BHS Baseball Team Armed and Ready for 2025 Season; Indians Open Season Against Spring Valley
By Chris Johnson on March 26, 2025
The Bridgeport High School baseball season begins on Thursday and as often the case with the Indians, expectations are high and they are considered a strong contender for a state championship.
For the second consecutive year, BHS will compete in the Guard the Yard tournament in the Kanawha Valley. While last year the Indians played games at Go Mart Park (site of the state tournament) and Herbert Hoover, this year’s games will be a little further west on I-64.
“John Dennison (Huntington’s coach) wanted to play it this year at Marshall and their new field (Jack Cook Field),” BHS coach Robert Shields said. “So we are getting two games in at Marshall and one at Cabell Midland.
The Indians will play Spring Valley at 10 a.m. on Thursday at Jack Cook Field, then play at Cabell Midland on Friday and back to Jack Cook Field for a Saturday game against St. Albans.
That’s three top Class AAAA teams to open the season with for the Indians, who have dropped to Class AAA this year. Of course, playing a tough schedule is something else that isn’t new to this program.
“We don’t care who we play,” Shields said. “We want to play these teams because it only makes you better and gets you ready for postseason play.
“I’m going to miss the rivalries with Morgantown and University (in Class AAAA Region I), but we are back in a region with Robert C. Byrd and Frankfort is the defending (Class AA) state champions. Keyser had a couple of good arms last year. Hampshire, we haven’t played them in a while. Lincoln is going to be improved. It’s going to be a tough region. It will be interesting.”
There’s a lot of baseball to be played before regional play is even a serious thought. There’s no denying the amount of talent though on the BHS roster on the eve of the season starting.
It all starts with pitching where several of last year’s top hurlers on a team that finished 32-6 are back including Class AAA first-team all-stater Jacob Stavrakis who was 8-0 in 2024 with one save, an ERA of 1.58 and 39 strikeouts in 44 1-3 innings.
Also back is Justin Duvall, who was a second-team all-stater after going 2-0 with five saves, an ERA of 1.42 and 42 strikeouts in 24 2-3 innings.
Carson Currey returns after going 2-1 with three saves a year ago..JPG)
Shields is also confident going with Blake Butcher, Kasen Baun, Owen Sondericker, Guy Avolio, Jaxson McNally, Sam Goodwin, Jack Gould or two freshmen, Aiden Dunn and Dominic Fazalare, on the mound.
“We have a lot of arms,” Shields said. “Which is good if we get into a long week.”
No matter who is on the mound, they will often be throwing to one of the premier players in the state in catcher Michael Romano.
Romano put together one of the best all-around seasons a catcher has ever had in this state as he threw out 20 out of 29 attempted base stealers while leading the Indians with a .393 batting average to go along with a double, 21 runs, 18 RBIs and 12 stolen bases.
Romano was vital in the No. 9 spot in the batting order in 2024 as Shields could generally count on him to flip the lineup back to the top of the order with runners on base.
However, Romano has all the tools to be a successful leadoff or No. 2 hitter and Shields said that is something they will be tinkering with early in the season.
Steven Lee and Scott Why will also see time at catcher as we as other spots in the field as the Indians are at least two deep at every spot.
Stavrakis, Lee, Currey and Sondericker can all play first base.
Sondericker is also seeing time thus far in the spring at second and third and Currey is working at second and third as well as first and if Baun, who drove in 18 runs and scored 30 last year, is on the mound, Currey will play shortstop.
Gould will play at second and Malachi Kelley is backing up everybody in the infield.
Goodwin, Duvall, Via, Avolio, Luke Rohrig and Sam Romano will also see time in the outfield.
“The kids have worked really hard in the offseason,” Shields said. “They hit the weights, worked on their speed. I think we are a lot faster than last year. There is a lot of competition at every position.
“It’s a great thing to have and they are going to have to compete throughout the year because you never know when somebody gets hot or somebody is not. I think we have the character and the attitude that they all back each other. It’s going to be good to throw somebody a bone once in a while to keep everybody fresh and keep them on their toes.
“That’s why we play the big schedule, these kids will get opportunities and they have seize the moment. It’s baseball that’s what you have to do.”
Editor's Note: Top photo of Stavrakis, middle photo of Michael Romano, bottom photo of Baun and cover photo of Duvall by Joe LaRocca.
