By Greg Williams
West Virginia Director of Scouting

As we prepare for a trip to Myrtle Beach, SC to jump start the 2015 season with a week's action at the Mingo Bay Classic, we have devoted this week to our preseason Elite 8 rankings in each classification. Today we conclude our tour of the three classifications by taking a look at Class AAA.

preseason class aAA elite 8

Rank	School	Notes
1	Hurricane	The Redskins return three Division 1 recruits and a wealth of experience in their pursuit of a second Class AAA title in as many years.
2	Jefferson	The Cougars return a strong pitching staff that accounted for nearly 20 wins in 2014 along with Andrew King (.430) and Paul Witt (.443) who will drive the offense.
3	Nitro	The Wildcats return arguably the top pitching staff in the state with three college bound pitchers and two others likely to announce college commitments before the year is out.
4	Washington	While Washington road the right arm of Jared Silva (VMI) to a region title in 2014 the Patriots return a host of talent that will help them contend for a repeat trip to Charleston.
5	George Washington	A solid Patriot lineup will be bolstered by the addition of transfer Druw Bowen from Valley-Fayette.
6	Ripley	A young roster has made big strides the past two years and appears primed for a solid 2015 season led by Region 3 Preseason Player of the Year Christopher Jordan.
7	Wheeling Park	The Patriots came within an extra-innings loss in the Class AAA semifinals last year of having a shot at winning the state title. With Preseason Player of the Year Michael Grove back for his senior season a return trip to Charleston is a real possibility.
8	Musselman	An experienced roster of 15 juniors and seniors should give the Applemen a chance to compete with Jefferson and Washington in a competitive Region 2.

Elite 8 Preview Schedule

March 26: Class A Preseason Elite 8
March 27: Class AA Preseason Elite 8
March 28: Class AAA Preseason Elite 8