Ron Mayhew

Coach Mayhew who goes by “Chief” to those who played for him and those who played against has had quite the impressive career coaching at high schools in Wyoming County, West Virginia. Ron Mayhew first got started in baseball by playing for Welch Little League in McDowell County, West Virginia. He graduated from Oceana High School in 1959 and was a member of the baseball team. He would go on to serve his country, but eventually find his way back to southern West Virginia. He started the baseball program at Pineville High School. The Minutemen from Pineville fielded their first team on the diamond in 1974. 1974 was a year that saw coach Mayhew build a field near Pinnacle Creek Road that would serve as their home field until 1988. Pineville didn’t really play any home games at this field after 1979 because their field was so short. The inaugural season ended with a 9-5 loss to Welch in the region VI section IV final. In 1974 there was only one baseball champion. There wasn’t a AA bracket started until 1976, and then A was added in 1984. They ended the season with a 14-8 record. It’s hard to imagine building a baseball program from the ground up and then also obtaining a winning record as well. The Chief had set a foundation for years to come with baseball at Pineville High.

*A fun fact from the 1974 season is that Steve Acord started and finished both games of a DH for Pineville vs. Gary High School. He won both games!!!

It would only take coach Mayhew until the spring of 1978 to take a team to the state tournament. The Minutemen beat Charleston Catholic by the score of 14-7 to punch their ticket to the states. Coach Mayhew and team would not be victorious in Wood County (state tournament used to be held in Parkersburg) this time around by falling to eventual state champion Tygarts Valley by the score of 11-0 who had Kelmar Lanham pitch a five inning no-hitter for the Bulldogs from Randolph County. The 1978 Pineville team had a couple brothers with the last name Warner. Robert was a first team all state baseball player and Curt was an All-American football player at Penn State and then an All-Pro for the Seahawks in the NFL. Athletics were no joke in southern West Virginia.

Coach Mayhew never had a problem putting winning teams on the field it was just that Van High School was in the same region and they put a streak together of at least eight state tournament appearances in the a row from 1980 to 1988. Baseball competition in the coalfields was no joke and there was plenty of talent to go around. 1988 was a year that Pineville lost to Van in the region III final, but was a year of firsts for the Chief. He had his first player sign a Division I scholarship for baseball. Jere Brown signed with VMI to play for the Keydets. Jere Brown had a heck of a spring on the mound in 1988. He ended up with an 11-1 record, 112K’s in 74 innings of work and all the while only walking 18 batters. The following spring in 1989 saw another great Minuteman finish up his time on the diamond. Fred Hatfield graduated and signed a baseball scholarship to Virginia Tech. Fred was the career home run leader and runs scored leader when he graduated.

The 90’s brought on quite a few firsts for Pineville baseball. In the spring of 1990 the team would go on to win 30 games for the first time, but coming up short of the state tournament by losing to the Peterstown Pirates from Monroe County in the sectionals finishing their season with a record of 30-2.

Coach Mayhew took Pineville back to state tournament in 1991. They reached the state championship game but fell short to the Sissonville Indians by a score of 10-2.

1992 saw the Minutemen back in action at Watt Powell Park in early June, but ran into Wayne High School in the semi-finals with Tim Adkins on the mound. Rick Hatfield pitched for Pineville and was drafted in the 30th round by the Rockies (drafted as a catcher) and Tim Adkins was drafted in the 9th round by the Blue Jays. The final score was 7-0 in favor of Wayne. Only 3 hits recorded in this game.

1993 saw Pineville yet again back in action in Charleston and yet again facing a draft pick on the mound in the semi-finals in the likings of Kane Davis from Spencer High School of Roane County. Kane Davis would go on to pitch in the big leagues for a few different teams to include the Brewers and Mets. J.R. Hylton pitched a heck of game for Pineville beating Spencer by a score of 6-2 and pushing his record on the mound to 11-1 for the year. Pineville went on to fall to the Bridgeport Indians in the state championship, but finished the year with 24 wins.

1998 would be the last year that Pineville High School would field a baseball team and Coach Mayhew and company made it one to remember. Pineville reached the state tournament, but fell to Chapmanville 4-0 in the semi-finals. Pineville High and Mullens High would consolidate and become Wyoming East High starting the 1998-1999 school year.

The spring of 1999 brought on a new uniform, new school, new team, but the same coach Mayhew. Just like he had done in the spring of 1974 the Chief was establishing a new baseball program in Wyoming County, West Virginia with this time it being in New Richmond. The Wyoming East Warriors would lose to Scott in the regionals, but Coach Mayhew was awarded Coalfield Conference AA coach of the year for his efforts at the helm of the first year school.

It only took Coach Mayhew and his new ball club two years to reach the state tournament, but fell short in Charleston to coach Robert Shields Bridgeport Indians in the 2000 AA state championship game.

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Another decade has come and another decade saw coach Mayhew lead competitive winning teams in the Coalfield conference. It wouldn’t be until 2011 that the Warriors would make it back to Charleston, but unfortunately lost to Chapmanville High in the AA title game.

In the spring of 2012 Wyoming East repeated as regional champs and found themselves at Power Park in familiar territory as they played Herbert Hoover High in the AA title game. Coach Mayhew would bring his fist state title back home with his team coming out on top 1-0. The Wyoming East champs finished with a record of 29-5 and the Chief was awarded the ABCA/Diamond Sports Company High School Division II Regional Coach of the year.

The Warriors didn’t make it back to states the following years, but did put together solid winning seasons.

I think its important to share stories like Coach Mayhew’s because I feel that he is someone who has been a pillar in the community for Wyoming County for years and years. I only mentioned his baseball coaching career, but he helped start the girls basketball program at Pineville, was the head football coach at Pineville its last three years, and has helped coach countless other teams. He sounds like someone who has always been there for the kids. The Chief has been awarded Coalfield Conference Coach of the year on countless occasions, ABCA Regional coach in 2012, scouted for the Florida Marlins, 2012 WVBCA Coach of the year, helped mentor numerous players that went on to play college baseball at numerous different institutions, crowned state champ in 2012, been a head coach over five decades, and now will be enshrined in the West Virginia Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame for all that he has done. The Chief will be inducted on January 26, 2018.

Source From Baseball In The Mountain State:

https://baseballinthemountainstate.wordpress.com/2018/01/17/the-chief-coach-ron-mayhew/