Morgantown set to battle Wheeling Park in Region I baseball championship series
The two sides have met three times this season, with Wheeling Park taking two of the three contests. The Patriots won both regular-season matchups by one run before MHS took the OVAC 5A title game 4-2.
Wheeling Park will host Game 1 on Tuesday. Game 2 will move to Dale Miller Field at Mylan Park in Morgantown with a decisive Game 3 heading back to Wheeling, if needed.
'We've been working on fundamentals and making sure we are ready to do what we do best,' MHS head coach Pat Sherald said. 'In this series, you're going to see two talented baseball teams go head-to-head and battle. We had three close games against them already this season. They're a well-coached club who pitch well and are strong defensively. But I like our team as well and I think we're going into the week prepared and focused on the task at hand.'
In the three games the two sides played this season, the Patriots had success at the plate, earning more hits than MHS in all three contests. Particularly, the bottom half of the Wheeling Park lineup.
'They can hurt you all through their lineup,' Sherald said. 'They had a few guys have some very strong games against us and we've been able to see some tendencies. But for us we just need to worry about controlling what we can control and putting the blinders on to achieve our goal.'
One thing that may benefit the Mohigans this week is their pitching rotation of Vinnie Aloi, Maddox Boggs, and Lucas Shinn. The trio has combined for a record of 15-3 this season and each have an ERA under three runs while throwing more than 35 innings. Aloi and Boggs have each thrown 30 strikeouts as well. Closer Judd Messerly has three saves in as many attempts this season.
'I think that benefits us in a best-of-three,' Sherald said. 'I really like where those three are right now and hopefully they continue throwing strong and throwing strikes. We got some good innings for them against Bridgeport and Fairmont Senior this week in preparation and we will be ready to go come Tuesday evening.'
Morgantown and Wheeling Park begin the Region I championship series Tuesday at 5:00 p.m. in Wheeling. Game 2 will be at 5:30 p.m. in Morgantown on Wednesday.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Dominion Post
10-07-2025
- Dominion Post
Morgantown's Waylon Colistra talks confidence, preparation ahead of senior year leadership role
MORGANTOWN – Morgantown High School basketball's Waylon Colistra is one of the top players to watch coming into the 2025-2026 HS hoops season in West Virginia. The 6-foot-7, 190-pound rising senior forward made his name known two seasons ago as a sophomore, but quickly became known around the state as he played a key role for the Mohigans last season as a junior with a starting role. Colistra averaged 14 points, eight rebounds, and two assists last year for MHS, playing a key part in the Mohigans' run to the state semifinals. He earned all-tournament honors in Class AAAA at the state tournament and was also named an all-state honorable mention selection. Now, entering his senior year at MHS, Colistra will be one of the leaders on the court for his team and says he feels prepared for the task. 'I felt like last season went well,' Colistra said. 'We obviously fell short of our ultimate goal, but individually, I thought it was a great year. I've learned a great deal from many outstanding players and leaders over the past few years as I've progressed through the program. It was a great season and a valuable learning experience, marked by some excellent competition and exposure as well.' This summer, Colistra is playing with the Midwest Pumas Gold 17U team on the AAU circuit and has competed with MHS at the Hope Gas Shootout at Mylan Park and the 2K25 Midwest Live NCAA event. Colistra averaged 17.5 points, 9.5 rebounds, and 2.3 assists across four games, while shooting 62.4% from the field and 62.5% from three-point range. 'I really enjoy the experience I get from playing AAU and playing over the summer with my high school team,' he said. 'Getting to play in a new state against new players and competition that we've never seen really helps progress my game, and I feel like it's a time when I can work on different areas of my game with live reps.' As far as his goals for the offseason, Colistra says he wants to continue working on raising his stock in terms of his recruitment. 'That's important to me at the moment,' he said. 'I want to just work on getting my name out there while also progressing my skills and getting better at the end of the day.' As one of only three players in the rising senior class who played varsity minutes for MHS last season and one of two returning starters, Colistra will be looked upon as a leader and role model by others on the team. 'I'm excited to take on the role,' he said. 'I've had a lot of great examples throughout my time here. I hope to be encouraging and supportive to all of my teammates, creating an environment that allows everyone to be their best. Being positive and trying to get everyone to play to the best of their abilities is my goal, and I'm looking forward to being able to do that.'
Dominion Post
04-07-2025
- Dominion Post
Morgantown High girls' athletics captures WVSSAC Class AAAA Champions Cup
MORGANTOWN — Morgantown High's dominance in female sports was rewarded Thursday, as the Mohigans were named the girls' winner of the West Virginia Secondary School Activities Commission's (WVSSAC) Champions Cup in Class AAAA. Standings for the Cup are based on performances across a variety of sports, with points awarded for success in state championship events. Teams are also awarded points based on the previous year's graduation rate. MHS won the cup with 880 points, highlighted by a state track championship. MHS also placed as the state runner-up in basketball, volleyball and tennis. MHS earned a third-place finish in cross-country, was a state semifinalist in soccer, took fifth in swimming and advanced to the regional final in softball. MHS scored points in eight of the nine sports charted. 'What a great accomplishment for our student-athletes to be recognized with this overall championship,' MHS principal Paul Mihalko said. 'We are very proud of all of the hard work and dedication of all of these Mohigans.' University High took second in the girls' competition, finishing with 678 points. The Hawks celebrated a state cross-country championship, as well as finishing third in softball, fourth in track and seventh in cheerleading. UHS also tallied points with regional final appearances in volleyball and basketball. Wheeling Park was awarded the boys' Cup in Class AAA with 853 points, highlighted by a state-semifinalist showing in soccer. Hurricane was second with 788.5 points and captured state championships in baseball and tennis. Morgantown High was third with 769.5 points. The Mohigans were the state's runner-up in baseball, made an appearance in the semifinals in basketball and took fourth in cross-country. University High, which won state titles in cross-country, wrestling and track, finished fourth with 687 points. Class AAAA girls Morgantown High 880 University High 678 Cabell Midland 584 Washington 568 George Washington 485.5 Class AAAA boys 1. Wheeling Park 853 2. Hurricane 788.53. Morgantown High 769.54. University High 687 5. George Washington 680.5
Dominion Post
03-07-2025
- Dominion Post
COLUMN: MHS, UHS football will significantly benefit from EPAC inclusion and scheduling
MORGANTOWN – With the ever-changing landscape of high school athletics in the state of West Virginia, some decisions need to be made with the thought of the present and future of a program in mind. That's precisely what both Class AAAA schools in Monongalia County have done for the betterment of their football programs, as both Morgantown and University High School have joined the Eastern Panhandle Athletic Conference (EPAC) as members for football. This coming season, MHS will play five games against opponents from the EPAC (excluding Washington). Both schools will begin scheduling all six EPAC schools (Martinsburg, Spring Mills, Jefferson, Hedgesville, Musselman, and Washington) starting in 2026. Last season's HS football season was nothing short of unique, with multiple schools filing injunctions against the WVSSAC for their place in the 2024-2025 reclassification conundrum. With so many schools moving up and down among the four classes, some programs were negatively impacted by their schedule seeming 'weaker' due to opponents moving into a smaller class. One thing this decision does for MHS and UHS is solidify a schedule every year that simply can't be questioned, as all six of the EPAC schools are classified in Class AAAA. Another strong point is that the competition the Mohigans and Hawks will face each week will increase. The state championship last season included two of the six teams from the EPAC: state champion Martinsburg and runner-up Spring Mills. Four of the six teams in the EPAC had winning records last season, with a combined record of 43-30 among the six schools. 'This was done out of necessity and respect,' MHS athletic director John Bowers said. 'Geographically, where we are located, we have a difficult time finding games north of us, like the WPIAL teams. In our state, there are pockets of schools that we should consider scheduling, and one made the most sense for varsity football at MHS. By next year, we and UHS will both be full football members of the EPAC.' There won't be a shortage of college scouts in attendance either, as multiple EPAC schools have produced Division-I signees and prospects. Both the Hawks and Mohigans have their own D-I signees and prospects that now have the chance to be seen by more coaches and schools that they haven't been seen by in the past. Although they may lose sleep preparing for games on Friday night, both the UHS and MHS coaches and players can sleep well knowing that seven of your ten regular-season games on the schedule going forward are guaranteed to be quality opponents that are also Class AAAA schools. It won't be long before we see both programs at Morgantown and University positively impacted by the change. The future of Class AAAA football in Mon County is certainly looking bright.
