Mid-Ohio Valley Spring Sports 2026: Gilmer baseball looking to get back to state
Trending
GLENVILLE -- It should be an exciting spring for the Titans of Gilmer County as the baseball and softball teams are eyeing continued success while the track and field program is up in numbers.
BASEBALL
What can second-year head baseball coach Jacob Wolfe do for an encore this spring after guiding the Titans to a 20-9 record and a berth in the Class A state tournament during its final season in Charleston?
That remains to be seen but the Titans opened the spring with six wins in their first seven games, return junior first team all-stater Kolten Holbert and welcomed in a half dozen freshmen that includes Roddick Page (C/3B/DH), who has opened the campaign as one of the team's top hitters.
"We got the four seed in our region and we ended up beating out St. Joe in a 4-0, eight-inning game and we played Man in the best-of-three and beat them in the first two games," Wolfe said of last year's run. "Pretty exciting fashion.
"Both games went eight innings. We won 5-4 and then we won in a walkoff at home against them, 8-7. Then we went down to states and kind of laid an egg down there and let the moment get a little big for us and didn't perform at our best for us."
Wolfe knows things will be a little different this season with a larger target on their backs, but the shortstop Holbert still has two years left and leads the pitching corps.
"We have a good mixture from our two through four," the skipper said of senior Jacob Stewart (UTL), junior Remi Huffman (2B/UTL) and the other Titan senior Seth Stewart (CF/RF), who is of no relation to Jacob.
"They are all going to see a lot of time on the bump. Sophomore Troy Woodford (OF) will be like our big relief guy kind of eating up some innings at the end. Those are our five main guys."
The Titan head man admitted his squad "hit the ground running" and "the mindset is we should be playing now in Huntington (at state). That's what the end goal is. We haven't really taken much of a step back. We lost one senior last year.
"We bring in like we said a freshman who is right now hitting the cover off the ball pretty well. Add him in the lineup and other guys are stepping up and hitting the ball. It's been a good start to the season."
Joining Holbert, the two-hole hitter, in the junior class are leadoff man Tyler Ratliff (RF), Remi Huffman (1B/P/UTL) and five-hole hitter Lex Grogg (LF).
Jacob Stewart, who is at short when Holbert is pitching, generally hits third with Page batting cleanup and catching most days.
Early in the season, Seth Stewart has been slotted in the No. 9 hole, Huffman has hit eighth with sophomores Brody Beall (3B/1B/P) and Dallas Goodrich (2B/C/P) slotting between Grogg and Huffman.
"(Freshman) Ashton Hamric (OF/C/P) will definitely run some bases. He's really close to seeing some time in the field," added coach Wolfe. "(Sophomore) JP Barr (2B) has been busting his tail and (freshman) Cody Smith (1B/3B) will be in some DH or pinch-hit situations. He's got a big bat potential."
The sophomore class also includes Colton Bush (2B/OF/DH), who is out with a broken arm.
Joining Page, Smith and Hamric in the freshman class are Jobe Carter (1B), Skylar Moss (OF) and Braxtin Heater (3B).
"Definitely excited to maybe make another run at it and maybe give it another look, and put on a better showing if we do get down there," added Wolfe.
SOFTBALL
Gilmer County softball coach Wendell Tomblin and his team are also wanting to make another run for it after the Titans' season came to a halt last spring in the sectionals by eventual Class A state runner-up Wahama.
Early returns for coach Tomblin have been more than good thus far in the spring as the Titans won their first five games, which included a 9-1 mercy-rule triumph versus the White Falcons.
"Hopefully we're pretty competitive," admitted Tomblin, who graduated first team all-stater Layla Smith but returns second team all-stater Paige Montgomery.
"We're pretty athletic. We're old. Most of them has got experience. If we can get a one or a two seed (in the regional) we should be fine as long as we stay healthy and just continue getting better."
The second baseman Montgomery is joined in the senior class by Lexi Stoddard (SS/C), Alyssa Wells (3B) and Kaydee Martin (LF).
Kaelyn Mullins (CF/SS) leads a junior class that also features pinch-runner/outfielder Lacy Canfield and outfielder Sam Richison.
Gilmer County's sophomore class is its largest with five members – Erin Stoddard (RF), Maggie Snyder (2B), Emeri Hickman (C/P/SS), No. 1 pitcher Kenley Hartshorn (1B) and Hayley Sprouse (3B).
The lone freshmen for the Titans this spring are first baseman/center fielder Arianna White and pitcher/infielder Desirae Blake.
"If Emeri is pitching then Kaelyn will be at shortstop and Lexi will move behind the plate," admitted Tomblin, who had Blake start the second game of the year after Hartshorn threw the opener.
"Kenley is a lot faster. Desirae's not slow, but she's got a little speed and Emeri throws a little harder than Desirae. It's (pitchers hitting their spots) went pretty well so far."
Tomblin, who is an assistant coach for the hoops program, knows earning one of those top seeds in the regional will be key for a hopeful long postseason run.
"It's the same as basketball. It's not going to be a walk in the park," quipped Tomblin.
TRACK
Year two of the Larry Gwinn era for track and field has some high hopes after the boys didn't have any representation in Charleston last year at the state meet while the girls finished 14th place in Class A after scoring 17 points.
"I might have a couple boys make it this year," said Gwinn, who has senior Grady Christian serving as manager. "Honestly, a really good group of boys but they are all younger. I got a couple kids back, a few new faces. I got a couple young sprinters, which will be helpful. I had one kid who kind of came out of nowhere. He's a pretty good distance, mid-distance kid, Callen Dennison.
"He's going to be a pretty good addition. The girls, Paige Sterns from Calhoun County ended up transferring over. That's been helpful and gives us a little bit more competition. Obviously, we graduated Allie Ellyson so kind of took a hit, but Paige is also a 5-foot jumper. I lost a 5-foot jumper and brought in a 5-foot jumper."
Airiana Hoard returns for her junior year after placing seventh in the long jump. Sterns qualified for state in the high jump at CCHS last spring while current Titan seniors Kadessa Stitt and Ava Dobbins actually tied Ellyson for seventh at state in the high jump.
Dobbins also returns along with classmate Laura Brannon from the Titans' fifth-place 4×1 team.
Brannon, who qualified to Charleston in the 100 and joined Blair Dobbins on the state qualifying 4×4 team, also ran a leg on the state runner-up 4×2 unit with Stitt.
Reese Woodford has been moved from sprints to distance for the Titans.
"I got a nice mix of maturity, but at the same time I got some really good young talent, too, I'm pretty excited about it," said Gwinn, who thinks he can have some solid 4×2 and 4×4 relays for the girls.
"The girls are obviously competitive with Paige, Kadessa, Laura, Ava Dobbins and Airiana. They are going to be good. Lena Frymier gives us depth in the sprints."
The coach admitted "most of the boys team is freshmen. Drayden Shackleford, he's a football boy that came over. Brier Gray is back. Logan Ayers is our only senior boy. I have him as my captain. Gabe Carr is a freshman and he's a really nice piece for distance and mid-distance.
"We got some good ones. The girls will lose a lot this year. I'm pretty optimistic. I hope I don't jinx us. We've been putting a lot of work in. Working around the weather has been kind of rough, but we've been putting some work in."