get the memo.
With rain and the mention of snow showers in the weather forecast, area sectional schedules will likely be in a state of flux all week.
The good news is teams have two weeks to complete section play before regional action starts Monday, May 15.
Class AAA Region 3, Section 2 is scheduled to begin play Tuesday, May 2. Greenbrier East is the No. 1 seed, followed in order by Beckley, Princeton and Oak Hill. All games will be played at the highest seed starting at 6 p.m.
The Spartans are 19-4 and undefeated against sectional teams this year. The ladies from Fairlea have been efficient at the plate led by Lindsey Black (.514), Taylor Boswell (.462) and Josi Ervin (.415). Boswell leads the team with 37 RBI and 15 extra base hits, including five round-trippers.
Ervin has also been stellar in the circle with a 12-4 record and a 1.10 ERA.
Aubrey Smallwood has been at the forefront for the Flying Eagles with a 10-2 record in the circle and a 1.15 ERA. The sophomore standout also leads the hitting for Beckley with a .493 batting average and 17 RBI.
Freshman Jasmine Daubert (.312) and junior Brooke Bird (.333) have also been steady at the plate for the Flying Eagles.
While most eyes will be on Greenbrier East and Beckley, Princeton and Oak Hill are not teams to look past.
Juniors Riley Riggs (.372), Emma Johnson (.323) and Abigail Jenkins (.377) are all threats at the dish for the Tigers with Johnson leading the team with 24 RBI.
A young Oak Hill team has made steady progress this year under first-year head coach Amanda Hildebrand. Halee Jones (.542), Sadie Branch (.417), Bailey Willoughby (.417) and Krista Shrewsberry (.415) have led the hitting. Jones and Branch have 22 RBI each and Willoughby has 20.
Independence heads up Class AA Region 3, Section 2, which has already fell victim to the weather. Originally scheduled to start Monday, Section 2 has been pushed back to at least Wednesday when field conditions will again be re-evaluated.
The Patriots are slated to play No. 4 seed Liberty, while No. 2 Shady Spring will battle No. 2 Shady Spring the same day.
Independence (19-8) always plays a challenging schedule, but was undefeated against the other sectional foes.
“Going into sectional play I feel like the things that we have done have led us to this point. We are ready,” Independence head coach Ken Adkins said. “We have some kids that can run the bases and kids that can hit and do stuff in different situations.”
Senior Delaney Buckland has been a workhorse in the circle going 16-4 with a 1.28 ERA. In 131 innings pitched, Buckland has 227 strikeouts. Buckland also hits just under .400 out of the lead-off spot with a .622 on-base percentage.
Fellow senior Kendall Martin has been steady all season batting .384 with 25 RBI and the three homers. Alli Hypes (.369), who has been red-hot as the postseason approaches, has 31 hits and has scored 35 times.
“Alli was the best freshman hitter in the state of West Virginia, but she had a horrendous year last year. It started with no balls dropping and just bad luck. Every time she would step in the box she was doing something different,” Adkins said. “Now she is dedicated to what she is doing. She has a plan when she goes up there and she is a person that can hit a ball up in the zone. She doesn’t seem effected by the two-strike thing or the umpire has not been good to me today.”
Sophomores Emma Lilly (.365) and Kassidy Bradbury (.313) have provided additional hitting threats with Lilly leading team with 31 RBI.
“We are getting more (production) through the order. We can count on the (top) four, but with the five, six, seven, eight and nine, those are big hits when you get them,” Adkins said. “Kassidy went (hitless) in the first game and I am not sure if she has the rest of the games. She is really hitting it.”
Shady Spring weathered heavy losses from graduation to compile a 13-9 record under first-year head coach Nikki Mays.
Freshman Avary Bragg has hit the high school diamond running. Bragg leads the Tigers with a .512 batting average with 40 hits and 35 RBI, while senior soccer standout Mallie Lawson hits .444 and has 17 RBI. All together, eight players have drove in double digit runs this year for Shady.
Junior Cambrea Neal (.379) and senior Skyler Nash (.328) have been steady for the Grizzlies with 25 and 21 hits, respectively. Both players have 11 RBI, while sophomore McKenzie Hanshaw leads the team with 15 run scoring swings.
Liberty’s junior shortstop Keandra Spurlock has been miserable for opposing pitchers to deal with this year. Spurlock is hitting .646 with 42 hits, 21 for extra bases, and 27 RBI.
Fellow junior Josie Hartshorn (.426) has 23 hits and 16 RBI. Juniors Kanyon Green and Alyson Griffith have also provided firepower at the plate.
Wyoming East is the top seed in Section 1 followed by Bluefield, Westside and PikeView. The Warriors and the Beavers will be heavy favorites to battle for the sectional title.
Section 2 is scheduled to open play Monday at 6 p.m. with games played at the highest seed.
East has one of the top pitchers in the state in freshman fire-baller Paytin Brehm. Catcher Kayley Bane (.466) leads the offense and is flanked by Savannah Brehm (.372), Emma Simpson (.367), Alivia Monroe (.320) and Andrea Laxton (.319).
Bluefield enters the postseason as one of the hottest teams winning eight of its last nine, but the only setback was a loss in New Richmond.
Madison Lawson (.600), Abby Richardson (.409), Cara Brown (.382), Isabella Smith (.400) and Sophie Hall (.373) have been the offensive stalwarts for the Beavers.
Myles Meadows (.404), Jayde Hamrick (.364) and Kinley Morgan (.358) have stood out for the Renegades.
Greenbrier West is the No. 1 seed for Class A Region 3, Section 2 and the Cavaliers have been an offensive juggernaut this year.
Midland Trail is No. 2 and Charleston Catholic is the No. 3 seed. Webster County, Richwood and Pocahontas County are No. 4-6, respectively.
Games are set to begin Monday and will be played at the highest seed. West and Trail have first round byes and the winner’s bracket champion will host the first championship game.
Preslee Treadway (.518), Brilee Redden (.508), Emma Ames (.464), Maddie Fields (.429) and Julia Herndon (.404) have been a big portion of the firepower for the Cavaliers.
Midland Trail has struggled some this year, but the Patriots have won the regional title the last two seasons and will be formidable foe for Greenbrier West should they make the championship round.
Trail and West did not meet during the regular season this year.
Section 1 for Class A Region 3 is led by James Monroe with River View as the No. 2 seed. Mount View is the No. 3 seed, followed by Montcalm at No. 4 and Summers County as No. 5.
James Monroe has the first round bye and will play the winner of Montcalm and Summers County which is set for Monday. All games are being played at the highest seed starting at 6 p.m.
The Mavericks won the only matchup with the Raiders, 8-1, and swept Mount View and Summers County. Montcalm and James Monroe did not meet in the regular season.
River View swept both games this year with the Golden Knights and the Bobcats.
