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‘AAA’ squad named

St. Albans’ Carr, Hedgesville’s DeLauter are the co-captains

MARTINSBURG –Three of the state’s brightest baseball stars used the grandest of stages in West Virginia to demonstrate why they are Class AAA All-Staters as well as future NCAA-Division I players.

Jonathan Blackwell, Jake Carr and Chase DeLauter all shined brightly during last weekend’s state tournament.

Each turned in sterling performances for their respective teams at Appalachian Power Park.

Carr pitched a three-hitter for eventual state champion St. Albans in a (5-1) victory over Wheeling Park in one Triple-A semifinal, while Blackwell of Hurricane and DeLauter of Hedgesville waged one the best pitching duels the state has seen in a 1-0 victory by Blackwell in the other. Both pitchers tossed two-hitters with one walk in that semifinal.

Additionally, DeLauter reached base two of three times Blackwell allowed someone on, doubling and walking.

DeLauter’s offensive prowess to go with his pitching ability are a reflection as to why he signed on as a two-position player — a pitcher and an outfielder — at James Madison.

Blackwell and Carr are headed to Coastal Carolina and West Virginia, respectively, as strictly pitchers.

On Sunday, two of them — Carr and DeLauter — head up the Class AAA all-state team as co-captains of the first team named by the West Virginia Sports Writers Association.

Beside being repeat first-team selections as a pitcher and utility player, respectively, Carr and DeLauter have been named as co-state players of the year. Blackwell moved up from the second team in 2018.

It’s the second straight time for DeLauter to win the John Lowery Award as the state’s top player. He certainly did everything in his power to keep the trophy as he raised his batting average by slightly more than 100 points to .606 and lowered his earned run average by more than a run to 0.84.

Carr finished won all seven of his decisions and posted an 0.33 ERA while striking out 105 and walking just 14 in 63 innings.

Seven of the 15 first-team honorees hail from the Mountain State Athletic Conference, including all three pitchers, and five from the six-member Eastern Panhandle Athletic Conference.

In addition to Carr and Blackwell, the third pitcher is Cody Sharp of MSAC member Spring Valley.

The other MSAC honorees are infielder Joel Gardner, who scored the lone run in Hurricane’s win over Hedgesville in Charleston, and George Washington’s Aidan Johnson; outfielder Easton Petitt of Cabell Midland; and utility player Tyler Cox of Hurricane.

Besided DeLauter, the EPAC first-teamers also include infielder Grant Harman from Martinsburg, outfielders Hunter Coe of Hedgesville and Blake Hartman of Musselman, and utlity player Taylor Tennat of Jefferson.

The rest of the first-team lineup includes catcher Tyler Haskins of Ripley, infielder Trevor Thomas of Wheeling Park and utility player Hunter Fansler of Woodrow Wilson.

Of the first-team selections, one-third of them made the squad last year: Carr, Cox, DeLauter, Johnson and Petitt, although Johnson as a catcher in 2018, rather than an infielder.

Beside Blackwell, Tennant and Coe moved up from last year’s second team.

Harman might be as intriguiging of a player as any of the first-team group.

He earned first-team honors in three sports (how does he rank)

Harman led Martinsburg to its third straight state football championship at quarterback as the Bulldogs set a state record of 42 wins in a row and was honored on the all-state unit as the state’s top defensive back. He earned first-team all-state honors in basketball as Martinsburg reached the state title game but lost its only contest in the final. Harman batted .414 as the leadoff hitter in the key position of shortstop for the 23-win Bulldogs.

Despite Johnson’s move from catcher to the infield, he was able to secure the most combined votes from coaches and sports writers among the infielders. He batted .457 with six home runs and 34 runs batted in.

His replacement behind the plate, Haskins, also hit six homers while batting .410.

Of the pitchers, Carr added a .576 batting average and .592 on-base percentage because of his 41 walks; Blackwell finished with a 10-1 record and 1.08 ERA with 109 strikeouts in 64 2/3 innings; and Sharp won three of four decisions and struck out 76 batters.

The other infielders beside Harman and Johnson, Trevor Thomas of Wheeling Park batted .386 with 27 runs and Gardner batted .479 with six homers and 51 RBI. Gardner also won eight games as a pitcher with a 1.59 ERA.

In the outfield, Hartman, an all-state football player, finished one hit short of topping .500 for the season as he batted .494. Coe found himself playing in the shadow of DeLauter and would even move from right field to center field when his teammate pitched. Coe batted .410 with seven home runs and 42 RBI. Pettit, who has the perfect first name of bat-maker Eason, hit .470 and drove in 36 runs.

While DeLauter had the top numbers among the utility players, one really sticks out — 52. He scored 52 runs, a number expected as the second hitter in the lineup, but DeLauter also drove in 52 runs.

Tennant, who drew Jefferson’s most-difficult-pitching assignments, including twice against Hedgesville, won nine of 13 decisions, struck out 87 and posted a 1.45 ERA). He batted .425 as the team’s second baseman and produced 33 doubles.

Of the two other utility players, Fansler batted .531 with seven home runs and 29 RBI, and Cox, an infielder when he doesn’t pitch, batThe second team is led by Noah Cummings, an infielder from state champion St. Albans who was a first-team honoree a year ago and has been named the captain.

The pitchers include Cabell Midland’s Chad Heiner, Parkersburg South’s Colin Bryant and Ayden Hodges, who tossed a one-hitter in St. Alabans’ 5-0 victory over Hurricane in the state championship game.

Nick Loftis of St. Albans earned second-team honors as a utility player a season ago but was named as an infielder this time.

The rest of the second team includes catcher Chas McCool of John Marshall; infielders Jacob Shia of Wheeling Park and Hunter Bellomy of Spring Valley; outfielders Andrew Sydenstricker of Capital, Dane Peterson of Ripley and Charlie Pierson of Riverside; utility players Ashton Staubs of Martinsburg, Caleb Taylor of Morgantown, Blake Tilley of Cabell Midland and Cam Thomas of Capital.

Class AAA all-state team

First team

P – Jake Carr, St. Albans, Sr. (co-captain)

P – Jonathan Blackwell, Hurricane, Sr.

P – Cody Sharp, Spring Valley, Sr.

C – Tyler Haskins, Ripley, Sr.

IF – Aidan Johnson, George Washington, Sr.

IF – Joel Gardner, Hurricane, So.

IF – Trevor Thomas, Wheeling Park, Sr.

IF – Grant Harman, Martinsburg, Sr.

OF – Easton Petitt, Cabell Midland, Sr.

OF – Hunter Coe, Hedgesville, Sr.

OF – Blake Hartman, Musselman, So.

UTIL – Tyler Cox, Hurricane, Jr.

UTIL – Taylor Tennant, Jefferson, Sr.

UTIL – Chase Delauter, Hedgesville, Sr. (co-captain)

UTIL – Hunter Fansler, Woodrow Wilson, Sr.

Second team

P – Chad Heiner, Cabell Midland, Sr.

P -Ayden Hodges, St. Albans, Jr.

P – Colin Bryant, Parkersburg South, Jr.

C – Chas McCool, John Marshall, Sr.

IF – Nick Loftis, St. Albans, Sr.

IF – Jacob Shia, Wheeling Park, Sr.

IF – Hunter Bellomy, Spring Valley, Sr.

IF – Noah Cummings, St. Albans, Jr. (captain)

OF – Andrew Sydenstricker, Capital, Jr.

OF – Dane Petersen, Ripley, Sr.

OF -Charlie Pierson, Riverside, Jr.

UTIL – Caleb Taylor, Morgantown, Sr.

UTIL – Ashton Staubs, Martinsburg, Sr.

UTIL – Blake Tilley, Cabell Midland, Sr.

UTIL – Cam Thomas, Capital, Sr.

Special Honorable Mention

Tanner Akers (Spring Valley), Max Anderson (Parkersburg), Jakob Bailey (Brooke), Broedy Boyce (Ripley), Izac Babiczuk (John Marshall), Luke Carroll (Hampshire), Seth Damron (Spring Valley), Austin Dearing (Hurricane), Shane Dobbs (John Marshall), Tristan Everett (Hampshire), Connor Fizer (St. Albans), Tyler Gilpin (Spring Mills), Isaac Hines (Wheeling Park), Caleb Horner (Musselman), Eli Hott (Hampshire), Ryan Hummel (Wheeling Park), Evan Juniper (Huntington), Casey Kemplin (St. Albans), Nick Langley (Brooke), Jacob Lovell (Woodrow Wilson), Brayden McCallister (George Washington), Wyatt Milum (Spring Valley), Devon Neal (Morgantown), Hunter Ridgeway (Greenbrier East), Trey Ritchie (George Washington), Quintin Smith (Morgantown), Corey Pyles (Preston), Brady Weaver (Hedgesville), Peyton Weekly (Cabell Midland), Kyle West (Hedgesville), Nicholas Wright (Martinsburg), Nick Yoho (Parkersburg South)

Honorable Mention

Austin Amtower (Woodrow Wilson), Tyler Atkinson (South Charleston), Tyrus Baumgardner (Spring Valley), Grant Beckett (Huntington), Nick Calef-Boring (Buckhannon-Upshur), Chris Buchanan (Riverside), Drew Cochran (Parkersburg South), Gavin Cottle (Morgantown), Cory Daly (Jefferson), Tristain Everett (Hampshire), Aaron Forbes (University), Ethan Haskiell (Preston), Cullen Horowicz (Jefferson), Bryce Ferro (Spring Mills), Grant Hussey (Parkersburg South), Enzo Lewis (Hurricane), Colton Matthews (Morgantown), Diallo Mitchell (Huntington), Hayden Morris (Parkersburg), Carter Patrick (Morgantown), Jason Perdue (Cabell Midland), Darryl Pope (Martinsburg), Maison Richardson (Wheeling Park), Josh Schramm (Wheeling Park), Trey Sine (Martinsburg), Casey Smith (University), Logan Spurlock (Capital), Michael Stuck (Capital), Collin Sulser (Hampshire), Ben Taylor (Wheeling Park), Mason Thompson (John Marshall), James Walsh (Jefferson), Ethan Wilson (Musselman), Joel Wise (Wheeling Park)

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