For the first time since 2018, Wyoming East and Shady Spring will face off in a best-of-3 series with a regional championship and state tournament berth on the line.
Wyoming East seeks its first state tournament berth since beating Shady 2-0 in the regional series in 2018 while the Tigers are searching for their first state tournament appearance in 10 years.
For both teams there will be some unfamiliarity.
The two schools agreed to cease all athletic contests, excluding postseason matchups, back in basketball season, thus haven’t matched up since last season. Shady Spring took both of those matchups and brings a strong team into regional play.
Leading the way for the Tigers is Penn State signee Paige Maynard who brings a 14-3 record into regional play. She possesses a 0.184 ERA and has struck out 258 batters this season. At the plate Olivia Barnett has been Shady’s hottest hitter with a .657 average, having driven in 49 runs.
The Lady Warriors will combat that with their own sticks, which while powerful, have proven inconsistent at times. Senior pitcher Olivia Hylton leads the team with a .500 batting average and eight home runs out of the leadoff spot. Fellow senior and third baseman Paige Laxton brings a .488 batting average into the regional round, leading the team with 11 home runs, good for second in the state according to Maxpreps. Laxton missed most of the sectional tournament with an ankle injury but stayed sharp, notching a pinch-hit home run in her only at-bat of the week.
Record-wise there’s a contrast between the two teams With Shady bringing a 19-4 mark to the table while East comes in at 18-12. Though the records don’t tell the stories of each team.
East took its lumps playing a difficult schedule that featured five other teams that are still playing in Scott, Greenbrier East, Herbert Hoover, Midland Trail and Man.
Shady’s slate wasn’t quite as challenging but when matched up with competitive teams the Tigers held their own behind Maynard. She shut Independence out three times this season and did the same to Greenbrier East. Her dominance in the circle gives the Tigers the edge, one East will need to make up with its bats.
If there is a silver lining for East in its efforts to put the pressure on Maynard, Independence, a team Maynard struck out 34 times at one point this season, struck out less than 10 times in each of its final two games against Shady in the sectional round.
The best-of-3 series will begin on Tuesday at Wyoming East at 6 p.m. before shifting to Shady Spring on Tuesday. The third game, if necessary, will be played at Wyoming East.
