The Red Dragons claimed their first state title since 2019, defeating Ripley, 11-3.

SA saw three players earn all-tournament recognition, including Gavin Comer receiving all-tournament MVP.

The accolades and recognition continues to pour in for the St. Albans baseball team, with the latest coming from the West Virginia Sportswriters Association (WVSWA) all-state baseball teams.

Braxton Burke and Brogan Samms earned first-team all-state honors.

HAYDEN HUGHES

Burke is the captain of the team first-team, making him the first SA player to captain of the first-team since Jake Carr was co-captain in 2019.

Burke was tabbed as a pitcher on the top team in AAA. He went 8-1 on the mound in 60 innings pitched.

He had an ERA of 1.75 and struck out 53 batters in 15 games.

Samms earned recognition as an infielder.

“Those guys make everybody around them better,” SA coach Rick Whitman said. “They’re just ultra-competitive, whether Braxton was playing short or Brogan was there then vice versa. They just competed at a really high level and made everyone else better.”

Samms, who is also a standout on the basketball hardwood, batted .468 with 52 hits.

He also added 19 doubles, two home runs and 40 RBIs.

The junior Red Dragon also saw time on the mound, going 6-2 in 65 innings pitched. He totaled 100 strikeouts while allowing only 28 hits.

“He’s an elite athlete,” Whitman said. “He can hit obviously. But he’s also a tremendous basketball player. I saw everyone at his basketball games, and I know how good he is at basketball. But he had a better baseball year. That’s hard to say because he is a phenomenal basketball player.”

Burke is one of three seniors on this past year’s team, with Gavin Comer and Devon Hatfield being the other two.

The senior Red Dragon also hit efficiently at the plate, batting .405, totaled 47 hits, three home runs and 31 RBIs.

“He just competes,” Whitman said. “He threw strikes, challenged hitters and changed speeds. He hit lead off for us. When he got on base, he scored. He scored over 50 runs. He was a spark plug for us.”

St. Albans is one of four Class AAA teams to have at least two players make first-team all-state — Bridgeport, Shady Spring and Robert C. Byrd are the others.

The Indians earned the No. 1 overall seed in the Class AAA state tournament.

Bridgeport finished its season with a 29-5 record and fell in the state semifinals to the Ripley Vikings.

The Indians were represented on the first-team by Kasen Baun (infielder) and Owen Sondericker (utility).

“Those two were my three and four hitters all year long,” Bridgeport coach Robert Shields said. “They drove in a lot of runs for us. They didn’t strike out very often. They put the ball in play, which allowed us to be consistent.”

Sondericker appeared in 36 games for the Indians this past season, batting .409.

He recorded 45 hits, with seven being doubles and three being triples.

The senior Indian knocked out two home runs and drove home 38 RBIs.

He was also a stud on the mound, going 7-1 in 53 and a third innings.

He allowed 37 hits, 10 earned runs and struck out 66 batters.

“Owen was our go-to-guy on the mound,” Shield said. “He was 7-1 with two saves. He did a phenomenal job on the mound and wherever we put him, depending on who was pitching.”

Baun batted .400 on the season in 137 plate appearances.

He knocked through 42 hits, with 11 being doubles and five being triples.

Baun also connected on two home runs and drove home 42 RBIs.

“He’s been a four-year starter,” Shields said. “He’s matured every year that he’s played. He was quiet but led by example.”

Shady Spring saw Tyler Wilhite and Sam Barnett make first-team, while RCB’s Xavier Carvelli and Cooper Floyd cracked the list.

Wilhite, a sophomore infielder, had an average of .459 and he had six doubles, three triples, three home runs and he scored 50 runs. He also had 29 steals and 30 walks.

Barnett, a University of Charleston signee, hit .367 with 13 doubles, four home runs, 33 runs and 41 RBIs and was 7-1 on the mound with two saves with a 1,92 ERA and 81 strikeouts.

Floyd hit .465 with 13 doubles, four triples, 11 home runs and he scored 58 runs and swiped 22 bases.

Carvelli hit .435 with nine doubles, five triples, 37 RBIs and 17 steals. On the mound he was 5-1 with 65 strikes and a 2.60 ERA.

John Marshall’s Hayden Hughes joined Carvelli and Burke on the mound. He worked 70 2/3 innings with 11 starts (7-3), 40 strikeouts and a 1.48 ERA.

The catcher spot is manned by seniors Isaac Byrd of Lincoln County (.423 with 12 doubles, 10 homers 38 RBIs and 35 runs) and Hunter Harr of Keyser (.427 with 14 doubles, three home runs and 15 runners throw out trying to steal).

Ripley junior Bryson Casto, out for a portion of the season with an injury, returned and led the Vikings back to the state title game where they fell to St. Albans. Casto, now a three-time first-team all-stater, hit .450 with five doubles, a triple, 15 runs and he was 4-0 on the mound with a 0.87 ERA and 31 strikeouts in 24 innings.

The outfield is stacked with Brooke’s Andrew Murdock (OVAC 5A player of the year, .489, five home runs and 35 RBIs), Robert C. Byrd’s Cooper Floyd (.465, 12 doubles, three triples, 11 home runs) and PikeView’s Landon Wyatt (.434, 10 doubles, two triples, three home runs, 40 runs and 44 RBIs, 32 walks and 33 steals. He hasn’t been thrown out stealing in two seasons).

Princeton’s Brody Combs earned second-team all-state captain.

Combs batted .354 this past season, totaling 45 hits and 10 doubles.