Elijah Good fields a ground ball for the Rams in last year’s game against Bath County. (Recorder file photo by Gavin Dressler)
Highland
• Head coach: Cole Armstrong (second season; 6 wins, 9 losses, 1 tie).
• Last year: Highland came up one game short of a second-straight Region C berth, losing at home in a downpour to Craig County, 8-7, in the first round of the Pioneer District tournament. The Rams were 3-6 in the Pioneer and posted an overall record of 6-9-1. John Wagner was a first-team all-district pick, as well as a second-team selection on the all-region team. Zach Armstrong was second-team all-district, while Eli Moore, Patton Hull and Evan Kimble were all honorable mention.
• 2025 roster: Tristan Carpenter, senior; Evan Kimble, senior; Eli Moore, senior; John Wagner, senior; Zack Wright, senior; Zach Armstrong, junior; Elijah Good, junior; Patton Hull, junior; Jordan White, junior; Jack Herold, sophomore; Owen Honaker, freshman; Chase Lupo, freshman; Steven Rogers, freshman; Karl Sax, freshman; Levi Warner, freshman.
• The lowdown: Two seasons ago, the Rams made their first trip to the Region C tournament in over 20 years but last spring, the group came up one run short. With nearly everyone returning and most playing a part of the basketball team’s historymaking season, the return to regional play is a definite possibility. Wagner, Moore, Carpenter, Wright, Kimble, Armstrong, Hull and Good all return from that 2023 regional squad. Wagner and Armstrong led the way last season. Wagner hit .447, launched two home runs, had three mound wins, struck out 51 opposing batters and had an earned run average of 4.17 in 43.2 innings. Armstrong hit .400, with three pitching wins and a 3.21 ERA in 24 innings. The Rams stole 94 bases last season, led by Hull with 20 and Armstrong with 18. With limited preseason field time, Highland has four non-district games scheduled, before a huge Pioneer District doubleheader against Narrows at home on March 29.
• Coach Armstrong’s thoughts: “This year, we have everybody returning, except for one senior. So, we are looking to improve on our season from last year. Our season really starts during the Maple Festival. We are not able to get on the field very much beforehand, but during the festival we sell chicken to raise money for uniforms, bats and balls. The guys really build team camaraderie working together.”
• HHS schedule: March 18, at Grace Christian, 4:30 p.m.; March 20, Pocahontas County, W.Va., 4:30 p.m.; March 26, Pendleton County, W.Va., 4:30 p.m.; March 27, at Pocahontas County, W.Va., 4:30 p.m.; March 29, Narrows (DH), 1 p.m.; March 31, Tygarts Valley, W.Va., 5 p.m.; April 1, Parry McCluer, 5 p.m.; April 3, Craig County, 5 p.m.; April 7, at Tygarts Valley, W.Va., 6 p.m.; April 10, Bath County, 5 p.m.; April 11, at Richwood, W.Va., 5:30 p.m.; April 15, at Eastern Montgomery, 5 p.m.; April 22, at Parry McCluer, 5 p.m.; April 24, at Craig County, 5 p.m.; April 28, at Pendleton County, W.Va., 4:30 p.m.; May 6, Eastern Montgomery, 5 p.m.; May 8, at Bath County, 5 p.m.