Rueben Livingston-Wilson

Ask Berks County baseball coaches about the top power hitters in the league and it won’t take long until you hear the name Rueben Livingston. The 6’3, 225-pound senior is known for launching some jaw-dropping home runs. Livingston went deep six times last year. He also had seven doubles and a pair of triples. The all-county selection is committed to Kent State. The Bulldogs recently returned from a trip to Myrtle Beach. Livingston, who can play first and third base, said it was a great opportunity to bond and build trust. He’s confident in the players who will be hitting around him including Rafael Fernandez, Ryan Sekulski, and Tommy Hunsicker. Livingston is Wilson’s only returning starter. The Bulldogs went (22-3) a season ago and won their third District 3 championship. They fell to Spring-Ford 6-1 in the first round of the state playoffs. Wilson lost four Division I players to graduation. Luke Holman (Alabama), Randy Carlo (Bryant), Danny Estrada (New Orleans), and Kyle Cincinnati (Maryland Eastern Shore) have all moved on, along with all-division selections Ryan Kelly and A.J. Trayer. Livingston expects the Bulldogs to play more small ball this year. We talked about his approach at the plate, as well as his longest home run. Livingston isn’t just a slugger. He hit .415 as a junior with an incredible 1.422 OPS. Livingston drove in a team-high 28 runs and scored 26. Due to some lingering arm trouble, the big right-hander only threw two innings. However, he told me his arm feels amazing now. Wilson’s rotation will also include Cole Leaman and sophomore lefty Matt VanOstenbridge. Leaman is headed to Lehigh. He piled up 55 strikeouts in 30.2 innings last season. Leaman was (3-0) with two saves and a 2.74 ERA. Livingston explained why he chose Kent State and why he didn’t like football as a kid. We joked about how he would fair against Bill Underwood, the Bulldogs’ pitching coach. Underwood played baseball at Kent State before being drafted by the Yankees in 1992. Finally, I asked Livingston where Wilson should be ranked heading into its opener on Saturday afternoon at Liberty. He’s expecting a lot of good competition in Berks County.