“Roberts Rankings”-Baseball

Here are my high school baseball rankings for the Berks League. Remember that no matter where your favorite team is ranked, the sun will come out tomorrow! Muhlenberg and Gov. Mifflin are a combined (17-0). They meet next Monday in Shillington. Muhlenberg CF Luis Beato is hitting .565 with an OPS of 1.643. A healthy Brad Coley (2-0, 1.56) is making a big difference in Laureldale. The senior southpaw didn’t give up a hit in three of his four outings. The Mustangs lost 13 seniors from last year’s county championship squad, but their offense is much improved. Gov. Mifflin has already put up nine or more runs six times this season. The Mustangs exploded for 21 runs at Hempfield. On Saturday, they outlasted Boyertown 2-1 in eight innings. Wilson’s five losses have been by a total of eleven runs. The Bulldogs team ERA is 1.36. Rueben Livingston, Cole Leaman, and Matt VanOstenbridge are a terrific trio on the mound. However, Wilson’s team batting average is .180. Exeter fell to the Bulldogs 9-1. The Eagles will be tested again on Tuesday afternoon when they face Gov. Mifflin in Reiffton. Twin Valley only has one senior starter. First-year head coach Corey Schnoke has the Raiders playing well. Their only losses were 3-1 at Exeter and 2-1 at Muhlenberg. Junior right-hander Kannon Zdimal was sharp in both of those games. Kutztown has a manager with 321 victories and an experienced ball club. Not a bad combination. Tim Mertz’s team is atop Division 4. Grant Fitzgerald is (3-0) in four starts. The crafty lefty is committed to Alvernia. Hamburg opened 2022 with four straight wins. The Hawks host Oley Valley on Tuesday at 4pm in a key Division 3 matchup. Berks Catholic has already won more games than all of last year when the Saints went (5-15) with a very young roster. Berks Catholic has knocked off Hamburg, Oley Valley, and Fleetwood. The Lynx and Tigers, along with Brandywine Heights, fell out of my latest poll. The top four teams remain the same. Twin Valley, Kutztown, and Berks Catholic are newcomers to my rankings.

“The Great 8”

1. Muhlenberg (7-0)

2. Gov. Mifflin (10-0)

3. Wilson (3-5)

4. Exeter (6-2)

5. Twin Valley (6-2)

6. Kutztown (5-2)

7. Hamburg (5-2)

8. Berks Catholic (6-4)