Area champ Allegany slots 4 on All-Area 1st team; 10 schools make up full squad

Aug. 7—Allegany nabbed four spots on the All-Area first team, and Bishop Walsh, Frankfort and Petersburg had multiple selections.

After the three-time defending area champion Campers (18-2), the Spartans (19-4) had the second-most players with three, followed by Petersburg (26-10) and Frankfort (13-12) with two, and Keyser (22-7) and Fort Hill (8-13) with one.

Ten schools were represented across both the first and second teams.

Keyser had four second-team members, Moorefield (18-10) had three, and Allegany, Bishop Walsh, Northern (9-10), Mountain Ridge (4-16) and Hampshire (4-20) had one each.

Coaches were asked to submit All-Area nominations from their own team, which were used to compile a ballot. Twelve coaches submitted nominations and seven returned ballots.

First Team Pitchers

The first-team pitchers were headed by Area and Western Maryland Athletic Conference Player of the Year Abi Britton.

The junior Penn State commit led the region in batting average and earned run average. In the circle, she was 18-2 with a 0.40 ERA. She allowed just six earned runs on 24 hits in 104 2/3 innings pitched, striking out 254 and walking two.

The right-hander threw five perfect games in 2023.

At the plate, she hit .574 with eight doubles, nine home runs, 46 runs batted in and 11 runs scored.

She was joined by a pair of other right-handed pitchers in Bishop Walsh senior Chloe Greise and Frankfort sophomore Avery Noel.

Greise, who is signed to play softball at WVU Potomac State, put together a second-straight All-Area first team season, finishing with a 17-2 record and 1.42 earned run average in 123 1/3 frames.

She allowed 25 earned runs on 82 hits, striking out 206 and walking 29.

Offensively, Greise hit .534 with 11 doubles, three triples, five home runs, 30 runs batted in and 36 runs scored, and she swiped 13 bases.

Noel, who was West Virginia Class AA second-team All-State, had a breakout sophomore campaign in Short Gap, compiling a 9-5 mark and 1.23 ERA in 102 2/3 inning pitched. She struck out 195 batters and walked 28, and she allowed 18 earned runs on 63 hits.

At the plate, Noel batted .507 with 11 doubles, two triples, 34 runs scored and 17 stolen bases.

Noel was also named to the Division 1 All-Potomac Valley Conference team.

Catcher

Braylee Corbin capped her illustrious career at Petersburg with her second consecutive nod as the area's top catcher.

Corbin, who was voted named Class A first-team All-State and is also a two-time first-teamer locally in basketball, slugged an area-best 11 home runs and had the third-highest batting average (.549).

She racked up 32 extra-base hits — more than half of her total hits, doubling 16 times and tripling five more. Corbin also drove in 43 runs and scored 60 times and caught nine would-be base stealers behind the plate.

Corbin is set to play softball at WVU Potomac State next year.

Infielders

The infield is comprised of a blend of experience and up-and-comers.

Seniors Bailee Greise (Bishop Walsh) and Olivia Looker (Allegany) head the unit, with sophomores Makenzie Monahan (Allegany) and Adison Pritts (Frankfort) also landing on the squad.

Greise was an impossible out this season, ending sixth in the area in batting average (.533) and second in runs batted in per game (1.91) behind only Britton.

A signee of Division 3 Rosemont College, Greise had nine doubles, six home runs, 44 RBIs and 24 runs scored.

Looker capped her high school career with her third first-team nod of the year; she made the top squads in soccer and basketball.

Looker batted .448 with seven doubles, five home runs, 34 runs batted in and 23 runs scored in the middle of the Allegany lineup.

Monahan struggled with a hand injury throughout the season but came on strong late to hit for a .528 average with four doubles, two triples, a home run, 13 runs batted in and 20 runs scored.

Looker and Monahan both made the All-WestMAC first team.

Pritts had a super sophomore campaign of her own. She hit .456 with 13 doubles, two triples, 19 runs batted in, 21 runs scored and 15 stolen bases.

Outfielders

The first-team outfield is a best-of-the-best of Allegany County.

The position group is led by Allegany sophomore Avery Miller, who has now made the first team in six straight seasons to begin her high school career (soccer, basketball and softball).

Miller was fourth in the area in hitting (.541), adding four doubles, five triples, six home runs, 30 runs batted in and 38 runs scored.

Bishop Walsh senior Ariana Herrera was the ultimate utility player for the Spartans, spending time behind the plate, in the infield and patrolling the outfield.

Herrera finished with a .451 average, five doubles, four triples, two home runs, 18 runs batted in, 33 runs scored and 22 stolen bases.

Fort Hill junior Alex Robertson rounded out the outfield with her first All-Area nod after hitting .463. She doubled eight times, tripled and homered once, and had 16 runs batted in, 29 runs scored and 13 stolen bases.

Miller was voted WestMAC Offensive Player of the Year, and Robertson all-conference first team.

Flex

The flex position was created for players who nearly received enough votes to make first team for their position but would've easily made it at another one.

Petersburg junior ace Sam Colaw and sophomore Keyser catcher Tayler Likens both made first-team All-State in their respective classes, capping their seasons with a spot on the area's top squad.

Colaw and Likens each made the All-Area second team last year.

Colaw had another dominant season in leading the Grant County powerhouse back to the Class A state tournament, finishing with a 19-5 record and 2.24 earned run average in 159 1/3 innings pitched. She struck out 215 and walked 44.

She was also one of the area's most feared batters. She was second in batting average (.560), tied for second in home runs (10) and fifth in RBIs a game (1.67). Colaw added 21 doubles, one triple, 60 RBIs and 41 runs scored.

Likens had a dominant season of her own behind the plate, matching Colaw's home run total of 10 and ending tied for second in the area in stolen bases with 28.

The sophomore batted .511 with eight doubles, three triples, 47 RBIs and 43 runs scored. She also caught four runners trying to steal.

Likens also holds the distinction as being the only local player to get the best of Britton, hitting a first-inning home run against the Campers in their opener. Allegany didn't give up a run against an area team the rest of the season.

Second Team

The second-team pitchers are Keyser senior Charity Wolfe, Moorefield junior Amber Williams and Keyser sophomore Rylee Mangold.

Allegany junior Riley Gallagher is the second-team catcher. She was voted WestMAC Defensive Player of the Year by the conference's head coaches.

The infielders are Keyser senior Morgan Pratt, Bishop Walsh junior Brooke Adams, Moorefield junior Mckenna Crites and Hampshire freshman Ava Call.

The outfielders are Keyser senior Averi Everline, Northern senior Lexis Miller, Mountain Ridge sophomore Jaianna Wickline and Moorefield freshman CiCi Kump.

Honorable Mention

Catcher: Izzy Kendall (Bishop Walsh). Infielders: Kylie Hook (Allegany), Addison Armentrout (East Hardy), Jaidee Guinn (Fort Hill), Makayla Gillaspie (Keyser), Sterling Kump (Moorefield), Anne Baker, Maci Beeman, Sophie Rounds (Mountain Ridge), Ella Chew (Petersburg), Adeline Wilson (Southern). Outfielders: Sky Porter (Allegany), Macy Barth (Mountain Ridge).

Alex Rychwalski is a sports reporter at the Cumberland Times-News. Follow him on Twitter @arychwal.