Chris Hole-Gov. Mifflin

The Gov. Mifflin baseball team certainly wasn’t hurting in the experience department last year. The Mustangs had 13 seniors on the roster. That number is down to three in 2022. Head coach Chris Hole is very pleased with how junior SS/P Tyler Minick has stepped up as a leader. The all-county selection and UConn commit hit .376 as a sophomore with 21 RBI and 12 extra base hits. Minick had a team-high 28 runs, 4 triples, and 20 stolen bases. He’s one reason why expectations are still high in Shillington. Connor Maryniak (Misericordia) and Matt Gehris (DeSales) combined for 134 innings a season ago. Maryniak (13-0, 1.13) set the school record with 147 strikeouts over 93 innings. The Berks Player of the Year won all three county playoff games. Hole told me what he expects his starting rotation will look like this year. Minick is healthy after being limited to 21.1 innings last season, and Xander Velez features a fastball near 90mph. Darien Troche will be the full-time catcher. He appeared in 17 games as a sophomore. Troche and Velez were honorable mention all-division picks. Speedy centerfielder Mason Woolwine is back for his senior campaign. Hole loves his competitive spirit. Woolwine hit .253 with 12 runs, 10 RBI, and 10 steals. Gov. Mifflin also has a promising freshman class. The Mustangs scrimmaged Warwick and Manheim Central; two very good ball clubs from the Lancaster-Lebanon League. Hole mentioned how valuable those opportunities were in preparation for Friday’s season opener against McCaskey. Gov. Mifflin earned its 14th Berks County championship last year. The (21-7, 10-2) Mustangs beat rival Wilson 5-4 in the county final before losing to the Bulldogs 11-0 in the District 3-6A championship. Gov. Mifflin lost a nailbiter in the first round of the state tournament. Emmaus snuck past the Mustangs 2-1 in 11 innings. Hole is (135-87) over nine seasons with the Mustangs. The 1995 Wilson graduate was named Berks County Coach of the Year in 2021. Hole is hoping that this year’s lineup will be more productive. We talked about the stiff competition in Division 1. Gov. Mifflin should be in a battle with Wilson and Exeter all season long.