WHEELING — The Ohio Valley Athletic Conference sent out another class of senior standouts in style on Monday in the conference’s annual OVAC All-Star Softball Game at the JB Chambers I-470 Sports Complex. In an evening filled with award ceremonies, multi-colored jerseys and nine innings of softball, the West Virginia All-Stars took the exhibition outing 11-8.

The OVAC’s 1A through 5A Players of the Year were honored after each inning– 1A’s Madison Kelley from Conotton Valley, 2A’s Makayla Mumaw from Caldwell, 3A’s Giana Chirpas from Martins Ferry, 4A’s Kelsey Powers from Harrison Central and 5A’s Sena Smith from Steubenville.

While the Players of the Year had been announced last month, the OVAC Coach of the Year award was handed out on Monday during the All-Star game. Out of the nominees of Conotton Valley’s Jeremy Bleininger, Bridgeport’s Hannah Boyer, Oak Glen’s Sherrie Garner, Martins Ferry’s Jerry Magistro and Harrison Central’s Darren Young, Boyer and Garner were chosen as Co-Coaches of the Year for the 2025 season.

“It’s a huge compliment to get honored within your peer group in the OVAC,” Garner said. “It’s a fantastic organization and fantastic governorship of our conference. I think it’s the best conference in the country. It’s great to bring this game to the kids and it’s an honor to coach.”

“It’s great,” Boyer began. “It’s such an honor and I want to say thank you to my team this year, my coaching staff– I couldn’t do it without my coaching staff, they are awesome. I couldn’t do it without my girls, my team is fantastic, my school district, my community, thank you to them.”

On the field, West Virginia spotted three runs in the first inning, with Weir’s Rayna Hoover, Wheeling Park’s Isabelle Thomas and Wheeling Central’s Josie Frizzell crossing the plate. Three runs would turn out to be the difference by game’s end.

Hoover scored again in the third, and Ohio got on the board as Bridgeport’s Vanessa Mullen came around in the home half of the inning, trailing 4-1.

Weir’s Kylie Dean scored in the fifth to increase West Virginia’s lead, but Ohio had a big bottom of the fifth– Indian Creek’s Emma Vok, Harrison Central’s Emma Skinner, Steubenville’s Sena Smith, Indian Creek’s McKenna Scott, Steubenville’s Paige Mateson and Barnesville’s Madelynn Tyson all scored in a six-run inning that put Ohio ahead 7-5.

West Virginia re-took the lead in the seventh, with Oak Glen’s Kayla Wright, Frizzell, Madonna’s Chloe Orecchio and Wheeling Central’s Ava Hanson all scoring.

River’s Kaylee Hagan scored in the eighth inning, and West Virginia added two more in the top of the ninth when Oak Glen’s Riley Bruce and John Marshall’s Carlie Keyser each scored.

“This is such an enjoyable experience to be here with the seniors,” Garner said. “Whether it’s travel or competing, they’ve known each other. It’s enjoyable and fun for them and it’s a good opportunity to come together with the other coaches and honor our seniors’ commitment to softball. And it’s always fun to have more runs than the other team at the end of it.”

“This means so much to the OVAC,” Boyer said. “This was a great show of talent from both sides, Ohio and West Virginia played great. There’s a lot of talent out there and we don’t get to see that every day so it was nice to see everyone come together.”