Charleston – There are no easy passes once you make it to the state tournament.
Independence and Greenbrier West will grapple with that reality Wednesday morning when both teams return to the softball state tournament in Little Creek State Park in South Charleston, in search of state championships.
Greenbrier West makes the return after a four-year hiatus, having last made the event in 2019. Independence made the trek north in 2021 when this year’s seniors were sophomores.
The greeting parties won’t be pleasant.
West, competing in the Class A tournament, will open with Petersburg while Independence opens its Class AA trek with Herbert Hoover, winners of the last five state championships.
It’s a tough draw for both teams to say the least but gives each squad an idea of what they’re up against in the double elimination tournament.
For West, much will be put on the shoulders of freshman phenom Brilee Redden. The young hurler comes to South Charleston with a 12-2 record and 1.20 ERA, having struck out 169 batters in 93.1 innings. But the Cavaliers will likely need the best performance of her young career if they hope to advance past the Vikings who are regulars at the state tournament.
Sammy Colaw leads the charge for Petersburg, excelling as a pitcher and hitter. She’s 16-3 in the circle with a 1.83 ERA. As a hitter she boasts a .555 batting average with nine home runs and 58 RBIs.
There isn’t much relief through the lineup with catcher Braylee Corbin eclipsing the .500 mark while pacing the team with 10 home runs. Ella Chew brings a .405 batting average with six home runs and 29 RBIs to round out the trio of power bats in the lineup.
West has some pop of its own with Preslee Treadway batting .507 with seven home runs and Redden often helping her own cause with a .506 clip. In total the Cavs have seven different players batting over .400, a trend they’ll need to sustain when they face Petersburg around noon on Wednesday.
Should West win it will face the winner of St. Marys-Wahama later Wednesday evening with a spot in the Class A title game on the line. If the Cavs lose they’ll face the loser of that game in an elimination game later in the afternoon.
For Independence the bright lights aren’t new. Players such as all-state pitcher Delaney Buckland, shortstop Alli Hypes and centerfielder Kendall Martin were on the 2021 team that opened with a loss against Oak Glen and was eliminated by none other than the Hoover team the Patriots hope to knock off Tuesday.
Buckland, nearing 1,000 career strikeouts, boasts a 22-6 record this season with 280 strikeouts and a 1.29 ERA in 168 innings. Martin is Indy’s best hitter with a .409 batting average, boasting a team-high five home runs. Emma Lilly slots in with a .396 batting average and team-high 41 RBIs.
Statistically Hoover isn’t much to look at with Josi Fix leading the team with a .403 batting average but solid fundamentals and execution have always made the difference for the Huskies. Sydney Bright leads the team with four home runs and 20 RBIs while Laila Varney came on late. She was 6-2 in the circle heading into regional play with a 1.24 ERA and 46 strikeouts. Along with Fix (8-3, 2.26 ERA), she gives the Huskies a capable pitching duo which often comes into play and has for Hoover of late which played five games in each of the last two tournaments, battling out of the loser’s bracket to extend its reign.
Should Indy win its first game, which is slated to start around noon, it will advance to the winner’s bracket where it will face the winner of Oak Glen-Winfield with a spot in Saturday’s state championship game on the line. Should the Patriots lose they’ll face the loser of that game in an elimination game.
Email: tylerjackson@lootpress.com and follow on Twitter @tjack94
