WHEELING — Baseball at all levels, save Korea, has been paralyzed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Although games are not being contested, I am pleased with the response from our readers when soliciting their input on the best prep baseball teams and players in Ohio Valley history. Today, we examine the team nominations while next Sunday we will broach the best player nominees.

Teams dating as far back as 1963 were submitted for consideration. That was Powhatan High.

The Indians were coached by Frank Bland and won the Ohio Class A state championship, downing Dublin, 3-0, in the title tilt as Jon Volpe tossed a complete-game five-hitter. Eugene Boron slammed a two-run homer for the Belmont Countians. The Indians downed Spencerville, 2-1, in semifinals. The squad featured OVAC Hall of Famer Terry Snively as well as Ben and Andy Wiley, Dave Dierkes and John Susac.

Two other squads from the decade of the 1960s drew support, those being Bridgeport and Wheeling Central, both from the 1969 seasons.

That year was a golden one in Bridgeport High athletic annals. After finishing as state runnerup in boys basketball that winter, the Bulldogs duplicated that feat in baseball, finishing as state runnerups as well. The team featured a host of stars, topped by all-state shortstop Jim Tomolonis.

Wheeling Central, meanwhile, got off to a slow start in 1969, losing its first two games. The Maroon Knights, however, would not taste defeat again, reeling off 22 straight wins en route to capturing the West Virginia Catholic Tournament state title. Among the stars on that Central team was pitcher Steve Wojcik. The ace southpaw went 10-1 on the hill that spring and had a batting average of .390. He also was selected as co-captain of The Intelligencer’s All-Valley squad before embarking on a successful collegiate and minor league career.

One other Wheeling Central team was submitted. It was the 2005 squad. The Maroon Knights, featuring such standouts as Noah Mull and Ricky Szeligo, compiled an impressive 30-3 mark while pocketing the state championship.

When speaking of the Friendly City, Linsly has been a longtime major player on the prep diamond. Two Linsly squads were nominated.

The 2013 Cadets amassed a sparkling 23-4 mark and won the OVAC AAA crown.

Gary Sprague’s 1985 Linsly squad oozed in prime-time talent. The Cadets won the OVAC championship, featuring four players who went on to play baseball professionally – Heath Haynes, Ron Stephens, Mike Coss and Kevin Tatar while outfielder Willie Clay experienced a fine NFL career with the Lions and Patriots. Haynes had a brief MLB stint with the Montreal Expos. Steve Novotney was another standout hurler for Linsly in ’85.

In addition to Bridgeport, three other Belmont County schools had respective teams nominated.

Barnesville’s 2004 team enjoyed a season to remember, winning 21 of 26 starts, boasting such standouts as Brock Huntsman, Craig Miller, Bryce Allen and Brad Hannahs. The Shamrocks downed Union Local and Indian Valley for the sectional crown before besting Steubenville Catholic Central for the district crown. The Red & Green earned a state tournament berth by besting Frankfort Adena and Federal Hocking in the regionals. The Shamrocks’ magical run ended in the state semifinals, falling to eventual state champion New Albany.

Shadyside, meanwhile, had two of its teams nominated.

The Orange & Black’s 1985 team was coached by Larry Apicella and turned in a stellar 20-3 mark. The Tigers won the EOBL title with a perfect 13-0 record. The team was keyed by ace pitcher/third baseman Rome Ripoly and Eddie Garczyk. The talented second baseman scripted an excellent career at West Liberty before playing in the minors. David Antill was a standout on the hill and at short while Tim Campbell, David Boyd, Todd Antill, Steve Destifanes, Gary Vannest and Chris Mills were all integral performers.

Shadyside fielded another strong squad in 2007, guided by Gary Cunningham. The Tigers captured the school’s first outright OVAC championship to go with the EOBL Small School and sectional championships. Cunningham’s crew rolled to a 24-3 record, the most wins in school history. Shadyside finished the regular season ranked third in the state D-IV ratings, highest in Tiger annals.

St. Clairsville rounds out the Belmont County nominations with two teams being brought to the table – the Red Devils of 1997 and 2019, both of whom advanced to the state tournament. OVAC Hall of Fame Richard “Lefty” Hall guided the former while Tom Sliva directed last spring’s team.

The 1997 squad was fueled by pitching standout Shane Valigora. The Red Devils defeated Edison, 6-5, in eight innings in the regional finale to earn their state berth. St.C. dropped a 3-0 decision to Canton Central Catholic in the state semifinals, closing out a 27-4 campaign.

Sliva’s squad also needed eight innings in the regional title game to advance to the Final Four. St. C. slipped past perennial power Steubenville, 4-2. The Red Devils fell to Gilmour Academy, 2-0, in its state tourney opener. The Devils finished with a 20-11 mark.

Brooke is not thought of a baseball juggernaut but the Bruins fielded a powerhouse of a team in 1973, coached by Ed Watkins. Brooke rolled to a 27-2 record en route to the West Virginia Class AAA championship. The Bruins outscored their opponents 216-38. They allowed just nine runs total in sectional, regional and state tournament action. Bruin hurlers tossed six post-season shutouts.

Bob Montgomery cranked out winners year-in and year-out at John Marshall. His Monarchs reached the pinnacle in 1985, winning the school’s lone state baseball crown. Those Monarchs featured such stars as Todd Hayes, Mike Myers and Scot Goodnight. Every game in the 3-A tourney that year went extra innings.

The mecca of Ohio Valley prep baseball undoubtedly resides in Jefferson County.

Steubenville Catholic Central has made several forays into the state tournament. The Crusaders lost in the state semifinals in 1985 and 1993.

The Crusaders bounced back in 1994 to grab the brass ring. Coach Craig Farrar’s charges downed Fort Jennings in the state semifinals, 4-2, behind Bobby Sismondo’s dominating mound effort. He spun a 1-hit gem, fanning 15. Central downed Crestline, 7-2, in the championship tilt as K.C. Kirlangitis tossed a six-hitter. Central finished with a 23-6 mark.

When you look for consistent year-in and year-out success you need to look no further than Steubenville and Toronto, respectively.

Fred Heatherington has built a monster program in his three decades at the Big Red helm. He has taken Steubenville to the state tournament on six occasions. The Big Red made the state finals in 1991 and 2004. Steubenville also earned state trips in 1992, 2003, 2016 and 2017.

Ironically, one of Heatherington’s best teams came within a whisker of another state berth. The Big Red went an amazing 26-1 in 1994, the lone blemish coming at the hands of Hebron Lakewood, 16-14, in the regional finals on a walk-off grand slam. Hebron went on to win the state championship.

Toronto, meanwhile, is still relishing its 2019 Division IV state championship under the adept tutelage of Brian Perkins. The Red Knights own much more state-level success. In 2017, Perkins led the Knights to the state Final Four.

Matt Morrison, meanwhile, also enjoyed a great tenure at the Toronto helm. Morrison led the Red Knights to the state championship in 1998 and a state Final Four berth in 1987.

While Toronto and Steubenville have turned out perennial winners and the OVAC can lay claim to a host of state title squads, the darling of all Ohio Valley prep diamond teams may come from deep in Monroe County. Skyvue High enjoyed a sports season few tiny schools could ever imagine.

The Golden Hawks finished as Class A state runner-up in boys basketball in 1985, falling to Jackson Center, 63-61. Skyvue finished with a 26-2 record.

Skyvue took it one step further in the ensuing spring. The Golden Hawks proceeded to capture the Class A state baseball championship. The Hawks soared to a 26-2 record that campaign.

Skyvue defeated Miller City, 9-8, in the state semifinals. Tim Winland yielded the big bat with four RBI for the winners.

The Golden Hawks rolled to a 9-2 triumph over Fort Loramie in the state championship game. Mike Hannahs knocked in four runs while OVAC Hall of Famer Mitch Hannahs drove in three more. Todd Hilverding was superb on the hill. He went the distance, striking out eight and surrendering just five hits.

Impressively, Mark Huffman coached both the hoop and baseball teams.

I am certain many deserving teams weren’t contained in this piece. Please air NO complaints. These teams were not chosen by this scribe. Rather, they have all been submitted and nominated by our readers.

BUBBA’S BITS

¯ WHEELING PARK has completed its 2020 football schedule. The Patriots will host Meadowbrook in Week 1. The opening was created when Park was originally scheduled to host a team from Hawaii but the game was another coronavirus pandemic victim.

¯ FORMER BUCKEYE Local standout Emily Holzopfel has been named to the honorable mention list for the All-Mountain East Conference golf team. She was a freshman at Wheeling University this year, where she also saw quality time with the Cardinals hoop team.

¯ WEST LIBERTY’S Kailey Pettit has been named to the second team of Mountain East Conference golf team. She is a junior from Moundsville. Meanwhile, Hilltopper sophomore Howard Peterson from Weirton was named to the second team of the MEC men’s golf team.

¯ THE BELLAIRE Touchdown Club’s Annual Golf Scramble originally scheduled for June 27 has been canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Touchdown Club is making plans for next year’s outing and would like to thank all the participants for their prior support.

¯ THE ANNUAL “The Dam Man’s Crew” golf scramble, held in memory of Rick Brinker and scheduled for June 20 at Crispin Golf Course, has been canceled. The health and safety of all involved were the driving factors of the committee’s decision. The committee and Brinker family sincerely appreciate all the support from the community and the participants. The committee is working on choosing a date for next year’s scramble.

¯ ALTHOUGH THE WVU Coaches Caravan has been canceled because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Mountaineer Athletic Club (MAC) is planning two virtual, online caravan events for WVU fans on Tuesday and Thursday. Two sessions are planned to allow as many people to “attend” as possible, with the format being similar to the regular caravan events, with coaches and athletic staff attending and Tony Caridi serving as emcee. When plans are complete, the MAC will send out an email notice of particulars, including event times, format and sign-on instructions. There is no charge for this event. Please feel free to call 740-695-4262 or email MAC Caravan Coordinator Carly Moore (cymoore@wvu.mail.edu) if you have questions about the virtual caravans.

THE 25TH annual BMAC Golf Classic on Thursday, July 23, at the Moundsville Country Club is still planned, with modifications caused by the current pandemic crisis, if necessary and advisable.