Kutztown – Berks Sports Report

Chris Bergstrom-Kutztown

Paul Roberts — Tue, 16 Jul 2024 21:37:57 +0000

Kutztown and Reading combined for 16 runs when they met in the winner’s bracket final of the Berks County Legion playoffs on Saturday. The second-seeded Cougars and top-seeded Groundhogs squared off again on Monday for the championship, but this time runs were at a premium. Chris Bergstrom’s two-out, RBI single in the 8th gave Kutztown a dramatic 1-0 victory over Reading. “Something I haven’t felt before, it was awesome. It was a great feeling to bring the [championship] home to Kutztown,” said Bergstrom. Colin Hamm was hit by a pitch to start the bottom of the 8th inning. A sacrifice bunt by Ashton Dunn moved courtesy runner Corey Gilbert to second. After a pop out to second base, the Groundhogs opted to intentionally walk Colin Diehl. The leadoff hitter was 2-for-3 with a pair of singles. Bergstrom was grateful for the opportunity. “That motivated me. I was smiling. I was ready,” he said. The rising junior hit a ground ball between shortstop and third base. Gilbert scored easily from second to kickoff a celebration on the infield. Bergstrom was mobbed by his teammates. He mentioned that he was sitting on a fastball and that’s what he got. The Cougars went (5-0) in the double-elimination tournament. Southpaw Ashton Dunn and Reading’s Joelian Zapata both went the distance. Zapata allowed four hits and walked three. He struck out six. Dunn tossed a one-hitter with seven strikeouts and three walks. “Ashton Dunn pitched a hell of a game…they didn’t know what he was throwing. He was mixing in all of his pitches,” noted Bergstrom. The Groundhogs left the bases loaded in the top of the 2nd frame. Nestor Rosario hit a line drive to center that was caught by Kaden Kerecz and turned into a double play. Reading had another chance to get on the board in the 5th inning, but Zapata flew out with a runner on third to end the threat. Franllis Santos’ single in the 5th was the lone hit for the Groundhogs. Kutztown committed three errors. The Cougars still managed to hoist the trophy in their first season back in the Berks League. Kutztown and Reading qualified for the Region 2 tournament which begins on Saturday at Lower Macungie.

Tim Mertz-Kutztown

Paul Roberts — Fri, 24 May 2024 12:35:00 +0000

Denver Ostrum’s pitching statistics didn’t jump off the page this season. The Delone Catholic senior had a 4.28 ERA entering the District 3-2A championship at Wenger Field in Fredericksburg. Kutztown wasn’t able to figure out the right-hander on Thursday night. Ostrum hurled a complete game four-hitter in a 7-1 victory over the fourth-seeded Cougars. “We were hitting a lot of fly balls. We didn’t hit line drives. We didn’t hit hard ground balls,” said longtime coach Tim Mertz. Ostrum struck out five and only walked one. The second-seeded Squires got a pair of runs in the 2nd on consecutive RBI doubles by Ethan Little and J.D. Sieg. Delone Catholic tacked on three more runs in the third frame. Chris Cole hit a bloop single to center to make it 3-1. Kole Schuler replaced Colten Mathias with bases loaded and two outs. Schuler walked Little and then threw a wild pitch to give the Squires a 5-1 edge. Nicolas Pierce provided a two-run single down the right field line for a 7-1 advantage in the 5th. Mathias suffered a lower back injury in early April. “He wasn’t as dominant as he had been prior to that,” noted Mertz. The junior righty was charged with five runs on five hits and two walks in 2.2 innings. Schuler allowed two runs on four hits over two frames. Ashton Dunn, a junior southpaw, tossed 1.1 hitless innings for Kutztown. The bottom of the order did a lot of damage for Delone Catholic. Little, Sieg, and Pierce combined for five hits and 5 RBI. “We did not expect that and my scouting report did not show that at all,” said Mertz. Little and Sieg each went 2-for-2. Aidan Wittmer contributed two hits and a walk. The senior shortstop began the day with a team-high .383 batting average. The (14-7) Squires claimed their third District 3 title and second in the past three years. The Cougars finished (12-11). Their only run came in the 3rd on an infield single by Chase Sleboda. Chase Schuler came around to score on the play due to a throwing error by Wittmer. Mertz, who wrapped up his 24th season as head coach with 362 career wins, is optimistic about the future. He only had two seniors in the starting lineup. Mathias, Dunn, and Chris Bergstrom will all return on the mound next year. Kutztown will compete in Class 3A in 2025. “We should be a really solid pitching staff and team next year,” stated Mertz. The Cougars will be hunting their seventh District 3 championship next spring.

Brandon Shurr-Berks Catholic

Paul Roberts — Tue, 23 Apr 2024 16:15:00 +0000

Berks Catholic got production up and down its batting order in a 12-8 win over Kutztown. The Saints piled up 15 hits in a battle of division leaders on Monday. Head coach Brandon Shurr likes the depth in his lineup. “I think it’s one of our strengths as a team. We don’t have a big drop off,” he emphasized. Outfielders Michael Bradley and Mikey Fidler combined for six hits, four runs, and 3RBI. They hit seventh and ninth respectively. The Cougars scored twice in the opening frame thanks to a sacrifice fly and a passed ball. Berks Catholic responded with a pair of runs in the bottom half of the inning. Third baseman Aidan Curley stroked a line drive single to center to get the Saints on the board. Bradley then walked with the bases loaded. He’s hitting .455 with a team-high 13 runs this season. Berks Catholic exploded for seven runs in the 3rd inning. Curley, Maxx Mace, Fidler, and Dillon Walls provided RBI singles. Dennys Rodriguez drew a walk with the bases full to make it 7-2. Parker Nein followed with a grounder to shortstop. Kutztown got one out, but couldn’t turn the double play. Walls came around from second base to give the Saints two runs on the play. “He really bothers teams when he’s on the bases. He runs the bases really well,” noted Shurr. Walls went 2-for-5 and knocked in two runs. The sophomore middle infielder leads the club with a .500 batting average. Nein added three hits and drove in a couple of runs. The Penn State Harrisburg commit is hitting .483 with a team-high 13RBI. “He’s really our emotional leader. When he has a good game, the other guys attach to him and go with him,” said Shurr. The (7-7, 5-2) Cougars got a run in the 4th when Ashton Dunn stole third and scored on a throwing error. Dunn’s RBI single to right field in the 5th pulled Kutztown within 9-4. Nein hit a double down the third base line in the bottom of that inning to put Berks Catholic on top 10-4. Fidler and Walls gave the Saints some insurance runs in the 6th with RBI singles. Trey Stricker improved to (3-0, 3.71). The junior righty allowed six runs, five earned, on ten hits over six innings. Stricker struck out nine and walked only one. He has 22 strikeouts in 17 innings. Colten Mathias took the loss. The junior was charged with five runs, four earned, in just two innings. Mathias gave up five hits and walked three. Sophomore Chris Bergstrom allowed three runs on three hits without getting an out. Kole Schuler then took over on the mound. The senior limited Berks Catholic to two runs over three innings. Colin Hamm finished with four of the Cougars’ twelve hits. He had a two-run single off Mace in the 7th. Leadoff hitter Colin Diehl was 3-for-3 with a walk. Kutztown had won seven of its previous ten games. The Cougars remain atop the Division 4 standings. They captured their sixth District 3 championship and reached the PIAA-2A semifinals last year. Meanwhile, the (8-2, 6-1) Saints are trying to win the Division 3 crown and qualify for the BCIAA playoffs for the first time since 2018. “It means a lot to be one of our initial goals,” said Shurr.

Brenden Ackley-Kutztown

Paul Roberts — Wed, 09 Aug 2023 13:12:00 +0000

Last fall was Brenden Ackley’s first season with the Kutztown football team. He previously attended St. Marys Memorial High School in Ohio. Ackley made a great first impression in Kutztown. The 5’8, 195-pound fullback rumbled for a team-high 963 yards and eight touchdowns. Ackley averaged 6.7 yards per carry. The rising junior enjoyed running behind Tyler Hallock, the Section 5 Offensive Lineman of the Year. Hallock, a rising senior, is 6’1 and 300 pounds. “It’s a wonderful experience. It’s easy for me to hide behind him. He can collapse holes pretty well,” said Ackley. The (3-7, 2-5) Cougars averaged 5.6 yards a pop as a team. They finished tied for fifth place in a competitive new section that includes Lancaster Catholic, Hamburg, Schuylkill Valley, and Annville-Cleona. All four of those squads reached the District 3 playoffs. Kutztown split its last four games with victories over Northern Lebanon and Columbia. Ackley likes the chemistry among the returning players. He replied, “We’re coming pretty close together. Everyone is starting to know each other and even the young guys feel comfortable approaching the older guys, and think of us like family.” The Cougars currently have about 50 players on the roster. In 2022, that number was just 36 with only two seniors. Ackley expects running backs Jayden Swoyer and Jayce Gruber to be bigger factors in the Cougars’ run-heavy offense this year. Swoyer had 40 carries a season ago as a sophomore and Gruber got 36 touches. Gruber is a player to watch on the other side of the ball at linebacker. Ackley is expecting big things from senior defensive end Noah Ferrizzi. Ackley also enjoyed talking about his favorite bands and the team’s recent trip to Shady Maple.

Kutztown falls to Mount Union

Paul Roberts — Wed, 14 Jun 2023 12:07:00 +0000

Kutztown’s postseason ride came to an end on Tuesday at Big Spring High School. Perennial power Mount Union beat the Cougars 5-2 in the PIAA-2A semifinals. The (25-2) Trojans entered the game with a lofty team batting average of .371. Eight players in their lineup had at least one hit. Cameron Donaldson and Braylan Knable homered off of Bryce Schafer. Donaldson also doubled and knocked in two runs. Knable launched his seventh homer of the season. He’s hitting .424 with a dozen extra-base hits. Landon Chrisemer was 2-for-3. He scored a run and drove in another. Schafer, who was brilliant in the District 3-2A championship, allowed five runs, four earned, on eleven hits. He struck out seven over 5.1 innings. Mount Union got a pair of runs in the first frame, one in the 5th, and two in the 6th inning. Kutztown was limited to three hits. Both of the runs for the (19-7) Cougars came in the bottom of the 6th. Sophomore Colin Diehl went 1-for-1 with two walks and a RBI. Bryce Danish tossed five shutout innings with seven strikeouts. He walked three and threw 104 pitches. Danish (10-1, 0.92) has 101 punch outs in 60.2 innings this year. The Trojans’ ace has given up just 33 hits. Cainen Atherton replaced Danish and was charged with two runs, one earned, in one inning of work. Mount Union overcame four errors. Sophomore Colten Mathias fired 1.2 hitless innings in relief of Schafer. The Trojans will face District 6 champ Bald Eagle Area on Friday at 10:30am at Penn State. Mount Union is looking for its fifth state championship and first since 2019. Riverside is the only baseball program in Pennsylvania with as many state titles as the Trojans. Meanwhile, seniors Dalton Furst, Matt Remick, Nick Hugo, Dom Pizzelanti, and Schafer played their final game in a Cougars’ uniform. That special group led Kutztown to its sixth District 3 championship.

Schafer Throws Another Gem-Kutztown

Paul Roberts — Fri, 09 Jun 2023 09:40:00 +0000

Bryce Schafer tossed a complete game 5-hitter in Kutztown’s win over Halifax in the District 3-2A championship. The senior right-hander was back at work in the state quarterfinals on Thursday night at Pine Grove. Schafer threw six scoreless innings in a 9-0 victory over District 4 runner-up South Williamsport. The Kutztown University commit allowed just three hits and struck out five. 60 of his 88 pitches were strikes. Schafer also went 1-for-4 and drove in three runs. The (19-6) Cougars scored twice in the first inning which included a double by all-division catcher Nick Hugo. Kutztown blew it open with six runs in the 5th to go up 9-0. Dalton Furst provided three of the Cougars’ nine hits. The all-county selection scored a pair of runs. No. 9 hitter Ashton Dunn went 2-for-3. The sophomore outfielder had 2 RBI. Shortstop Matt Remick was 1-for-3 with a walk and three runs out of the leadoff spot. Noah Turner took the loss for the (15-6) Mountaineers. The junior entered the day with a 3.08 ERA and 50 strikeouts in 59 innings. He gave up six runs, five earned, on seven hits over 4.1 innings. Turner ends the season with a record of (8-2). Senior Alex Neidig came into the contest hitting .423. He was 1-for-2 with a walk. Neidig replaced Turner on the mound and was charged with three runs, one earned. He allowed a hit and two walks while getting just one out. The Mounties committed two errors. South Williamsport head coach Casey Waller has ties to Berks County. He was an 11th round draft pick by the Phillies in 1989. Waller played for AA Reading from 1990-93. He got as high as AAA in the Phillies’ minor league system. Waller led Loyalsock to a state championship and also coached at Hughesville. Meanwhile, Kutztown is headed to the Class 2A state semifinals. The Cougars will take on District 6 runner-up Mount Union on Monday.

PIAA Baseball Playoffs

Paul Roberts — Fri, 02 Jun 2023 11:03:00 +0000

Three Berks County baseball teams qualified for the state playoffs. Congratulations to Wilson, Muhlenberg, and Kutztown for advancing to the PIAA tournament. The action begins on Monday all across Pennsylvania. Here are the first round matchups involving the Bulldogs, Muhls, and Cougars.

Class 6A

District 3 runner-up Wilson meets District 1 champion Central Bucks West at 4pm at Villanova Ballpark in Plymouth Meeting.

Class 5A

Muhlenberg, the fifth place finisher from District 3, plays District 7 champ Shaler at 2pm at North Allegheny High School in Wexford.

Class 2A

District 3 champion Kutztown travels to District 2 champ Elk Lake in Springville at 4:30pm.

Nick Hugo-Kutztown

Paul Roberts — Fri, 26 May 2023 10:17:00 +0000

Nick Hugo had the best seat at Wenger Field in Fredericksburg to see Bryce Schafer toss a complete game gem in the District 3-2A championship. Hugo is a two-time all-division catcher for the Cougars. Schafer is also his best friend. “He left it all out there. He’s been fighting through arm injuries all year. To see him go do that in the District championship was awesome, so proud of him,” said Hugo. Second-seeded Kutztown defeated top-seeded Halifax 5-1 for its sixth District 3 title. Only Chambersburg (11) and Oley Valley (9) have claimed more District 3 gold than the Cougars. Hugo is one of five seniors on this year’s club and all five are starters. “We’ve been best friends for 3-4 years. I don’t think we could have the success we’ve had if we weren’t this tight-knit. We’re gonna be brothers for life,” emphasized Hugo. Dom Pizzelanti got Kutztown on the board in the top of the 2nd on a double steal. The (17-6) Cougars got a pair of runs in the third frame. Kole Schuler had a RBI infield single and Schafer launched a solo homer that barely stayed fair down the right field line. The ball just got over the fence which is 320 feet away. The (20-3-1) Wildcats didn’t have a hit until Briar Campbell’s bloop single in the 4th inning. Kutztown made it 5-0 in the 6th on a RBI single by designated hitter Colin Hamm and a bases loaded walk to Matt Remick. Halifax finally got on the board in the 7th thanks to triples by Brandon Schell and Ben Kline. Schafer struck out Will Steinhauer to end the Wildcats’ 12-game winning streak. The Kutztown University commit threw 99 pitches and 70 were strikes. Schafer allowed five hits with five strikeouts and two walks. He contained a lineup that was hitting .341 as a team. Schell went 5+ innings. The sophomore gave up five runs, four earned, on seven hits. He hit two batters and walked one. Bloomsburg commit Judah Miller wasn’t available after pitching in a 1-0 semifinal victory over Delone Catholic on Monday. Miller was (9-1, 1.48) this season with 86 strikeouts and twelve walks in 66 innings. Schafer, Schuler, and Hamm each had two hits. The Cougars didn’t make an error while Halifax had two. “We pride ourselves on our defense…defense wins championships,” stated Hugo. He was 1-for-4 with a run. Remick, a two-time all-division selection, played a flawless game at shortstop. Hugo joked that he became a catcher when he was seven or eight years old because he was one of the only kids who wasn’t scared of the ball. He’s going to Saint Joseph’s University to study finance. But first, Hugo and the Cougars are headed to the state playoffs.

Tim Mertz-Kutztown

Paul Roberts — Tue, 12 Apr 2022 21:13:00 +0000

I asked Kutztown head coach Tim Mertz what his expectations were before the season. Mertz paused, and then paused some more. Finally, with a grin on his face, he collected his thoughts and said he has high hopes. In his humble fashion, Mertz referred to his team as “solid.” It was very apparent that the longtime skipper didn’t want to go overboard. However, Mertz is well aware that 2022 could be much more than a solid year for the Cougars. He knows a quality ball club when he sees one. Mertz is the winningest coach in school history with a record of (319-171). He has more victories than any active coach in the Berks League. Mertz guided Kutztown to District 3 championships in 2006, 2007, and 2019. The Cougars finished as the state runner-up in 2007. They fell to Bald Eagle Area 6-1. Mertz is in his 22nd season as manager. The Kutztown graduate told me that he wouldn’t coach anywhere else. He added that being around the players keeps him feeling young. The Cougars knocked off Brandywine Heights 4-2 on Monday night. Grant Fitzgerald allowed two runs on six hits over six frames. The senior lefty struck out eight and helped himself with an RBI single in a 3-run fifth inning. The Alvernia commit earned his second win in just four days. Mertz thought Fitzgerald kept the Bullets off-balance with his changeup and curveball. He gave credit to the hitters for showing discipline and laying off the high fastball of promising junior Carson Renner. Fitzgerald and Renner were all-division selections a season ago. Both teams have a lot of experience. Pinch-hitter Bryce Schafer tied the game at 2-2 with a sacrifice fly in the fifth. Mertz emphasized that Schafer has been working hard after shoulder surgery. He’s cleared to swing, but can’t play defense. Ian Fenerty delivered a go-ahead RBI double before Fitzgerald drove in the final run. Matt Remick had two strikeouts in a perfect seventh inning. All-division catcher Nick Hugo chipped in with two singles. Each squad had six hits. Renner gave up four runs, three earned, in 4.2 innings with three strikeouts. The (1-3, 0-1) Bullets captured the Division 4 title last year under Chris Cole. He stepped down after 18 seasons, 230 wins, two District 3 championships, and the 2009 state crown. Ron “BooBoo” Schaeffer Jr., a 2003 Central Catholic grad and former Penn State-York head coach, has taken over for Cole. Jesse Breunig and Jaeger Smeltz had RBI singles for Brandywine Heights on Monday. Mertz was very happy with the outcome at Timothy Breidegam Field. He replied, “It’s early, but this is huge.” We talked about the race in Division 4, as well as the competition in the Berks League. Mertz doesn’t think there’s one juggernaut in the county this year. The (3-2, 2-0) Cougars are ready to prove that last season’s (9-12, 4-7) campaign was an aberration.

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.