baseball – Berks Sports Report

PIAA Baseball Tournament

Paul Roberts — Sat, 31 May 2025 18:59:08 +0000

Three teams from Berks County have qualified for the state baseball playoffs. Gov. Mifflin, Fleetwood, and Berks Catholic will be in action on Monday, June 2. The (25-1) Mustangs and (18-7) Saints both won District 3 championships. The (15-7) Tigers advanced to the PIAA tournament by finishing in third place.

Gov. Mifflin claimed its first state title last year in Class 5A. The Mustangs defeated Hollidaysburg 2-1 in the championship game. Fleetwood reached the state semifinals a season ago for the first time in school history. The Tigers fell to Indiana 10-3. Berks Catholic didn’t qualify for the PIAA tournament in 2024.

Gov. Mifflin and Berks Catholic will be hosting their first round matchups. Meanwhile, Fleetwood will be traveling to Philadelphia. Here are the three playoff contests on tap for Monday.

Class 6A:

Perkiomen Valley at Gov. Mifflin-4pm

Class 4A:

Fleetwood at Archbishop Ryan-4:30pm

Class 3A:

Hughesville at Berks Catholic-4pm

Ethan Grim-Gov. Mifflin

Paul Roberts — Wed, 28 May 2025 16:29:45 +0000

Ethan Grim mentioned after the District 3-6A championship that he wasn’t at his best on Monday night at Penn Medicine Park. “I was kind of feeling weak because of the sun hitting me weird. I was trying to drink a lot of water. I wasn’t feeling myself,” he noted. That’s a scary thought because the Virginia Tech commit was still able to throw a five-hitter with 13 strikeouts. Gov. Mifflin beat Cedar Cliff 6-1 for its first District 3 title. The top-seeded Mustangs improved to (25-1). Grim held the third-seeded Colts to five hits and one walk. Their lone run came in the 7th on a bloop RBI single by Will Kocher. “I didn’t have my best fastball so I was kind of relying on my off-speed [pitches],” explained Grim. The 6’1, 195-pound senior fired a 93 mph fastball in the final inning. He reached 300 career strikeouts and went 2-for-3 at the plate. Grim (8-0) punched out five batters in the first two frames. Meanwhile, Cedar Cliff turned to senior catcher Bennett Secrest due to an injury to ace Peyton Price. The sophomore has 72 strikeouts and only five walks over 52.1 innings. Price (8-1, 0.80) has given up just 34 hits all season. Secrest did his best to keep the (17-6) Colts in the game. Dylan Barrett got Gov. Mifflin on the board with a RBI single to right field in the bottom of the 2nd. Grim ripped a two-out double down the third base line in the next inning. One run scored on the play, but Bryce Detwiler was thrown out at the plate. Secrest was charged with a pair of runs on five hits and a walk in three innings. Kaiden Alday took over on the mound in the 4th, however, he only recorded one out. Designated hitter Charlie Ainge made it 3-0 with a RBI single to right. Detwiler, who’s headed to UConn, knocked in another run with a groundout to shortstop. Alday allowed two runs on two hits and two walks. Matt Koehler delivered a RBI single to left in the 5th for a 5-0 cushion. The Juniata commit was 3-for-3 and scored twice. “He’s under recognized this year. We have dudes throughout the lineup,” stated Grim. Koehler is also an All-County basketball player. Sophomore Max Utsick gave up one run on three hits and a walk in one inning of relief. He was replaced by junior Michael Boblick. In the bottom of the 6th, Brandon Adams crushed a solo homer to right field for a 6-0 advantage. “That definitely went out of the stadium. Off the bat, I knew it was gone,” replied Grim. The Mustangs finished with eleven hits. Eight different batters had at least one hit. There were no errors in the game which lasted less than two hours. Gov. Mifflin has earned BCIAA and District 3 championships this spring. The Mustangs captured the PIAA-5A crown last season. The state tournament begins on Monday. “We were coming into this season wanting all three [titles]. It feels pretty good,” said Grim.

Mikey Fidler-Berks Catholic

Paul Roberts — Tue, 27 May 2025 13:00:10 +0000

Bermudian Springs entered the District 3-3A Championship with a lofty .352 team batting average. Six players were hitting over .350 and three had averages of .400 or better. Berks Catholic senior Mikey Fidler shut down the top-seeded Eagles in a 8-0 victory on Monday morning at Penn Medicine Park in Lancaster. “It feels amazing…We wanted this one really bad. We exceeded our goals from the beginning of the season,” said Fidler with a gold medal around his neck. The righty tossed a one-hitter with four strikeouts and only one walk. He mentioned that his fastball, curveball, and changeup all felt really good when he was warming up. The curveball was the key. “I had all three [pitches] working. If I know I have that curveball working, I can get ahead with it,” explained Fidler. He needed just 82 pitches to get through seven frames. Fidler also knocked in the first run of the game with a bases loaded walk in the top of the 3rd. He was 1-for-3 with two runs. Owen Schalk added a two-out, two-run single to center in the 3rd. Dennys Rodriguez made it 4-0 by hammering a RBI double to left-center with two outs in the 5th. That ended the outing for senior Skyler Gentzler. He was charged with four runs on five hits in 4.2 innings. Gentzler (3-1) struck out five and walked a pair. The (19-3) Eagles were searching for their second District 3 title and first since 2010. Their first and only hit was a single by Ayden Knight in the 6th. The (18-7) Saints tacked on four runs, two earned, off Brayden Heller in the 7th. The big blow was a two-run single to center by Rodriguez. The Shepherd commit went 2-for-4 with 3 RBI. “When we have runners on for Dennys and Owen Schalk, big chance they’re gonna have an extra-base hit,” emphasized Fidler. A wild pitch by Heller gave Berks Catholic a 8-0 cushion. Trey Stricker had two hits and scored two runs. Sophomore Cole Harter and Brock Shrawder each went 1-for-3 at the bottom of the order. Berks Catholic finished with eight hits and no errors. Stricker, who’s headed to West Chester, tossed a four-hitter in the semifinals against Trinity. He struck out eight and the third-seeded Saints prevailed 2-1. “We’ve been battling in a ton of close games to get here,” replied Fidler. Berks Catholic claimed its third District 3 championship and first since 2018.

Dylan Barrett-Gov. Mifflin

Paul Roberts — Sat, 24 May 2025 13:31:25 +0000

When you heard the crack of the bat, you knew it was gone. Ethan Grim hammered a solo homer to center field in the 2nd inning of Friday’s District 3-6A semifinal against Ephrata. “That was the farthest ball I’ve ever seen,” stated Mustangs’ outfielder Dylan Barrett. Top-seeded Gov. Mifflin cruised past the fifth-seeded Mounts 11-1 in five innings. After a slow start, Grim’s home run tied the game at 1-1 and fired up the (24-1) Mustangs. “Ethan came up, hit that bomb and that definitely started everything. Everybody got really excited,” replied Barrett. Grim is known for his work on the mound, however, the Virginia Tech commit can also do plenty of damage at the plate. Barrett provided three of Gov. Mifflin’s twelve hits. He knocked in three runs and scored two more. Charlie Ainge went 2-for-3 in his first start of the season. “We’re looking for a DH. He definitely fills that role. He came out today really hot,” said Barrett. Bryce Detwiler and Matt Koehler added two hits apiece. Detwiler struggled with his command in the 1st inning. The UConn commit walked three batters and then hit Caleb Grant to force in a run. Detwiler had issued just seven walks in 46 innings entering the day. He came into the contest with a staggering 0.60 ERA. The two-time Berks County Player of the Year settled down and limited Ephrata to two hits over five frames with seven strikeouts. Detwiler improved to (9-0) this year. “I wasn’t worried at all. They say he’s our No. 2 [pitcher]. They’re both No. 1 in my eyes. They’re both great pitchers. I have the same confidence in both of them,” noted Barrett. Grim has a (7-0) mark and features a fastball that’s 92-94 mph. After his homer, Barrett hit a bloop RBI single to right that brought home Koehler for a 2-1 lead. Ainge doubled down the right field line to make it 3-1. An error on Aden Reiter’s grounder to shortstop put the Mustangs in front 4-1 against the Lancaster-Lebanon League runner-up. Gov. Mifflin tacked on five more runs in the 3rd. A safety squeeze bunt by Billy Angstadt with the bases loaded gave them a 5-1 cushion. Barrett, the No. 7 hitter in the lineup, followed with a two-run double to left-center. Detwiler then hit a ground ball to third base with two outs that took a bad hop. It was ruled a single and brought in a pair of runs. Camryn Simes was charged with nine runs, eight earned, on nine hits in three innings. The junior came into Friday with a (10-0) record and a 1.58 ERA. The Millersville commit had piled up 93 strikeouts over 62 innings, while only giving up 37 hits. The Mustangs ended it in the 5th. Sophomore Ethan Gockley hit Branson Adams with the bases juiced. He then walked Travis Jenkins to make it 11-1. The (18-8) Mounts lost to Gov. Mifflin 6-4 back on April 5th. They’ll travel to Hempfield on Tuesday for the third-place game. Meanwhile, the Mustangs will battle third-seeded Cedar Cliff for the District 3-6A title on Monday. First pitch is scheduled for 6:45pm at Penn Medicine Park in Lancaster. Cedar Cliff beat Hempfield 8-5 in the semifinals. Gov. Mifflin is seeking its first District 3 championship.

District 3 Baseball Playoff Picture

Paul Roberts — Thu, 22 May 2025 03:12:58 +0000

Only four Berks County baseball teams are still standing in the District 3 playoffs. The season can come to an end quickly this time of year. Wilson and Exeter both suffered gut-wrenching losses in the quarterfinals on Monday. The (14-8) Bulldogs were one out away from advancing to the Class 6A semifinals and clinching a berth in the state tournament. They led Ephrata 4-3 in the 7th, but a close call at first base didn’t go their way. The Mounts ended up with three runs in the final inning and a 6-4 victory. Exeter was on top of Conestoga Valley 5-0 after six innings in a Class 5A matchup. The Buckskins rallied to beat the (16-8) Eagles 7-6 in eight innings.

Weather permitting, four teams from the Berks League will be in action on Thursday. However, the forecast doesn’t look great. Gov. Mifflin hosts Ephrata at 4:30pm in a District 3-6A semifinal. UConn commit Bryce Detwiler and Millersville commit Camryn Simes are expected to be on the mound. Detwiler (8-0, 0.60) has 42 strikeouts and just seven walks in 46 innings. Simes (10-0, 1.58) has piled up 93 strikeouts over 62 innings. The junior righty has only allowed 37 hits. The top-seeded Mustangs are (23-1). The fifth-seeded Mounts come in at (18-7). Gov. Mifflin won the BCIAA championship, while Ephrata was the Lancaster-Lebanon League runner-up.

Fleetwood travels to East Pennsboro for a District 3-4A semifinal at 4:30pm. The Panthers are the #1 seed. They’ve won three straight District 3 titles. The fourth-seeded Tigers are (14-6). The top three teams in Class 4A qualify for the PIAA tournament.

Berks Catholic and Wyomissing have made it to the District 3-3A semifinals. The third-seeded Saints visit second-seeded Trinity. First pitch is scheduled for 3:30pm. Wyomissing, the #4 seed, will make the trip to #1 seed Bermudian Springs at 4:30pm. The season will be over for the losers of these semifinals. Only two teams in Class 3A move on to the state playoffs.

Zander Westwood-Wyomissing

Paul Roberts — Tue, 20 May 2025 14:53:02 +0000

When Wyomissing and Kutztown met in the regular season, the Cougars won 4-1. They squared off again in the District 3-3A quarterfinals, but this turned into a shootout. Monday’s game included 25 runs, 24 hits, and 19 runners left on base. When the dust cleared, the fourth-seeded Spartans defeated Kutztown 13-12 in eight innings. The fifth-seeded Cougars made it very interesting after they fell behind 11-0. “That game was a roller coaster. It kept going up and down. Kutztown battled back a lot. We just had to keep our heads up,” said Zander Westwood. The 6’2, 200-pound sophomore led off the bottom of the 8th with a triple. Dan Noey, a senior catcher, delivered a one-out single to left field to end the marathon. “I’m excited for him. He’s a really good kid. He’s done a lot for this team,” replied Westwood. Wyomissing was making its first appearance in the District 3 playoffs since 2021. The Cougars were the runner-up in Class 2A last year. The (15-7) Spartans erupted for five runs in the first frame. Birkley Ziegler’s single to center drove in sophomore Parker LaFerriere who started the inning with a double. Teddy White’s double down the left field line made it 2-0. Westwood hammered a three-run home run to right-center for a quick 5-0 advantage. It was the first homer of his career. “It was a big home run in a big time game. That let off a spark at the beginning of the game,” remarked Westwood. Lefty Ashton Dunn was only able to get one out. Colin Diehl, another southpaw, surrendered six more runs in the 2nd. He gave up four hits and walked five. White and LaFerriere each had two-run singles in the 2nd inning. Noah Rauenzahn helped himself with a RBI double down the right field line. The junior righty left the game after three innings with an apparent hamstring injury. Rauenzahn hadn’t allowed a hit. Wyomissing’s bullpen struggled to throw strikes. The Spartans issued a total of nine walks and hit four batters. Kutztown put up five runs in the 4th. Dunn and catcher Corey Gilbert provided RBI singles. Sophomore Elliot Knutsen was hit with the bases loaded. Chase Schuler, the No. 9 hitter, walked with the bases juiced. The (13-9) Cougars tacked on two runs in the 5th inning thanks to RBI singles by Dunn and Zane Cherrie. Kutztown pulled within 12-11 with four runs on just one hit in the top of the 6th. Dunn got down a perfect bunt to knock in one run. Chris Bergstrom and Knutsen chipped in with RBI groundouts. Schuler grounded out to second base with men on second and third to end the inning. The Cougars were down to their final out when Bergstrom hit a RBI single through the left side to tie it at 12-12 in the top of the 7th. “Some teams just don’t battle back. They kept battling, kept working hard. They executed on small ball,” noted Westwood. The sophomore, who’s a FB/LB on the football team, came through with a triple to left field in the 8th. That set the stage for Noey who was mobbed by his teammates after a walk-off single to left. Chase Bailey earned the win in relief. The junior limited Kutztown to one run on three hits and two walks over 2.2 innings. His was the fifth pitcher used by first-year head coach Nick Wojciechowski. Knutsen did an outstanding job of keeping the Cougars in the game. The young right-hander was charged with two runs on seven hits in 5.2 innings. He finished with six strikeouts and a walk. Tim Mertz ends his 25th season at the helm with 375 career wins, the most in school history. Dunn had three hits for Kutztown. He scored three runs and drove in three more. The Cougars didn’t commit an error, however, they left eleven runners on base. Wyomissing piled up 15 hits, three coming from Ziegler. Westwood, White, LaFerriere, and Ryan Graham had two hits apiece. Westwood and White each had 3 RBI. The Spartans travel to top-seeded Bermudian Springs on Thursday at 4:30pm. “They’re going to be a tough challenge. We have to go execute against them,” said Westwood.

All-County Baseball Team

Paul Roberts — Sun, 18 May 2025 21:28:23 +0000

As Yogi Berra said, “It’s deja vu all over again.” For the second straight season, Bryce Detwiler was voted the Berks County Player of the Year. The Gov. Mifflin shortstop and pitcher is committed to UConn. Detwiler fired a complete game three-hitter with seven strikeouts in the BCIAA Championship. The Mustangs defeated Berks Catholic 11-1 in six innings. Gov. Mifflin’s Chris Hole was named the Berks League Coach of the Year today. Hole is in his 13th season at the helm in Shillington. Detwiler was joined on the All-County team by his teammates Ethan Grim and Travis Jenkins. They are also repeat selections. Here’s the entire 2025 All-Berks baseball squad.

Chris Hole-Gov. Mifflin-Coach of the Year

Bryce Detwiler-Gov. Mifflin-Player of the Year

Ethan Grim-Gov. Mifflin

Travis Jenkins-Gov. Mifflin

Gavin Miller-Exeter

Jake Hafer-Exeter

Ben Kulp-Wilson

Nate Lord-Twin Valley

Trey Stricker-Berks Catholic

Ryan Graham-Wyomissing

Ty Shuey-Hamburg

Colten Mathias-Kutztown

Aden Reiter-Gov. Mifflin

Paul Roberts — Thu, 15 May 2025 14:01:07 +0000

If you follow the Gov. Mifflin baseball team, you know all about Bryce Detwiler, Ethan Grim, Travis Jenkins, and Matt Koehler. You may not be familiar with Aden Reiter. The 5’5 junior plays shortstop and hits in the No. 9 hole when Detwiler is on the mound. He can be overlooked in a star-studded lineup that includes three Division I players. Reiter’s two-out, RBI single to right field helped the Mustangs break the BCIAA Championship Game open in the 4th inning. “I was looking for a fastball my first at-bat. I missed the fastball and I really wanted to hunt the fastball my second at-bat,” explained Reiter. Berks Catholic ace Trey Stricker was trying to get out of a jam and keep the score 2-1. After a walk and a single, Stricker struck out the next two batters. Reiter, however, didn’t let him off the hook. His single brought home Koehler for a 3-1 advantage. Gov. Mifflin ended up with four runs in the 4th and cruised to a 11-1 victory in six innings. The (22-1) Mustangs claimed their 16th Berks League title. Last year, they lost to Wilson 10-3 in the BCIAA Final. “It really motivated us. It lit a fire,” emphasized Reiter. After his single, Detwiler was walked intentionally which loaded the bases. Branson Adams was hit by a pitch to make it 4-1. Jenkins and Grim drew consecutive walks and the lead quickly became 6-1. Stricker, who held Wilson to one run over 6.2 innings in Saturday’s quarterfinal, gave up six runs in 3.2 innings on Wednesday night at Owls Field. The West Chester commit allowed four hits, four walks, and hit two batters. He entered the game with a (5-0) record and an eye-popping 0.44 ERA over 48 innings this season. Sophomore lefty Cole Harter tossed 1.1 innings of scoreless relief, but Gov. Mifflin erupted for five runs off Brock Shrawder in the 6th. Jenkins delivered a sacrifice fly to left for a 7-1 edge. The senior catcher, who’s headed to Canisius, was 1-for-1 with 2 RBI. Billy Angstadt then walked with the bases juiced. Sean Kelly was brought in from the bullpen and walked pinch-hitter Jaden Smith. Joe Murray, another pinch-hitter, followed with a two-run double to right field to end it. Detwiler went the distance for the Mustangs. The UConn commit limited the (15-7) Saints to three hits. Detwiler struck out seven and walked none. “He always goes out there and does great. He’s a dog,” said Reiter. Grim put top-seeded Gov. Mifflin in front 2-0 with a single to center in the bottom of the 1st. “It felt great because we could go out on defense and relax and make plays,” noted Reiter. Grim, a Virginia Tech commit, went 2-for-3 with a run and 3 RBI. Adams and Angstadt each added a hit and scored two runs apiece. The Mustangs finished with eight hits. Berks Catholic handed out ten walks. The seventh-seeded Saints were searching for their first Berks County championship. Junior outfielder Owen Schalk was 2-for-2. He scored their lone run on Victor Mejia’s sacrifice fly to center in the 2nd inning. Both teams are headed to the District 3 playoffs. Gov. Mifflin has moved up to Class 6A this year. After winning their third BCIAA crown in five seasons, the Mustangs will get a bye in the opening round of the District 3-6A tournament. They will host either #8 Northeastern or #9 Mechanicsburg in the quarterfinals on Monday at 4:30pm. Berks Catholic is home against Littlestown in the District 3-3A quarterfinals on Monday. First pitch is at 4:30pm.

District 3 Baseball Brackets

Paul Roberts — Wed, 14 May 2025 18:40:34 +0000

The District 3 baseball brackets were released today for all six classifications. The tournament begins on Friday. Ten teams from the Berks League qualified for the playoffs. High Point Baptist Academy is also in the field. Here’s a look at the matchups.

Class 6A:

#4 Wilson hosts #13 Central York at 4:30pm on Friday.

#12 Muhlenberg visits #5 Ephrata at 4:30pm on Friday.

#1 Gov. Mifflin has a bye and will play on Monday in the quarterfinals against the Northeastern/Mechanicsburg winner.

Class 5A:

#4 Exeter meets #13 West York at 4pm on Friday in Reiffton.

#5 Twin Valley takes on #12 Conestoga Valley at 4:30pm on Friday in Elverson.

Class 4A:

#4 Fleetwood is home against #5 James Buchanan at 4:30pm on Monday.

#8 Oley Valley travels to #1 East Pennsboro at 4:30pm on Monday.

Class 3A:

#3 Berks Catholic hosts #6 Littlestown at 4:30pm on Monday.

#4 Wyomissing entertains #5 Kutztown at 4:30pm on Monday.

Class A:

#3 High Point Baptist Academy is home versus #6 Shalom Christian at 4:30pm on Friday.

Brandon Shurr-Berks Catholic

Paul Roberts — Tue, 13 May 2025 16:19:02 +0000

It all started with a one-out single by No. 6 hitter Victor Mejia. When the 7th inning rally was over, Berks Catholic had put six runs on the board and taken a 11-6 lead over rival Wyomissing at FirstEnergy Stadium. That would be the final score as the seventh-seeded Saints advanced to the BCIAA Championship for the first time since 2014. “This team has been getting better throughout the year…We kind of figured some things out as a team to put us in a good spot. They’re really executing right now at the right time,” said head coach Brandon Shurr. After Heriel Ramirez reached on an error, sophomore Cole Harter delivered a RBI single to right field to tie it up in the 7th. “Cole had a great hit. Sometimes the bottom of our lineup struggles a little bit, but today they came through,” noted Shurr. No. 9 hitter Brock Shrawder got down a safety squeeze bunt which scored Henry Pflomm for a 7-6 advantage. “We saw that Wyo. wasn’t really up. They weren’t really attacking the baseball. Lefty on the mound, we’re thinking Brock puts a good bunt down. If we execute our part, really hard play to defend,” explained Shurr. Spartans’ relief pitcher Ryan Graham opted to come home with the throw which was late. Trey Stricker, who’s committed to West Chester, followed with a RBI single to make it 8-6. After Mikey Fidler was hit by a pitch to load the bases, Dennys Rodriguez knocked in a run with an infield single. The Shepherd commit went 3-for-4 with 4 RBI. A sacrifice fly to left field by Owen Schalk put Berks Catholic on top 10-6. Aidan Curley drew his third walk of the afternoon which loaded the bases again. Mejia was then hit by a pitch to force in the final run. Wyomissing was attempting to reach the Berks League Final for the first time since 1994. The sixth-seeded Spartans were in front 6-4 after Birkley Ziegler’s sacrifice fly in the bottom of the 5th. Wyomissing finished with nine hits and left nine men on base. The Saints had seven hits and stranded ten runners. Each team committed three errors. Rodriguez launched a two-run homer to right in the 1st. In the bottom of the inning, Zander Westwood lofted a fly ball down the right field line. Mejia lost it in the sun which allowed three runs to score for the Spartans. Parker LaFerriere made it 4-2 with a sacrifice fly in the 2nd. A single through the left side by Rodriguez allowed Fidler to score all the way from first base in the 3rd. Wyomissing answered with a run in the bottom half. Westwood’s single drove in Teddy White who had tripled. Berks Catholic trailed 5-3 after three innings. A two-out error by the Spartans in the top of the 4th got the Saints within 5-4. Fidler’s RBI groundout to second base in the 6th made it 6-5. Four of Berks Catholic’s seven hits came in the 7th. Wyomissing committed a pair of errors in that inning. Graham allowed six runs, three earned, on four hits over 1.2 innings. The junior walked three and hit two batters. Chase Bailey, another junior, gave up five runs, four earned, on three hits in five innings. He walked seven and also hit two batters. Fidler got the start for the (15-6) Saints, but only lasted two innings. He was charged with five runs, one earned, on six hits and two walks. Shrawder limited the (14-7) Spartans to one run on three hits in three innings of relief. The senior righty struck out three and walked two. Pflomm came through in the clutch for Berks Catholic. The junior tossed two hitless innings to pick up the win. “Those were our two quickest innings. Henry threw a ton of strikes…Henry was great, much needed at the end of that game,” said Shurr. The Saints will battle top-seeded Gov. Mifflin in the BCIAA Championship. Weather permitting, that game is scheduled for 7pm on Tuesday at Owls Field in West Lawn. Berks Catholic is searching for its first county title in baseball.