Alvernia – Berks Sports Report

Alvernia hires O’Connell as new Basketball Coach

Paul Roberts — Sun, 19 Apr 2026 14:04:51 +0000

Alvernia has found its next men’s basketball head coach. Jason O’Connell, who grew up in the Daniel Boone School District, will take over the Golden Wolves program in early May. O’Connell spent the past twelve seasons as the head coach of Division III Cairn University in Langhorne. “First and foremost, my family and I are thrilled to join the Alvernia community. I am excited to begin building genuine relationships with our current student-athletes, the campus community, and alumni. I look forward to developing a program rooted in a strong culture where our staff is focused on pouring into our student-athletes and helping them grow on the court as players and off the court as men of character,” he said.

O’Connell guided Cairn to 149 NCAA wins, including a record of (80-53) since 2021. He took over a program that won just two games in the 2013-14 campaign. The Highlanders went (21-7) this past season. They finished third in the nation in 3-pointers per game. Cairn ranked 23rd in the country in scoring at 86 ppg. The Highlanders reached the postseason every year since the COVID-shortened season of 2020-21. O’Connell coached eleven first team All-Conference players and ten 1,000-point scorers.

O’Connell graduated from Lancaster Bible College in 2012 with a degree in Sports Management. He holds master’s degrees from California University of Pennsylvania and Eastern Kentucky University. “I am incredibly grateful and excited for the opportunity to be the head men’s basketball coach at Alvernia University. I am eager to lead this program and establish a culture that represents the university with pride, both on the court and in the campus community, all while striving to compete at a high level,” said O’Connell.

Brad Coley-Muhlenberg

Paul Roberts — Wed, 13 Apr 2022 23:36:00 +0000

Due to an injury last year, Brad Coley only made five appearances for the Muhls. He had a 1.14 ERA over just 12.1 innings. The senior southpaw is happy to be back on the mound and healthy again. Coley said, “The bond here is so tight and to finally be back out there with my guys is amazing.” The Alvernia commit had everything working on Wednesday night in Laureldale. He threw five hitless innings with nine strikeouts in a 2-1 win over Twin Valley. Coley, who features an 85-87 mph fastball, was taken out after 91 pitches and five walks. He hasn’t allowed a hit in three of his four starts this season! He also tossed five hitless frames against Stroudsburg and Daniel Boone. Sophomore catcher Shane Rosenberry helped Coley settle down with a 2-run double to left field in the second inning. Those were the only runs that Raiders’ junior Kannon Zdimal would give up over six innings. The right-hander piled up eight strikeouts with four walks. Rosenberry and Kenay Rodriguez each went 2-for-3. Dalton Follweiler came out of Muhlenberg’s bullpen after Derek Wilson walked the first two batters in the top of the sixth. Paul Colombo’s RBI single got Twin Valley on the board. That was the Raiders’ lone hit. Owen Rhoads followed with a dribbler to first base. Sam Martinez threw home and caught Jaydon Goebel in a rundown. Goebel made things interesting, but was eventually called out for running out of the baseline near home plate. Follweiler struck out Roman Cieless with men on second and third to end Twin Valley’s threat. The junior righty got three groundouts in the seventh to earn the save. Coley knew that the (6-2, 1-2) Raiders weren’t going to go down without a fight. Twin Valley only has one senior in its starting lineup. Gio Cavanna made a perfect throw home in the fifth to nail freshman Ben Vaughan at the plate. Vaughan was trying to tag up and score on a fly ball to right field, but Cavanna was up to the challenge. The (6-0, 3-0) Muhls are on top of Division 2. Coley believes it will be a competitive division. He loves playing at night at Gochnauer Field. I asked him who are the funniest, fastest, strongest, and smartest players on his team. We also discussed the Phillies and Clayton Kershaw, who Coley admired as a kid. Coley noted that he wouldn’t have taken Kershaw out after 80 pitches in a perfect game. Finally, Coley explained why he picked Alvernia.

Grant Fitzgerald-Kutztown

Paul Roberts — Mon, 11 Apr 2022 22:54:00 +0000

Grant Fitzgerald will never forget his appearance last season against Brandywine Heights. The senior lefty gave up a tiebreaking home run to Joe Crist in a 7-5 loss to the Bullets. One year later, almost to the day, Fitzgerald got some revenge. He tossed six strong innings and delivered an RBI single in a 4-2 victory over Brandywine Heights on Monday night. Although it’s early in the season, this matchup meant a lot to the Cougars. They were swept by the Bullets in 2021. Brandywine Heights claimed the Division 4 championship, while Kutztown finished (9-12, 4-7). Fitzgerald told me that the chemistry is much better this year and he has big expectations. The southpaw earned his second win in four days. He held Schuylkill Valley to two hits and one earned run in five frames on Friday. Fitzgerald threw 67 pitches in that 8-2 victory. He lasted six innings against the Bullets, limiting them to two runs on six hits. He struck out eight and walked two. Kutztown got on the board first thanks to an RBI double by Dominick Pizzelanti in the second. Brandywine Heights tied it in the fourth on a 2-out, RBI single to left by Jesse Breunig. The senior catcher was an all-division selection last season. He’s one of seven returning starters for the Bullets. They grabbed a 2-1 advantage in the fifth thanks to a 2-out, RBI single by Jaeger Smeltz. The Cougars responded with three runs in the bottom half of the inning. Longtime head coach Tim Mertz called upon Bryce Schafer to pinch-hit after Matt Remick and Nick Hugo opened the frame with singles. Schafer provided a sacrifice fly to right field to knot the game at 2. The big left-handed junior was recently cleared to hit after having shoulder surgery. He’s not yet permitted to play defense. Ian Fenerty followed with a 2-out, RBI double to put Kutztown on top 3-2. Fitzgerald added a bloop RBI single to left. I asked him about his approach versus hard-throwing junior Carson Renner. He replied with a smile, “I was just trying to make contact.” Renner, who was named all-division as a sophomore, was charged with three earned runs on six hits in 4.2 innings. He struck out three, walked two, and hit a batter. His older brother, Chase, is a freshman pitcher at Penn State. Remick threw a hitless seventh inning with two strikeouts for the save. The (3-2, 2-0) Cougars and the (1-3, 0-1) Bullets each had six hits. Hugo was the only player with two hits. The all-division catcher chipped in with a pair of singles. Brandywine Heights committed four errors. Fitzgerald explained his game plan against the Bullets. He believes that he can throw any pitch at any time. Fitzgerald used his curveball and changeup very effectively. He loves playing under the lights at Timothy Breidegam Field. We discussed why he chose Alvernia, and how he ended up a Blue Jays’ fan. Fitzgerald also talked about his favorite teacher at Kutztown, and what type of music he enjoys before a game.