Brandon Shurr-Berks Catholic

Experience is a great teacher. Berks Catholic only had two seniors on its baseball roster last year. Head coach Brandon Shurr started five freshman and a sophomore. While the 2021 season was a difficult one for the Saints, that experience is now paying dividends. Berks Catholic has gone from (5-15, 2-10) to (12-8, 7-5). The Saints put together a 6-game winning streak in April. They defeated Hamburg and Oley Valley earlier this season. Shurr told me that this year has been much more enjoyable. He’s glad to see his seniors, including RJ Emrich and Chris Avram, having success. Shurr said that they bring stability to the lineup. Emrich is hitting .373 with five doubles and 16 RBI. The all-division catcher has an OPS of .888. Emrich is committed to Alvernia. Avram has increased his batting average by 77 points. The speedy right fielder is hitting .375 with a team-high 23 runs. Shurr added that Kevin Lawlor is having a terrific season. The junior second baseman leads Berks Catholic with a .406 average and 19 RBI. Lawlor has also scored 19 runs. The Saints averaged 4.3 runs last year. Their run production is up to 6.5 per game in 2022. Berks Catholic is hitting .294 as a team. The Saints still have a young squad. Shurr is utilizing a handful of underclassmen including Dennys Rodriguez. The promising freshman is a very advanced hitter for his age. He’ll take over for Emrich behind the plate next season. Rodriguez is batting .367 with a .483 on-base percentage and 18 RBI. His average with RISP is an eye-popping .500. Rodriguez homered in Monday’s 8-0 victory over rival Wyomissing. Shurr mentioned that the regular season finale versus the Spartans was significant for several reasons. Parker Nein limited Wyomissing to three hits in a complete game effort. The 6’1 sophomore is (5-0) with a save and a 1.08 ERA over 39 innings. Opponents are hitting .196 off of Nein. Shurr likes how he pitches to contact and keeps batters off-balance. Nein has allowed just 27 hits with 37 strikeouts. We talked about the intense playoff race in Division 3. Hamburg and Oley Valley qualified for the BCIAA tournament as the division champion and runner-up respectively. Berks Catholic and Wyomissing were only two games behind. Shurr explained how he’s trying to keep his players sharp during this break. The Saints’ District 3-3A playoff opener isn’t until Monday, May 23rd. They’re currently the #3 seed. The top six teams qualify in Class 3A. Finally, we had some fun discussing fantasy football.