State Champions Sherman's Luke Tagliente Leads '26 Class A All-State Team; ND has Two on Second Unit
By Connect-Bridgeport Staff on June 23, 2026
By JAY W. BENNETT
The Parkersburg News & Sentinel
HUNTINGTON - Sherman High School head coach Jeremiah Pettry and his staff knew they potentially had something special brewing four years ago.
Earlier this month at Marshall University's Jack Cook Field, the second-seeded Tide ousted No. 6 Madonna, seventh-seeded Pendleton County and finally No. 4 Gilmer County to bring home the school's first state baseball championship to Seth.
Although the Tide had a plethora of key contributors, senior Luke Tagliente was named captain of the Class A all-state first team selected by the West Virginia Sports Writers Association.
"It means a lot," Pettry said of Tagliente earning the captain nod. "Luke has worked so hard since his sixth-grade year to get back to a form to be the pitcher he is today. He puts all the time in. He just gets focused in.
"To not let up a run all year, I mean he's one of those guys who hits his spots. He doesn't walk many. He's one of those guys who puts a lot of work into perfecting himself."
The senior not only had three hits and a pair of runs scored in the 3-0 semifinal win versus Pendleton County, but he fired a two-hit shutout on 98 pitches that included nine strikeouts.
In 67 2-3 innings of work, Tagliente went 13-0 during 18 appearances where he had two saves and struck out 99. He issued just eight base on balls and held opponents to a .090 batting average while allowing four unearned runs.
"It was just special," Pettry said of winning it all. "It's something these kids have been working for their whole lives and dreaming about, and to come out as champion it was just a special feeling.
"They are still in a celebration mode right now. They are still getting invited to different things. It's something new for them and it's a special feeling."
Tagliente, who was selected as one of the three first team pitchers, also did it with the bat and in the field. Along with swiping 34 bags in as many attempts, Tagliente made just one error and sported a .430 average with seven doubles, two triples, a homer and 21 runs-batted-in.
"We kind of knew we'd have a good chance to make a run," added Pettry. "They've been together for so long. It kind of just worked out the way it did. They put a lot of time into it. Their freshmen and sophomore years weren't the greatest years.
"Junior year they started coming around and you could really see what kind of ballclub they were and this year they finally put it all together and won a state championship."
East Hardy senior Evan Hamilton, last year's all-state captain of the first team, was the only three-peat honoree this spring on the top unit.
Selected at infield, the Cougar amassed 74 runs and turned 51 hits into a .573 average. Hamilton not only produced 45 stolen bases, but finished with 10 doubles, five triples, eight home runs and 30 RBIs while drawing 29 walks and striking out just twice.
Gilmer County junior Kolten Holbert joined Tagliente as one of the four repeat selections on the first team along with seniors Kason Angel of Cameron and Parker Hopkins of Trinity Christian.
Holbert, who was selected at infield, had 50 hits and a .450 average. The Titan stole 32 bases and drove in 53 while adding a dozen doubles, seven triples and four homers. Also the Titans' top arm, Holbert went 8-3 with a 2.27 ERA and 93 strikeouts in 64 2-3 innings.
Angel, who made the first team as a pitcher in 2025, earned a utility nod this spring. After 10 innings of work on the mound, the Dragon was unable to continue but didn't allow a run and had 22 strikeouts. At the plate, Angel hit .359 with two doubles, two triples and a homer while driving in 23 and swiping 30 bases.
During his final year for the Warriors, Hopkins was a stalwart yet again at catcher. He had just two passed balls and as many errors while throwing out 11 of 23 would-be base stealers. Hopkins had three doubles as many triples and one home run among his 28 hits that led to a .491 average and 20 RBIs. He also stole 21 bases while coaxing two dozen free passes and going down on strikes six times.
Joining Hopkins at catcher was Greater Beckley Christian senior Paul Fox, who batted .375 and drove in 32 runs on the strength of nine doubles, two triples and a trio of round-trippers.
Two seniors, St. Marys' Casey Burkhammer and Wahama's Aden Young, joined Tagliente at pitcher. Young worked 41 innings and posted a 1.02 ERA with 55 strikeouts and 16 walks as opponents hit .172 against him. Burkhammer, who struck out 123 in 61 1-3 innings, went 7-0 with a 0.68 ERA. He walked nine and allowed 24 hits while opponents batted just .111.
Two outfielders landed on the first team in Sherman senior Brayden Hamrick and Huntington St. Joe sophomore Cam Keller, who had two errors, stole 14 bases and knocked in 48 while collecting 57 hits for a .523 average with 14 doubles, four triples and two homers.
Hamrick, who went 6-2 on the bump with a 3.23 ERA that included 71 punchouts in 52 innings, also made just two errors while carrying a .352 average. He knocked in 39 and had nine doubles, three triples, two homers and 13 stolen bases.
The other three infield honorees were East Hardy senior Mason Hamilton, Huntington St. Joe junior Wyatt Pence and Greater Beckley Christian senior Eli Gunter, who batted leadoff, swiped 34 bases and finished with 50 hits, eight doubles, a homer, 15 RBIs and a .455 average.
Pence was a big bat in the Irish lineup all season. He carried a .443 average and 22 of his 47 hits went for extra bases. Along with nine doubles and a trio of three-baggers, Pence left the yard 10 times and had 57 RBIs.
Mason Hamilton, who joined twin brother Evan as half of the Cougars' state record-breaking 4x100 meter relay team, had 55 hits and finished with a .679 average. The Cougar not only had 29 stolen bases, but he walked 31 times and went down on strikes just once. He knocked in 51 and had 19 doubles, three triples and four bombs.
Also earning nods on the first team at utility were Man sophomore Grayson Sanders and Gilmer County freshman Roddick Page.
Sanders made 15 pitching appearances and went 9-4 with a 2.02 ERA and 66 strikeouts in 83 innings. He also batted .397 with four doubles and 17 RBIs while stealing 21 bases.
Page, who was the winning pitcher in the Titans' upset of top-seeded St. Joe in the semifinals, covered 24 1-3 innings with 21 strikeouts. He was 3-1 with a 3.16 ERA. However, the Titan carried a big stick and had a .500 average with 51 hits. He drove in 40 with 17 doubles, a triple and two home runs.
The second team captain was Gilmer County senior Jacob Stewart, who threw six innings of two-hit relief in the championship game loss to Sherman. On the hill, Stewart went 5-2 with a 1.66 ERA and 42 strikeouts in 38 frames. He had a .328 average with five doubles, five triples, one homer and 39 RBIs.
Joining Stewart on the second team infield were Wirt County's Wyatt Boice, Cameron's Landon Francis, Wahama's Cyrus Rickard and Carter Hajash of Greater Beckley Christian.
Magnolia's Ian Hedrick, Cameron's Soier Reed and East Hardy's Shayne Sisler were the pitchers, while Sherman's Avery Skeens and Huntington St. Joe's Jacob Courts were the catchers.
Notre Dame junior twin brothers Dom and Javonni Minnocci were selected as the second unit outfielders, while the three utility spots went to Mount View's Ky'rece Hughes, Madonna's Jacob Lazear and Wahama's Harrison Lloyd.
Wooden plaques in the shape of West Virginia that include the player's name, school, licensed WVSWA logo and year of the honoree are available to all-state first team, second team and honorable mentions, and can be purchased from the Bear Wood Company at Bearwoodcompany.com
Here is the Class A All-State team released Tuesday by the West Virginia Sports Writer’s Association.
CLASS A
First team
P – Luke Tagliente, Sherman, Sr. (Capt.)
P – Casey Burkhammer, St. Mary’s, Sr.
P – Aden Young, Wahama, Sr.
C - Parker Hopkins, Trinity Christian, Sr.
C – Paul Fox, Greater Beckley Christian, Sr.
INF – Eli Gunter, Greater Beckley Christian, Sr.
INF – Kolten Holbert, Gilmer County, Jr.
INF – Evan Hamilton, East Hardy, Sr.
INF – Mason Hamilton, East Hardy, Sr.
INF – Wyatt Pence, St. Josephs, Jr.
Out – Cam Keller, St. Josephs, Soph.
Out – Braden Hamrick, Sherman, Sr.
Util - Kason Angel, Cameron, Sr.
Util – Grayson Sanders, Man, Soph/
Util – Roddick Page, Gilmer County, Fr.
Second team
P – Ian Hedrick, Magnolia, Fr.
P – Soier Reed, Cameron, Jr.
P – Shayne Sisler, East Hardy, Sr.
C – Jacob Courts, St. Josephs, Jr.
C- Avery Skeens, Sherman, Sr.
INF – Jacob Stewart Gilmer, Sr. (Capt.)
INF – Wyatt Boice, Wirt County, Jr.
INF – Landon Francis, Cameron, Fr.
INF – Cyrus Rickard, Wahama, Jr.
INF – Carter Hajash, Greater Beckley, Jr.
Out – Dom Minnocci, Notre Dame, Jr.
Out – Jovanni Minnocci, Notre Dame, Jr.
Util – Ky’rece Hughes, Mount View, Jr.
Util – Jacob Lazear, Madonna, Sr.
Util – Harrison Lloyd, Wahama, Soph.
HONORABLE MENTION
Hunter Austin, Greater Beckley; Sam Brooks, Madonna; Caleb Brown, Man; Maddox Brown, Webster County; Landon Cantrell, Man; Chandler Copley, Tug Valley; Luke Dallison, Valley Wetzel; Landen Doss, Greenbrier West; Sam Falk, Trinity Christian; Gavin Fitzpatrick, Tug Valley; Parker Giles, Richwood; Elijah Jeffrey, Sherman; Isaiah Lewis, Greater Beckley; Zayden Long, Cameron; Finn Loy, Magnolia; Jacob Lewis, Summit Christian; Ryder Miller, Webster County; Hudson Moosavi, St. Joseph Central; Hunter Muncy, Mount View; Chase Owens, Pendleton County; Travis Owens, Pendleton County; Ryan Parker, Clay Battelle; Levi Price, East Hardy; Dawson Richardson, Tug Valley; Turner Shriver, Ritchie County; Hunter Skidmore, Webster County; Tyler Stevenson, Montcalm; Darian Vance, Tug Valley; Jacob Wamsley, Tygarts Valley ; Brock Ward, Richwood; Mason Watts, St. Joseph Central.
Editor's Note: Photo of Luke Tagliente courtesy of the WVSSAC.
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