CHARLESTON, W.Va. — East Hardy was 5-14 on May 2, but a month later, the Cougars are two wins from their first state championship in 38 years.
Red-hot East Hardy (12-15), seeded third in Class A, begins its state tournament run against second-seeded Gilmer County (20-8) in the semifinals on Thursday at 1 p.m at GoMart Ballpark.
“Gilmer County is a solid team,” East Hardy manager Tyler Mongold said. “Their top four guys can put the ball in play and the (Kolten) Holbert kid seems like a decent pitcher. It seems like a scrappy team that will do whatever it takes to win.”
No. 1 Madonna (26-4) takes on No. 4 Webster County (13-13) in the other semifinal Thursday at 10 a.m.
What Changed?
East Hardy was a state semifinalist last season, finishing 23-7 and returning much of its production, but a rash of injuries put them in an early hole.
Star infielder Mason Hamilton played the first game and missed the next 19.
Garrett VanMeter, who like Hamilton made the All-Area second team in 2024, was out five games early in the season.
Its All-Area ace last year, Shayne Sisler, logged 67 2/3 innings in which he had a 2.28 ERA last season. He was only able to throw 8 2/3 frames over two starts before getting shut down due to another injury.
However, East Hardy rattled off seven wins in its last eight games, including a regional series sweep of Tygarts Valley, 5-2 and 8-6, to punch a return ticket to Charleston.
“I kept telling our guys that as soon as we get healthy, that we were going to make a run at it once playoffs started, and that’s what we did,” Mongold said. “With all of the injuries, we had to have young guys step up and play in roles that they weren’t ready for. That has helped us become a better team.”
It’s the Cougars’ first back-to-back trip to states since 2006-07 under legendary coach Raymond Snapp.
Snapp coached the Cougars to a 562-359 record over 34 seasons, including the 1987 state championship that is the program’s last title.
“It’s big for a small school like us of around 200 (students),” Mongold said. “It’s a pretty big accomplishment for the program and our boys.”
The key boon for the Cougars was getting Hamilton back in the line-up against Musselman on May 6.
Since his return, East Hardy has won 6 of 7 games.
Hamilton clinched the region title with a walk-off, two-run home run against Tygarts Valley and is averaging almost two runs batted in per game since his return.
“Getting Mason back was huge for us,” Mongold said. “He’s not only a good bat in the beginning of our lineup, he takes control of the infield with him and his brother (Evan Hamilton) up the middle. Getting him back kinda recharged our battery going into the postseason.”
Pitching Probables
East Hardy has penciled in Jordan Teets as its starting pitcher. Teets holds a 3-3 record with a 4.91 earned run average in 41 1/3 innings.
Evan Hamilton was the Cougars’ top relief option down the stretch and holds a 2.40 ERA in 11 3/2 innings and 10 appearances.
Gilmer County is likely to start Holbert, who has a 7-2 win-loss record and 1.89 ERA in 63 innings. The sophomore has 84 punchouts to 28 walks.
Hitters to Watch
East Hardy has three regulars with a batting average over .300 including Mason Hamilton, who has appeared in just eight games.
Hamilton has a .556 average in 27 at-bats, VanMeter is hitting .500 and Evan Hamilton hits at a .472 clip.
The trio has combined for 12 home runs, led by Evan Hamilton’s five. Garrett VanMeter has belted four, and Mason Hamilton has three big flies.
VanMeter and Evan Hamilton lead the squad with 23 RBIs each, and Hamilton has scored a team-high 40 runs and has swiped a team-leading 25 bases.
Mason Hamilton has driven in 15 runs.
Gilmer County also has three .300 hitters in Holbert (.442), Jacob Stewart (.360) and Braylon Mencer (.338).
Holbert leads the team in RBIs (24) and runs scored (39).
Gilmer has six players with double-digit stolen bases led by Holbert’s 28.
Keys to Victory
“The key to beating them is for us to keep hitting the ball like we have been and jumping on them early,” Mongold said. “Having quality at bats is what we are asking of the team.”