Baseball Season Recap

Although Berks County baseball teams did bring home two District 3 championships from Penn Medicine Park in Lancaster, the 2025 high school season will probably be remembered most for the heartbreaking losses. Baseball can be a cruel sport. The better team doesn’t always come out on top. It’s a timeless game, as Fleetwood fans saw when the Tigers went 13 innings with West Perry to determine a berth in the state playoffs. Wilson and Muhlenberg needed 12 innings to decide their matchup back on April 10th in Laureldale. A sacrifice fly to left by Eli Keller gave the Muhls a dramatic 1-0 victory. I was fortunate to cover nearly 30 games this spring, including the tense PIAA-6A Final between Cedar Cliff and North Penn. The Colts prevailed 1-0 on a bases loaded balk in the 13th inning at Penn State. You just never know what you’ll see when you head out to the ballpark. Here’s a look back at how the top teams in Berks County did this year.

Gov. Mifflin finished atop the Division 1 standings in the Berks League as many expected. The Mustangs rumbled over Berks Catholic 11-1 in six innings to claim their 16th BCIAA crown. They made history by winning the first District 3 title in program history. Gov. Mifflin took down Cedar Cliff 6-1 in the Class 6A Championship. Ethan Grim struck out 13 that night and reached 300 career strikeouts. The (26-2) Mustangs fell short of their ultimate goal, a second straight state title. They lost 1-0 to Liberty in a gut-wrenching PIAA-6A quarterfinal. A senior class that included Grim, Bryce Detwiler, Travis Jenkins, Matt Koehler, Branson Adams, Billy Angstadt, Dylan Barrett, and Reese Hohl will be very difficult to replace.

Berks Catholic was the last team standing from Berks County. The Saints reached the BCIAA Championship as a #7 seed. They earned their third District 3 championship by blanking top-seeded Bermudian Springs 8-0 in the Class 3A Final. Berks Catholic then advanced to the state semifinals for the first time. The (20-8) Saints were up 3-1 on Mount Carmel in the 6th inning before falling 4-3 at Wenger Field. Berks Catholic lost its top two pitchers to graduation in Trey Stricker and Mikey Fidler.

Fleetwood came up short against Exeter 4-1 in the BCIAA quarterfinals, but the Tigers bounced back. They outlasted West Perry 8-7 in 13 innings to finish third in the District 3-4A playoffs. That marathon victory put Fleetwood in the state tournament for the third time in four seasons. The (16-8) Tigers knocked off District 12 champ Archbishop Ryan 3-1 in the opening round. Fleetwood lost to Montoursville 6-4 in the quarterfinals. Wylie Loy and Gabe Seidel are two players to keep an eye on in 2026.

Wilson featured some of the top hurlers in the county this year, but the Bulldogs had a disappointing postseason. They entered the Berks League playoffs as the #2 seed, however, Berks Catholic upset Wilson 3-1 in the quarterfinals. The (14-8) Bulldogs then saw their season end with an agonizing 6-4 loss at home to Ephrata in the District 3-6A quarterfinals. The Mounts, who were down to their final out, scored three runs in the 7th. The good news in West Lawn is that Ben Kulp, Jack Gabel, and Ryan Marmolejos all return.

Exeter went (16-8) in Justin Freese’s 30th year at the helm in Reiffton. The Eagles dropped a nailbiter to Gov. Mifflin 2-1 in the BCIAA semifinals at FirstEnergy Stadium. Exeter was the #4 seed in the District 3-5A bracket. The Eagles lost to #12 seed Conestoga Valley 7-6 in eight innings in an excruciating quarterfinal. Exeter was in front 5-0 after the 6th. Jake Hafer, Brandon Weller, Kamren Martin, Jake Franek, and Brenton Feathers should form a solid corps next spring.

Twin Valley won the Division 2 title in the Berks League, but the season ended abruptly for the Raiders. They lost 8-7 to sixth-seeded Wyomissing in the BCIAA quarterfinals. Conestoga Valley went to Elverson and left with a 9-5 win in the first round of the District 3-5A playoffs. Twin Valley settled for a (13-8) record. The Raiders had a very promising sophomore group that included Grant Moser, Brody Majeski, Nate DiRocco, Jayce Oliver, and Luke Raines. They will be joined by All-County selection Nate Lord next year.

Former Oley Valley standout Seth Brizek took over as head coach of the Lynx in 2025. He guided Oley to a (13-8) mark. The Lynx tied Kutztown for first place in Division 4 at (7-4). Oley Valley didn’t, however, qualify for the Berks County playoffs. They got tripped up by unbeaten East Pennsboro 3-1 in the District 3-4A quarterfinals.

Tim Mertz wrapped up his 25th season as the skipper in Kutztown. The Cougars wound up (13-9) giving Mertz 375 career wins, a school record. They fell to Gov. Mifflin 10-2 in the Berks League quarterfinals. Kutztown traveled to Wyomissing for a wild District 3-3A quarterfinal. The Cougars trailed 11-0 before forcing extra innings. The Spartans eventually pulled out a 13-12 victory in eight frames.

Wyomissing and Berks Catholic tied atop Division 3 at (9-3). Nick Wojciechowski led the Spartans to the BCIAA and District 3-3A semifinals in his first year as head coach. They lost to rival Berks Catholic 11-6 in the county playoffs. Bermudian Springs eliminated Wyomissing 12-2 in the District 3 tournament. The Spartans improved dramatically from (8-12) in 2024 to (15-8). Ryan Graham, Noah Rauenzahn, Parker LaFerriere, Zander Westwood, Teddy White, and Chase Bailey will all be back next spring.

Muhlenberg didn’t make the Berks League playoffs, but the (11-9) Muhls gave fifth-seeded Ephrata a battle in the District 3-6A bracket. The Mounts came out on top 2-0 in that first round affair. Brian Kopetsky will be entering his 27th season as head coach in 2025.