TEAM RECORDS

Pos-Team    W-L-T    Pct.

1. Nitro    31-4-0    .886

2. Hurricane    26-10-0    .722

3. Sissonville    26-11-0    .703

4. George Washington    23-12-0    .657

5. Buffalo    21-11-0    .656

5. Herbert Hoover    21-11-0    .656

7. Charleston Catholic    24-13-0    .649

8. South Charleston    20-11-0    .645

9. St. Albans    20-12-0    .625

10. Capital    19-16-0    .543

11. Winfield    15-19-0    .441

12. Poca    13-18-1    .422

13. Riverside    12-19-0    .387

HITTING

BATTING AVERAGE

(Minimum of 25 hits)

Player, School    AB    H    Avg.

Noah Blackhurst, Hur.    116    66    .569

Jason Lewis, Buffalo    61    33    .540

Steven Lewis, Capital    91    46    .505

J.R. Bradley, Nitro    112    56    .500

Tyler Godbey, Nitro    107    52    .486

Jamie Hurd, Hoover    108    52    .481

Patrick Ryan, HH    107    51    .477

J.C. Morrison, Cap.    91    43    .473

Pat Lively, S. Chas.    96    45    .468

Sam Wood, Catholic    93    43    .462

Sammy McCoy, SA    87    40    .459

David Beaver, Poca    99    45    .455

Korey Dunbar, Nitro    104    47    .452

Tyler Payne, Hurricane    111    50    .450

Josh Hudson, S. Chas.    98    44    .448

Bo McKown, Catholic    131    58    .443

Andrew Pickering, Nit.    96    42    .438

Chris Knapp, River.    104    45    .433

Darryl Deliere, HH    103    44    .427

Alex Levitan, GW    117    50    .427

Eric Stone, Capital    96    41    .427

Cody Hobbs, River.    97    41    .423

Alex Bobinger, CC    83    35    .422

Brody Prudnick, CC    92    38    .413

Kirby Patterson, GW    107    44    .411

Tyler Ratliff, River.    95    39    .411

Jared Tucker, Buffalo    78    32    .410

Tyler Burdette, Sisson.    106    43    .406

Zach Cloxton, Nitro    116    47    .405

Josh Kiser, St. Albans    92    37    .402

Cody Ballard, Capital    110    44    .400

Josh Clark, Winfield    109    43    .394

Josh Burdette, SC    99    38    .383

Clay Riggleman, Nit.    92    35    .380

Kenny Harper, Sisson.    117    44    .376

Tyler Fisher, S. Chas.    77    29    .376

Andy Hapney, SA    101    38    .376

Cory Bird, Hoover    96    36    .375

Derek Ryder, Hoover    91    34    .374

Evan Woods, Capital    94    35    .372

Derek May, GW    89    33    .371

Barrett Arnold, Winf.    100    37    .370

Regan Patton, GW    111    41    .369

Geovany Miranda, Cap.    95    35    .368

Kiefer Hovorka, CC    72    26    .361

Nick Harrison, River.    86    31    .360

Nelson McKown, CC    100    36    .360

Thad Carpenter, Cap.    95    34    .359

Josh Falbo, Hurricane    117    42    .359

Patrick Huxley, CC    92    33    .359

Dylan Ramsey, SA    107    38    .355

Sam Kmiec, Hurricane    117    41    .350

HOME RUNS

12 - J.R. Bradley, Nitro; 8 - Jason Lewis, Buffalo; Wade Walters, St. Albans; 7 - Sam Wood, Catholic; 6 - Sam Kmiec, Hurricane; Patrick Ryan, Hoover; 5 - Noah Blackhurst, Hurricane; Jamie Hurd, Hoover; Kirby Patterson, GW; 4 - Zach Cloxton, Nitro; Brandon Davis, Hoover; Korey Dunbar, Nitro; Josh Falbo, Hurricane; Sammy McCoy, St. Albans; Geovany Miranda, Capital; Regan Patton, GW; Tyler Payne, Hurricane; Gabe White, Hoover

RUNS BATTED IN

55 - Jason Lewis, Buffalo; 53 - Sam Kmiec, Hurricane; 51 - J.R. Bradley, Nitro; 49 - Patrick Ryan, Hoover; 44 - Wade Walters, St. Albans; 42 - Noah Blackhurst, Hurricane; Sam Wood, Catholic; 39 - Korey Dunbar, Nitro; Kirby Patterson, GW; 38 - Patrick Huxley, Catholic; 37 - Tyler Payne, Hurricane; 35 - Cody Ballard, Capital; 34 - Sammy McCoy, St. Albans; 33 - Jamie Hurd, Hoover; Regan Patton, GW; 32 - Geovany Miranda, Capital; 31 - Zach Cloxton, Nitro; Nelson McKown, Catholic; J.C. Morrison, Capital; Clay Riggleman, Nitro; Eric Stone, Capital; 30 - Tyler Burdette, Sissonville; Brandon Davis, Hoover; Andrew Pickering, Nitro

STOLEN BASES

49 - Tyler Burdette, Sissonville; 46 - Bo McKown, Catholic; 33 - J.C. Morrison, Capital; 31 - Jason Lewis, Buffalo; Evan Woods, Capital; 25 - Kenny Harper, Sissonville; Steven Lewis, Capital; 22 - Zach Cloxton, Nitro; 21 - Tyler McClaskie, Capital; 20 - Clay Riggleman, Nitro; 19 - Brad Carpenter, Sissonville; Tyler Godbey, Nitro; 17 - Colin Davis, Hurricane; Taylor Farris, Catholic; 16 - Derek Tate, Sissonville; 15 - Alex Levitan, GW; Zack Montebell, Hurricane; Patrick Ryan, Hoover; 14 - Cory Sovine, Hurricane

PITCHING

WINS

12-0 - J.R. Bradley, Nitro; 12-5 - Jameson Landers, Sissonville; 9-3 - Cody Ballard, Capital; 8-0 - Derek May, GW; Andrew Pickering, Nitro; 8-3 - Jason Lewis, Buffalo; 7-1 - Kyle Huffman, GW; Patrick Ryan, Hoover; 7-2 - Patrick Huxley, Catholic; Sam Wood, Catholic; 7-3 - Sam Kmiec, Hurricane; 6-1 - Clay Riggleman, Nitro; 6-3 - Thad Carpenter, Capital; 6-6 - Andy Hapney, St. Albans; 6-8 - Joe Mounts, GW; 5-1 - Calvin Bench, St. Albans; Tyler Burdette, Sissonville; 5-3 - Drew Lawrence, Hurricane

STRIKEOUTS

130 - Jason Lewis, Buffalo (622/3 innings pitched); 114 - Patrick Ryan, Hoover (59 IP); 109 - Jameson Landers, Sissonville (1042/3 IP); 102 - J.R. Bradley, Nitro (63 IP); 88 - Sam Wood, Catholic (62 IP); 84 - Jamie Hurd, Hoover (642/3 IP); 83 - Sam Kmiec, Hurricane (63 IP); 71 - Clay Riggleman, Nitro (541/3 IP); 70 - Andrew Pickering, Nitro (471/3 IP); 69 - Joe Mounts, GW (691/3 IP); 65 - Taylor Humphrey, Poca (551/3 IP); 64 - Thad Carpenter, Capital (641/3 IP); 62 - Cody Ballard, Capital (702/3 IP); 58 - Derek May, GW (661/3 IP); 57 - Calvin Bench, St. Albans (60 IP); 53 - David Beaver, Poca (481/3 IP); 52 - Ryan Baldwin, Sissonville (53 IP); Matt McClanahan, Poca (442/3 IP)

EARNED RUN AVERAGE

(Minimum of 30 innings pitched)

0.67 - J.R. Bradley, Nitro (63 IP); 0.84 - Jason Lewis, Buffalo (622/3 IP); 1.13 - Sam Wood, Catholic (62 IP); 1.67 - Clay Riggleman, Nitro (541/3 IP); 1.78 - Sam Kmiec, Hurricane (63 IP); 1.92 - Andrew Pickering, Nitro (471/3 IP); 2.01 - Tyler Burdette, Sissonville (451/3 IP); 2.07 - Jameson Landers, Sissonville (1042/3 IP); 2.14 - Alex Bobinger, Catholic (322/3 IP); 2.32 - Joe Mounts, GW (691/3 IP); 2.60 - Drew Lawrence, Hurricane (401/3 IP); 2.64 - Ryan Baldwin, Sissonville (53 IP); 2.87 - Cody Ballard, Capital (702/3 IP); 2.99 - Thad Carpenter, Capital (641/3 IP)

NOTE: Includes only players from Kanawha and Putnam counties. Figures provided by schools. 

Nitro taking nothing for granted during fourth straight trip to state tournament

In making the state tournament field each of the past four years, Nitro has done it all, and perhaps seen it all.

Which is why Wildcats coach Steve Pritchard will take nothing for granted when his heavily favored team lines up against upstart Princeton in the Class AAA state semifinals Friday night at Appalachian Power Park.

Consider Nitro's recent path at Power Park:

In 2007, the Wildcats lost in the first round to Woodrow Wilson 8-7;

Two years ago, Nitro won its first baseball championship with matching 10-0 routs of Martinsburg and Fairmont Senior;

Then last season, Nitro jolted John Marshall 12-3 in the semifinals, but fell to Martinsburg 9-8 in the finals.

Three years, three different fates.

So don't expect the Wildcats (31-4), the No. 1 team in the Gazette's state rankings, to look past the Tigers (20-14) this week.

"If experience means anything, we should be OK,'' Pritchard said. "Because I've thought about that, really, all year. We've done it all up at the state tournament.''

Pritchard still grimaces when recalling the 2007 game against Woodrow, a team Nitro beat 17-1 in the regular season. The Wildcats held a 6-1 lead entering the bottom of the seventh, but lost in the eighth inning on a spate of walks.

At the time, it was Nitro's first state tournament game since 1983, and it showed that night.

"It's high school baseball,'' Pritchard said. "You don't know what's going to happen. You think you know, [but] you don't know.

"Like four years ago when we went up there. We can't throw a strike. We threw two first-team all-staters, and we couldn't throw a strike that game. So you don't know. You just work hard, try your best and hopefully, good things happen.''

Senior right-hander J.R. Bradley (12-0), the team's ace pitcher, has been a starter on all four of those Wildcats teams, along with infielder-pitcher Andrew Pickering.

Bradley likes to think Nitro was very close to winning it all every time at the state tournament.

"I just think for the most part, baseball's a different game,'' he said. "You look at the two games we lost. We were within one run and it was the last inning. So we've gone up there every year and been successful. We didn't get the wins we wanted but, hey, it happens. It's a new year and we're going to keep doing what we're doing, and hopefully we get another one.''

Bradley, who had gone as many as 11 days between starts during the regular season, threw nine innings in a little over 48 hours during the regionals - working two innings in relief at Ripley Tuesday and the full seven in Thursday's 7-1 win at No. 1 Cabell Midland.

He threw about 145 pitches in the two games, and Pritchard said Bradley was more than prepared for the workload.

"When he got back to Charleston [after the Ripley game], he ran,'' Pritchard said. "He got a good workout in Tuesday night after the game, flushed his body, and we ran him again Wednesday. What it really came down to was that he had a good bullpen [session] Tuesday.

"Initially, coming into season, we were thinking of copying what Raymond Swisher did a couple years ago [at Ripley] with [Josh] Whitlock and [Dale] Kestner. Start Pick and close with J.R., and it just didn't iron out that way. So when everybody was complaining about why ain't J.R. pitching, like in the MSAC [title] game, this is why he didn't pitch. We wanted to rest him. A lot of guys get in there and they throw these guys a lot during the season, and they're wore out. J.R.'s fresh.''

Reach Rick Ryan at 304-348-5175 or This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .