Gavin Miller-Exeter

Paul Roberts — Sun, 11 May 2025 12:15:57 +0000

Exeter started this month with a 8-1 loss to Fleetwood. “We were kind of dead. It was the end of the year. We were really tired, but we had a little break and got our get back,” said Gavin Miller. The Eagles were motivated for their BCIAA quarterfinal against the Tigers at FirstEnergy Stadium. Miller threw a complete game five-hitter as Exeter defeated Fleetwood 4-1. The Shepherd University commit finished with five strikeouts and no walks. “I preach don’t let anyone get free on base. It’s very important. It doesn’t let them get the momentum,” emphasized Miller. The hard-throwing senior righty has allowed just 26 hits over 40.2 innings this season. Miller (6-0, 1.38) has piled up 50 strikeouts and only eight walks. The game was suspended on Thursday night at Owls Field due to rain. It resumed on Saturday afternoon in the top of the 2nd with one out and a man on second base. Chase Youse, who entered the day with five hits all season, ripped a RBI double to right-center. The No. 8 hitter went 2-for-2 with a walk on his birthday. Youse knocked in a pair of runs and made a nice catch in center field. The fourth-seeded Tigers stranded a runner on third in the 3rd when Brayden Sobjak lined out sharply to right field. They put men on first and second with one out in the 4th, but Miller got a strikeout and popup to end the threat. Youse began the 5th with a walk. A popup that was dropped would lead to two unearned runs for the fifth-seeded Eagles. Brenton Feathers provided a sacrifice fly to center. Jake Franek followed with a high chopper over the third baseman’s head for a RBI single. A two-out bloop single to center by Youse made it 4-0 in the 6th. Sobjak led off the bottom half of that inning with a triple to right field. He scored Fleetwood’s lone run on an infield single by sophomore Gabe Seidel. Nick Noll took the loss despite pitching well. The senior southpaw went the distance for the (13-6) Tigers. He was charged with four runs, two earned, on nine hits. Noll struck out four and walked one. Carter Redding went 3-for-4 and raised his average to .453. “He had an amazing game…He’s been a really important piece to our team all year. He’s getting on base. He’s very fast,” noted Miller. Redding is going to East Stroudsburg for football. He also played basketball at Exeter. Sophomore catcher Brandon Weller added two hits. The (15-6) Eagles will take on top-seeded Gov. Mifflin in the nightcap at FirstEnergy Stadium on Monday. Wyomissing and Berks Catholic meet in the first Berks League semifinal at 3:30pm. Exeter went (4-8) in league play last spring and missed the postseason. “Last year, we had a very young team. This year, we grew into our own. We trust our coaches and our team chemistry has been a lot better,” stated Miller.

Trey Stricker-Berks Catholic

Paul Roberts — Wed, 16 Apr 2025 13:05:18 +0000

Last spring, Berks Catholic qualified for the BCIAA baseball playoffs for the first time since 2018. The Saints lost 7-2 to Wilson in the first round. They then came up short at James Buchanan 10-8 in the District 3 quarterfinals. Despite a (16-5, 11-1) record, the season ended abruptly. Berks Catholic is looking to go a lot further this year. “I think the squad we have this year can make a really deep run. I believe in every single one of them that’s out there,” said Trey Stricker. The senior pitcher and second baseman is doing his part on the mound and at the plate. Stricker (1-0, 0.27) has 43 strikeouts in 26.1 innings. He’s allowed just 14 hits. The West Chester commit is throwing in the high-80s. The cutter is his favorite pitch. Stricker is working on a changeup to go along with his slider and curveball. He’s also carrying a .432 batting average through eleven games. The (8-3) Saints are hitting .340 as a team. The reigning Division 3 champs have won six of their last seven contests. They got past Oley Valley 3-2 on Monday. Mikey Fidler scored the go-ahead run from second base when the catcher’s pickoff throw went into center field in the 7th. Fidler had two hits and tossed 2.1 innings of scoreless relief. “He has been a huge player for us. He’s a phenomenal kid, a great teammate, always there for everyone. He came up huge,” replied Stricker. Fidler leads Berks Catholic with 21 runs and seven stolen bases. The senior is hitting .424 with a .525 on-base percentage. Owen Schalk provided a pair of hits and two RBI against the Lynx. The junior outfielder has a lofty .459 batting average with a team-high 25 RBI and six extra-base hits. “Good bat to ball skills, he’s hard to get out,” noted Stricker. Shepherd commit Dennys Rodriguez is hitting .407 with four doubles and a 1.106 OPS. Rodriguez and Stricker were All-Division picks a season ago. Aidan Curley has done a nice job on the mound. The junior is (2-1) with a 0.64 ERA. Curley has struck out thirteen over eleven frames. The Saints dropped down from Class 4A to 3A this year. They’re currently third in the District 3 power rankings, just ahead of Kutztown and Wyomissing. Stricker is looking forward to competing in the PSAC. West Chester won Division II national titles in 2012 and 2017. The Rams have made twenty appearances in the NCAA Tournament. “Winning culture, they want to win. They want to do the best that they can and I think that means a lot to a player like me,” said Stricker.

University – Berks Sports Report

Gavin Miller-Exeter

Trey Stricker-Berks Catholic