Pair of Lady Vikings make first team

Jun 7, 2023

The Inter-Mountain photo by Joey KittleTucker County's Paige Shaffer, center, has been named to the honorable mention list of the Class A all-state softball team. Shaffer has signed to play at West Virginia Wesleyan College.

CHARLESTON — Petersburg's Sam Colaw and Braylee Corbin have been selected to the Class A all-state first team as selected by the West Virginia Sports Writers Association.

Colaw and Corbin are among five players that are repeat members of the first team.

Colaw was a junior pitcher (16-3, 1,83 ERA; .555 AVG, 9 HR, 58 RBIs) for the Lady Vikings and Corbin (.525 AVG, 16 2Bs, 10 HRs, 39 RBIs) a senior utility selection.

Tucker County senior Paige Shaffer, who has signed to play at West Virginia Wesleyan, was listed as honorable mention, while Petersburg freshman infielder Ella Chew, Moorefield junior utility selection Amber Williams and Pendleton County sophomore utility player Avery Townsend were both selected to the second team.

Moorefield's Sterlin Kump and Pendleton County's Baylee Beachler joined Shaffer as honorable mention choices.

Mikie Lieving, meanwhile, definitely had a big hand in helping put the Wahama High School softball program on the map.

For the third straight spring, the right-hander was inside the circle for the final out when the White Falcons hoisted yet another Class A state championship trophy with her teammates at South Charleston's Little Creek Park.

Lieving, who has signed with Ohio University, not only makes her third appearance on the all-state first team, but she was honored for the second consecutive spring as its captain.

Batterymate Amber Wolfe also ended her Wahama career with a third nod on the first team and second at catcher. A first-team utility pick as a sophomore, the Radford University signee had just one passed ball this year, picked off three runners and threw out five of 10 on the basepaths. At the dish, to go along with a .520 average and .632 OBP, Wolfe pounded out 15 doubles, a trio of three-baggers as well as 19 home runs that led to 58 RBIs.

Man's Morgan Cooper also was named to the first team at pitcher for a third straight season and will be joining Wolfe at Radford. Cooper, who tossed her seventh career no-hitter on senior night against Wyoming East, finished 15-5 with a 0.96 ERA. She has 289 strikeouts in 138 innings of work and allowed just 47 hits and 35 base on balls. Cooper hit .387 with six homers and 13 RBIs.

Two other players made the Class A top unit for a third time in their careers — Ravenswood senior catcher Hattie Kennedy and St. Marys junior infielder Zoey Winland. Kennedy, who was a first-team pick in the outfield as a sophomore, finished second in the Mid-Ohio Valley behind Lieving with 61 runs-batted-in. The Red Devil boasted a .567 average and had 17 doubles, four triples and nine home runs. Winland helped the Blue Devils to the state runner-up trophy this year. She batted. 420 with a baker's dozen doubles, three triples, five homers, 31 RBIs and 19 stolen bases.

The five players that repeated on the first team, along with Colaw and Corbin, included St. Marys utility pick Cali Masters. Inside the circle, the sophomore went 17-3 with two saves, a 1.45 ERA and 205 strikeouts in 125 1-3 innings. She hit .468 with 19 doubles, three triples, three bombs and 37 RBIs.

The other repeat honorees were Wheeling Central sophomore pitcher Josie Frizzell (18-3, 0.92 ERA, 213 Ks) and Doddridge County senior infielder Josalyn Lipscomb (.404 AVG, 13 2B, 6 3B, 6 HR, 49 RBIs, 12 SB).

Joining Winland and Lipscomb on the infield for first team were Buffalo sophomore Kelsey Brock (.416 AVG, 25 SB), Greenbrier West sophomore Preslee Treadway (.525 AVG, 6 HR, 34 RBIs), Wahama senior Morgan Christian (.291 AVG, 5 2B, 6 HR, 27 RBIs) and Tug Valley freshman Bailee Hall, who hit .525 with eight taters and 21 runs-batted-in.

The all-state outfielders on the first team went to Tyler Consolidated senior Leah Loudin and Ravenswood junior Emily Wratchford. Loudin, who had four assists, stole 23 bases and batted .351. She had three doubles, a triple, one round-tripper and nine RBIs. Wratchford, who walked 17 times and struck out five for a .574 OBP, had a .495 average. She had 10 doubles, two triples, one home run, 30 RBIs and swiped 25 bags.

Aside from Masters and Corbin, the other first team utility selections went to Greenbrier West freshman Brilee Redden (0.48 ERA, 135 Ks; .515 AVG, 25 RBIs) and Ravenswood sophomore Macy Casto (18-7, 2.50 ERA, 258 Ks, 140 IP; .473 AVG, 5 2B, 1 3B, 7 HR, 40 RBIs).

Doddridge County junior Makenna Curran (1.56 ERA, 333 Ks, 219 IP; .380 AVG, 6 2B, 2 3B, 2 HR, 24 RBIs) was named captain of the all-state second team.

All-state plaques are available for purchase to all-staters at wvswa.org or bearwoodcompany.com. They are state-shaped, wood plaques inscribed with the WVSWA logo, name, high school and year of the honoree.

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