LKC stars shine
Williamstown's Molessa named league co-Player of the Year
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PARKERSBURG -- Only one player -- Williamstown senior Leewood Molessa -- repeated as a first team all-Little Kanawha Conference selection.
However, both Molessa and fellow 12th-grader Logan Ross of South Harrison shared the league's top honor as the duo were named by LKC coaches as the co-players of the year.
South Harrison skipper Frank Tate, whose squad beat Tyler Consolidated and then Braxton County to capture the LKC crown, was named the coach of the year.
Ross, who hit .426 with seven doubles, 20 runs-batted-in and 32 stolen bases, helped the Hawks to the regional tournament before falling to eventual state champion Moorefield, which rallied past Williamstown in the Class A state semifinals.
"Our conference, in my opinion, is one of the toughest conferences in the state," admitted WHS head coach Levi Maxwell, whose squad lost in the LKC semifinals to Braxton County. "Every time you play in our conference it's like a big game. We were prepared for those situations because of our conference games this year.
"Braxton County, that was another tough loss where we just didn't execute at the end of the game. Being able to execute in the last inning, that's kind of what caught up with us at the state tournament. Our seventh inning has been our toughest inning all year. That's something we'll have to work on."
What Molessa did this season was put in quality work whether he was batting or pitching.
Molessa was honored as one of three pitchers on the LKC first unit. In 44 innings, he went 6-3 with a 1.72 ERA, a 0.96 WHIP and recorded 85 strikeouts. At the plate, the Yellowjacket batted .452 with a baker's dozen doubles, one triple, four bombs and 36 RBIs. He also swiped 22 bases and went down swinging just six times.
"He's been super," Maxwell said. "The type of guy you want on your team in every way, leadership. Have the guy up to bat in a big situation. Have the guy on the mound in a big situation. He definitely gave us the best chance to win every time he went out and pitched. His stats showed that."
"Being in the situation to hit, he came through in big situations all year. Clutch, that's the thing. He's just one of those guys you want that guy in a big situation because he's not going to cower into it. He's going to come through."
Also earning first team nods at pitcher were Tyler Consolidated sophomore Ty Walton (8-1, 1.15 ERA, 100Ks, 55 IP) and Braxton County junior Tyler Baldwin (7-5, 2.50 ERA, 77Ks, 61.2 IP). Walton also hit .325 with three doubles, a triple, 19 RBis and six stolen bases. The Eagle finished with a .434 average, 10 doubles, one homer and 31 RBIs.
Three other players joined Ross on the first team outfield -- Williamstown senior Brady Ankrom, Tyler Consolidated 10th-grader Jayden Helmick and Roane County senior Austin Hawkins, who hit .442 with four doubles, four triples, 26 RBIs, was 19 of 19 in stolen bases and also had a .554 on-base percentage. Ankrom swiped a dozen bags, batted .425 with five doubles, two triples, three round-trippers and 23 RBIs.The Silver Knight drew 23 bases on balls, stole 63 bases and finished with four doubles, five triples, two taters, 28 RBIs and a .487 average.
Williamstown's Maxwell Molessa, who batted .348 with seven doubles, seven triples, four homers, 18 RBIs and 24 stolen bases, was the only freshman to earn first team and was one of five honorees in the infield. He was joined by South Harrison senior Zach Feathers (.327, nine doubles, 37 RBIs), Braxton County junior Isaiah Mowery (.500, 10 doubles, one triple, four homers, 42 RBIs), Wahama 10th-grader Aaron Henry (.359, three doubles, four triples, 16 RBIs, 15 steals) and Clay County senior Grant Krajeski, who was 39 of 39 in steals, had a .949 fielding percentage while turning four unassisted double plays to go along with a .349 batting average and .447 on-base percentage.
South Harrison sophomore Caden Hall was the first team pick at utility. Pitching-wise, he went 3-1 with a save, a 1.95 ERA and had 39 strikeouts in 28.2 innings. He also batted .385 with two homers, 19 steals and 20 runs-batted-in.
The two first team all-LKC catchers were Wahama junior Ethyn Barnitz (.387, seven doubles, one triple, two homers, 13 RBIs, picked off three runners and caught 10 stealing) and Braxton County junior Kolton Kniceley, who batted .294 with two doubles, 16 RBIs and 11 stolen bases.
Pitchers on the all-LKC second unit were Ritchie County's Quentin Owens, South Harrison's Josh Thomascheck and Jason Clayton of St. Marys. The two catcher spots went to Williamstown's Trevor Powell and St. Marys' Josiah Demoss.
Braxton County's Logan Conley was the utility selection. The other second team nods were infielders Weston Henderson of Tyler Consolidated, Cole Ellis of Roane County, Ashton Miller of Ravenswood, Garrit Smith of Wirt County and Roane County's Layne Epling; outfielders Levi Swiger of Doddridge County, Logan Roach of Wahama, St. Marys' Wyatt Norman and Ritchie County's Isaiah Lambert.
Contact Jay Bennett at jbennett@newsandsentinel.com