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Revisiting our 2014 Preseason Team Rankings: Class A

December 10, 2014

By Greg Williams
West Virginia Director of Scouting

This week we are grading ourselves on our preseason team rankings to see what we got right and where we were off base in 2014. We conclude today by taking a look at the 50 schools that compete as members of Class A.

2014 Pre-season Class A Top Five

1. Notre Dame
2. Parkersburg Central Catholic
3. Magnolia
4. Valley (Fayette)
5. Weirton Madonna

What We Got Right

Of the three classes we were least successful in our preseason forecast in Class A. Just one team from the small school classification that appeared in our preseason Elite Eight poll made it to Charleston. Notre Dame began the season at number one and hovered at or around that spot for the majority of the season only to see its hopes of a state title dashed by Man in the finals.

Where We Were Off Base

We failed miserably with the majority of our preseason forecast. Of the eight teams mentioned in our preseason poll just Notre Dame and Weirton Madonna found their way into the year end rendition of the Elite Eight. In our defense, Man High had one of the biggest turnaround seasons in state high school baseball history, rebounding from a six win 2013 season to win the 2014 state title.

Final Thoughts

All told, we picked one state title winner (Class AAA - Hurricane) prior to the start of the season. Additionally, Independence (Class AA) and Notre Dame (Class A) top our preseason polls and finished one win shy of state titles.

Our staff looks forward to the 2015 season and will continue to provide in depth coverage of college prospects around the state during a new chase to Charleston.

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