Hunsicker – Berks Sports Report

Tommy Hunsicker-Wilson

Paul Roberts — Tue, 21 May 2024 10:17:00 +0000

One big inning and a dominant pitching performance propelled Wilson to the District 3-6A semifinals. The fourth-seeded Bulldogs beat fifth-seeded Manheim Township 4-1 on Monday in a matchup of league champions. Matt VanOstenbridge tossed a 3-hitter with ten strikeouts. The Penn State commit improved to (5-1) with a 1.03 ERA. “I think it’s his arsenal of pitches and how he’s able to change speeds. They weren’t really able to touch his off-speed, especially his changeup,” said Tommy Hunsicker. VanOstenbridge has allowed just 24 hits in 47.2 innings this season with 67 strikeouts. Wilson got all four of its runs in the second frame. Designed hitter Ben Kulp drew a leadoff walk. VanOstenbridge followed with a single. Freshman Ryan Marmolejos beat out a bunt to load the bases. C.J. Fernandez and Hunsicker ripped consecutive RBI singles to center. Jack Gabel walked with the bases loaded to make it 3-0. Nick Fiorini added a sacrifice fly to left field. Hunsicker, who’s headed to Millersville for football, went 3-for-3 with a walk. “I was feeling balanced, staying back more and adjusting to whatever pitches they were throwing,” he explained. The senior third baseman raised his batting average to .375. The (17-6) Bulldogs didn’t commit an error. “Our coaches gave us a good scouting report. They put us in the right spots,” noted Hunsicker. Trey Eckman entered the day with a 1.58 ERA for the Blue Streaks. The senior righty had only given up 26 hits and 17 walks over 40 innings. Eckman was charged with four runs on five hits and five walks in three innings. Sophomore Tyler Shirk limited the Berks County champs to one hit over three frames. Wilson left eight runners on base. Manheim Township finished (18-7). The Blue Streaks lost 4-2 to the Bulldogs in the District 3 semifinals a season ago. Wilson will host ninth-seeded Ephrata on Thursday at 4:30pm. The (17-7) Mounts upset top-seeded Cedar Cliff 6-5 in ten innings on Monday. The Bulldogs are trying to reach the District 3 championship game for the second straight year. “This is where we wanted to be, expected to be all year,” said Hunsicker.

Christo Hunsicker-Wilson

Paul Roberts — Tue, 16 Apr 2024 05:12:46 +0000

To avoid a (1-3) record in league play, Wilson had to beat one of the top pitchers in Berks County. The Bulldogs racked up a season-high 14 hits in a 6-5 victory over rival Gov. Mifflin that lasted nine innings. “As a little kid, I grew up wanting to beat Mifflin. They want to beat us in every sport,” said Christo Hunsicker. The 6’2 junior homered and allowed just one earned run over five frames. Wilson scored five runs, four earned, off Mustangs’ ace Ethan Grim. The hard-throwing righty gave up ten hits. “We were looking to just take it the opposite way, stay on top of the ball. We looked for the fastball,” explained Hunsicker. He went 3-for-5 including a single in the bottom of the 9th that put runners on the corners with nobody out. Gov. Mifflin intentionally walked Nick Fiorini in the 7th, but the Mustangs opted to pitch to the Bulldogs’ cleanup hitter in the 9th inning. Fiorini ripped a line drive single to center that scored Jack Gabel to end it. “They walked him earlier in the game and I knew that would motivate him. He’s a competitor like that so I knew he would get it done,” remarked Hunsicker. Fiorini went 2-for-4 with 2 RBI and increased his batting average to .448. The senior outfielder was an all-division selection a season ago, along with Hunsicker. Fiorini’s double to left-center knocked in Hunsicker in the opening frame. Cooper Kennedy followed with a RBI single to center that put Wilson on top 2-1. Tommy Hunsicker, Christo’s older brother, singled up the middle for a 3-1 advantage in the 2nd inning. Gov. Mifflin tied it with a pair of runs in the top of the fourth. Dante Casantini launched a two-out RBI double to left-center. Bryce Wunderlich then hit a grounder to shortstop that was misplayed. The Bulldogs committed five errors on Monday afternoon. Tommy Hunsicker put Wilson back in front with a line drive single to right field in the 4th inning. His brother hammered a solo homer to left-center in the next inning. The (6-2, 3-2) Mustangs rallied in the 7th off Gabel. Travis Jenkins laced a RBI single to right field. The cutoff throw to third base got away which allowed the tying run to score. The (6-3, 2-2) Bulldogs loaded the bases in the bottom half, but couldn’t score. UConn commit Bryce Detwiler got Ben Kulp to ground out with the infield in. Chase Ulrich, who came off the bench, lined out to shortstop to end the threat. Gov. Mifflin had another opportunity to score in the 8th, but Grim popped out to first base with the bases juiced. The Mustangs had men on first and second with one out in the 9th, but failed to score again. Austin Snyder got a strikeout and a ground out. The junior picked up the win in relief. He had only pitched 2.2 innings all season. Gabel, Christo Hunsicker, and Fiorini hit consecutive singles off Detwiler in the 9th to set off a celebration by the Bulldogs. Gabel, Kennedy, Kulp, and Tommy Hunsicker had two hits apiece. Gabel, a promising sophomore shortstop, is batting .464. Casantini finished with three of Gov. Mifflin’s nine hits. Detwiler added two hits and a couple of runs. The Mustangs made three errors. They had to shuffle their outfielders around after two players missed practice on Sunday. Meanwhile, Wilson got some good news from Penn State commit Matt VanOstenbridge. The All-County southpaw is hoping to return to the mound on Wednesday. He’s been dealing with some back tightness. The Bulldogs have four games in five days this week. The race in Division 1 got tighter after Wilson held off its rival. “Definitely super important…we’ve been a little down recently and this could get us back to where we’re supposed to be,” said Christo Hunsicker.

Tommy Hunsicker-Wilson

Paul Roberts — Wed, 08 Nov 2023 16:46:00 +0000

There’s no substitute for experience. Tommy Hunsicker has made big strides in his second season as Wilson’s starting quarterback. His completion percentage has increased from 55% to 66% and his passing yardage has nearly doubled. The 6’1, 185-pound senior has gone from 10TD-9INT to 23TD-4INT. Hunsicker has thrown for 2,074 yards while leading the team with 517 rushing yards and eight more touchdowns. He’s spreading the ball around this year. Madyk Gruber, Correll Akings, and Eddie Case each have between 23 and 27 receptions. Gruber has a team-high 8TD catches and Case is averaging 22 yards per catch. They’re putting up 32 points a night. The (7-3) Bulldogs hold the current state record with 48 consecutive winning seasons. The program is sitting on 600 all-time victories. “I try not to take it for granted. You get to meet a lot of people in this position, make the most of it,” said Hunsicker. Wilson had won seven games in a row before falling to undefeated Manheim Township 49-34 in the regular season finale. The Bulldogs other losses were to Central Dauphin in overtime and Roman Catholic. “We feel like we’re prepared for anybody that we play,” mentioned Hunsicker. #5 seed Wilson travels to #4 Cumberland Valley on Friday for a District 3-6A quarterfinal. The (6-4) Eagles are also battle-tested. Their losses came against Manheim Township, Harrisburg, Central York, and Spring-Ford. Cumberland Valley is riding a five-game winning streak. The Eagles are (9-6) all-time versus the Bulldogs. These programs have combined for twenty District 3 championships with Cumberland Valley claiming thirteen titles. Former Wilson star quarterback Chad Henne has been on the sideline this fall as a volunteer coach. The 15-year NFL veteran retired after winning two Super Bowls with the Chiefs. Henne was a four-year starter for the Bulldogs and Michigan Wolverines. “It’s definitely been helpful, the little tips that he can give me basically every play,” replied Hunsicker. The more experience, the better.

Tommy Hunsicker-Wilson

Paul Roberts — Fri, 12 May 2023 17:47:00 +0000

It’s easy to understand why Tommy Hunsicker feels comfortable whenever Matt VanOstenbridge is on the mound. The junior left-hander was brilliant in the BCIAA quarterfinals against #7 seed Oley Valley. VanOstenbridge held the (13-8) Lynx to two hits over six innings in Wilson’s 6-0 victory at Muhlenberg. He struck out eight and walked none. “Every time he goes out there we feel like we got the best chance to win…He brings energy on the mound. He’s special,” said Hunsicker. VanOstenbridge has piled up 69 strikeouts while holding opponents to 26 hits over 47.2 frames. The second-seeded Bulldogs got on the board in the 1st when Evan Gabaldon scored on a wild pitch by freshman Chase Kegerise. The young southpaw issued a pair of walks in the bottom of the 1st. Hunsicker singled in the 3rd and eventually scored on a sacrifice fly to left field by his younger brother, Christo. Wilson added three runs in the 4th inning. Mason Sensenig and Tommy Hunsicker provided RBI singles. Hunsicker, a junior third baseman, and catcher Jordan Shutter each went 2-for-3. The (14-6) Bulldogs got eight hits from six different players. They extended their winning streak to seven. “At the beginning of the season, I think we were a little too loose. We tightened it up. We’ve been able to figure out a happy medium,” noted Hunsicker. Junior shortstop Paul Petersen replaced Kegerise after four innings. Nick Fiorini scored on a wild pitch in the 5th to make it 6-0. Kegerise gave up five runs, four earned, on six hits and three walks. The Division 3 champions defeated Wilson 8-6 in the county semifinals last year. This season the Bulldogs are moving on to FirstEnergy Stadium. They face #3 seed Muhlenberg at 9am on Saturday. VanOstenbridge is unavailable after throwing 83 pitches on Thursday. Tommy Hunsicker has confidence in Nick Crocona, Ben Kulp, and his brother. “They’ve done their job and we’ve got some big wins with them on the mound,” replied Hunsicker. Christo Hunsicker, a promising sophomore, struck out two in a clean 7th inning against the Lynx.

Christo Hunsicker-Wilson

Paul Roberts — Tue, 18 Apr 2023 01:03:00 +0000

Wilson and Gov. Mifflin aren’t just rivals. They’ve been two of the top baseball programs in District 3 for several years. The Mustangs entered the week riding an 8-game winning streak. They had outscored their opponents by an astounding margin of 85-6 during that stretch. The Bulldogs were looking forward to the challenge on Monday afternoon in Shillington. Christo Hunsicker delivered a tiebreaking 2-run triple in the top of the 7th inning that propelled Wilson to a 6-3 victory. “It feels great. When we play good competition, it’s really fun,” said Hunsicker. It was scoreless through three innings which wasn’t a surprise considering who was on the mound. UConn commit Tyler Minick made his first start this season for Gov. Mifflin. He was (4-0) with a 0.93 ERA last year. Promising southpaw Matt VanOstenbridge was on the mound for the Bulldogs. The junior has a-half dozen Division I offers. Senior catcher Jordan Shutter got Wilson on the board first with a single to center field that scored Hunsicker in the 4th. The Bulldogs took a 2-0 advantage on one of several odd plays. Catcher Darien Troche threw down to second base. Ethan Grim was supposed to cut off the throw during an attempted steal. The ball deflected off Grim’s glove and hit shortstop Bryce Detwiler in the head. That allowed Nick Crocona to race home from third base. Troche knocked in the Mustangs’ first run with a single to left in the bottom of the frame. In the top of the 6th, Crocona came to the plate with men on second and third and nobody out. Grim, who moved to the outfield after a pitching change, made a diving catch of Crocona’s line drive down the left field line. Hunsicker appeared to score easily after tagging up, but the umpire ruled that he left early. A sacrifice fly turned into a double play. Wilson did tack on a run when Shutter provided another RBI single. Gov. Mifflin got a pair of runs in the bottom of the 6th to even the Division 1 matchup at 3-3. Xander Velez scored on a wild pitch by VanOstenbridge. The lefty was replaced by Crocona with one out and two men on base. Jon Radwanski then hit a grounder back to Crocona who turned and fired to second base to start a double play. However, the Mustangs’ runners were on second and third. The tying run scored on that strange sequence. Crocona, a senior right-hander who also plays football and basketball, composed himself and got out of the 6th without any further damage. Tommy Hunsicker, Christo’s older brother, and Rafael Fernandez set the stage with back-to-back singles in the top of the 7th. Christo Hunsicker followed with a two-out triple off Detwiler that was hammered to center field. Matt Novotny came out of the Gov. Mifflin bullpen and gave up a line drive RBI single to center by Nick Fiorini. Crocona picked up the win with a scoreless 7th inning. The (7-3, 3-2) Bulldogs piled up eleven hits. The (9-2, 5-1) Mustangs were held to four, two coming from Minick. Wilson has won five of its last six contests. VanOstenbridge allowed three runs, two earned, over 5.1 innings. He struck out nine, walked three, and hit two batters. Minick permitted two runs on four hits in four innings with five strikeouts. Detwiler took the loss. He was charged with four runs on six hits in 2.2 innings. Tommy Hunsicker, Fiorini, and Shutter had two hits apiece. Christo Hunsicker was 3-for-4 with two runs. The first baseman mentioned that he gets along well with his brother. “He takes me to school every day and we get to hang out a lot. I’m just glad we have such a good relationship,” said Christo. He’ll certainly have a lot to talk about with Tommy on their car ride to school on Tuesday morning.

Tommy Hunsicker-Wilson

Paul Roberts — Sat, 24 Sep 2022 01:41:00 +0000

Tommy Hunsicker’s stats were modest through the first four games of the season. The 6’1, 185-pound junior had a breakout performance against Cedar Crest on Friday in West Lawn. Hunsicker tossed three touchdown passes in a 36-13 victory over the Falcons. He finished 8-of-12 for 127 yards. Hunsicker added 81 rushing yards on ten carries. He even caught a pass that was deflected back to him and picked up eleven yards. He understands what it means to play the same position as former Wilson stars Kerry Collins and Chad Henne. “It’s special. It’s an honor, but I know it comes with hard work. There’s a lot more work to be done, especially if I want to get somewhere like they are,” he said. The (4-1) Bulldogs were on top 15-7 at halftime thanks to a pair of touchdown runs from Cam Jones. The Holy Cross commit went untouched off right tackle from 27 yards away for a 15-0 edge early in the second quarter. Jones piled up 113 yards on only eight carries. The all-state selection spun out of a tackle and raced down the left sideline for a 48-yard touchdown reception with seven minutes remaining in the third quarter. Wilson led 29-7 at that point. Hunsicker opened the second half with a 35-yard touchdown pass to Eddie Case. The 6’3 junior wide receiver made a spectacular diving catch over the middle. Hunsicker told me it was the first time they ran that play this year. Hunsicker later hit tight end Brady Kline on a 5-yard shovel pass midway through the final period. That score concluded a 75-yard drive. Hunsicker believes that Kline, a 210-pound sophomore, has a bright future. “He got on the field as a freshman at Wilson which is impressive by itself. He played great last year. He’s been really reliable for us this year. He’s always gonna make a play,” said Hunsicker. Cedar Crest allowed 395 total yards including 267 on the ground. The Bulldogs averaged 8.9 yards per carry. Falcons’ senior quarterback Jay Huber injured his right knee on the opening possession. He returned at the beginning of the third quarter, but that didn’t last long. Huber’s knee buckled as he dropped back to pass and the 6’2, 195-pound signal caller crumbled to the turf. Cedar Crest has lost 19 straight to the Bulldogs. The (2-3) Falcons went for it on fourth-and-eight at midfield on their first two series. Both possessions came to a halt on incomplete passes. Wilson took advantage of the short fields with scoring drives that totaled 98 yards. Hunsicker emphasized that the team has improved dramatically since a 46-15 loss to Roman Catholic in Week 1. “On the offensive side, we’ve come together a lot more. We’ve stopped looking around and started looking at ourselves. It’s been a lot more intense in practice,” he replied. Cedar Crest managed 177 total yards. Jackson Custer took over for Huber at quarterback. The 5’11. 165-pound sophomore ended up 7-of-18 for 70 yards. Fernando Marquez ran for 23 yards and a touchdown on 17 carries. Ethan Heisey was in action for the first time this season. The 6’3, 195-pound wide receiver missed four contests with a wrist injury. He had a game-high four catches for 27 yards. Nolan Groff, a 6’1 senior, was limited to three grabs for 38 yards. Nick Weitzel and Nick Crocona each had seven tackles for the Bulldogs. Hunsicker loves playing at Gurski Stadium. “It’s amazing. [I] waited for this my whole life. It’s a great atmosphere [with] a ton of fans,” he stated. We talked about his favorite NFL quarterbacks and his favorite baseball players. Hunsicker started at third base as a sophomore at Wilson. He enjoys watching Bryce Harper and Francisco Lindor. We also discussed his favorite teachers. The Bulldogs have won 16 consecutive league games. They visit rival Gov. Mifflin next Saturday afternoon.