Greetings from The Booth!

Just a few “tidbits” today from the Booth, and I’ll start with my alma mater, Martinsburg High School. The rest of the Mountain State is a bit nervous today because the Bulldogs are welcoming back their legendary football coach Dave Walker, who comes back home after a 3-year stint in the college ranks at D-II Concord. Walker left the ‘Burg after leading the Dogs to 8 state titles, good enough to have the stadium at MHS named after him. It says a lot that last year’s10-3 season with an appearance in the state semifinals was a disappointment, but that is the state of the football program at Martinsburg. Not that things were left in bad hands–Walker’s assistant Britt Sherman, who took over the program when Walker left, was 28-5 with a state championship of his own. He will remain as OC, so it looks like the band is back together. Better make room on that “Welcome To Martinsburg” sign for some more titles…

I wrote several weeks ago about rules infractions and the VHSL’s enforcement of them. This week an otherwise great baseball season at Millbrook High came to an abrupt end in the Northwestern District tournament, when it was discovered that the Pioneers used an ineligible pitcher in their quarterfinal game with Handley earlier in the week. The issue was pitch count, and although there was some question about how many pitches the young man threw in a game against James Wood last week, several electronic devices confirmed that he had gone over the limit and was ineligible to pitch against the Judges. The rule is clear and the issue is black and white. Thus, the Pioneers had to forfeit, and Handley moves on to play in a district semifinal next week. A gut punch, for sure, and  heartbreaking end to the season for Millbrook, who made it all the way to the state quarterfinals a year ago.

Finally, if you want to see some great baseball this weekend, head over to Bridgeforth Stadium in Winchester, where one of 16 NCAA Division-II regional tournaments will be played. The Shenandoah University Hornets, one of the top 5 teams in the country, will be the host team for the 3-day double elimination affair, joined by Christopher Newport, Immaculata, and The College Of New Jersey. The revamped Kevin Anderson Field is incredible and the baseball will be top-notch, so grab a hot dog and enjoy some good old-fashioned baseball this weekend!

See you next time for more Views From The Booth!

RW