MORGANTOWN – Over the last two seasons, the Morgantown High School baseball team has earned appearances in the state tournament, and each season it has gone further than the year before.
In 2024, the Mohigans fell to Cabell Midland in the Class AAA semifinals. Last season, MHS made a run to the Class AAAA state championship before falling to Hurricane.
This season, head coach Pat Sherald and his players are poised to end their season at the top and lift the state championship trophy on Jack Cook Field in Huntington on Saturday.
Before that, though, MHS will have to get through the MSAC champion Knights and advance to Thursday’s semifinal round.
“We’ve played one of the toughest schedules in the state,” Sherald said. “Our entire pitching staff has contributed throughout the season. We were able to play three games at Jack Cook Field at Marshall earlier in the year; it’s a great facility and atmosphere, and our guys are used to playing in that type of ballpark.”
WVU signee Slade Barton anchors the Morgantown pitching staff with a 7-0 record and a 1.68 ERA, while fellow senior Lucas Shinn is also unbeaten at 7-0. At the plate, Kai Henkins leads the Mohigans with a .375 batting average, Kane Williams has driven in a team-high 25 runs, and Lincoln Thornton has added 22 RBIs.
Ten MHS players have tallied over 20 hits this season. Senior Braden Gorby leads the way with 37.
Cabell Midland enters the state tournament fresh off its Mountain State Athletic Conference championship. The Knights, who captured Class AAA state titles in 2023 and 2024, are seeking their third championship in four seasons and fourth overall.
“Cabell Midland is a very well-coached team that we have the utmost respect for,” Sherald said. “Every game with them is a battle, and we expect nothing less on Wednesday.”
Sherald says his team is ready for the moment and needs to be the team it has been to this point to be successful.
“We know they’re prepared for the moment,” he said. “The schedule we’ve played has prepared us for this. We know who we are, just go out and play the game the right way, and let’s play Mohigan baseball.”
No. 2 Morgantown and No. 7 Cabell Midland will meet in Game 3 of the Class AAAA tournament on Wednesday, with first pitch scheduled for 5 p.m. at Jack Cook Field in Huntington.
