VanOstenbridge – Berks Sports Report

Matt VanOstenbridge-Wilson

Paul Roberts — Fri, 26 Apr 2024 08:12:00 +0000

Wilson senior Matt VanOstenbridge had to deal with back tightness this season. It’s safe to say that the Bulldogs’ ace is healthy again. The southpaw tossed a one-hitter in a 1-0 victory over Fleetwood last week. On Wednesday, VanOstenbridge was even better. The Penn State commit fired a no-hitter against Exeter in the Berks County High School Baseball Showcase at Owls Field. “It felt amazing. Everything was working, all four pitches…I felt very effortless. I felt very smooth,” he said. Wilson rolled over the Eagles 11-0 in five innings. VanOstenbridge struck out ten, walked one, and hit a batter. The lefty hasn’t allowed an earned run in his last 17 innings. He needed just 68 pitches to get through five frames. VanOstenbridge helped himself with a RBI single in the second inning. C.J. Fernandez followed with a two-run single to center field. Wilson tacked on four runs in the bottom of the 3rd. Cooper Kennedy and freshman Ryan Marmolejos provided RBI singles and VanOstenbridge added a sacrifice fly. Kennedy, a senior outfielder, made it 10-0 with a bases-clearing triple to right-center in the fourth inning. Kennedy and Christo Hunsicker had two hits apiece. Sophomore Jack Gabel went 1-for-3. The shortstop is batting a team-high .422. Nick Fiorini doubled and was hit twice by pitches. The senior center fielder is hitting .413. Fiorini leads the team with 19RBI and nine extra-base hits. “We’re really, really good top to bottom. We don’t have a weak link in our lineup. Our pitching is really good. We have so many arms,” remarked VanOstenbridge. The (10-4, 6-2) Bulldogs are tied with Gov. Mifflin atop Division 1. VanOstenbridge (3-0, 0.52) has 43 strikeouts in 26.2 innings. He’s only given up seven hits. The All-County pick from a season ago explained why he’s headed to Penn State. “It’s close to home. It’s every kid’s dream in Pennsylvania to play for Penn State…The facilities are amazing. The coaches are amazing. Everything about it was the perfect fit,” he replied. Exeter junior Gavin Miller took the loss on Wednesday afternoon. He entered the contest at (6-0) with a 2.36 ERA. Miller was charged with seven runs, five earned, on six hits. He lasted 2.1 innings. Sophomore Liam Porter allowed four runs on four hits for the (8-6, 3-5) Eagles. Meanwhile, Wilson has a mix of experienced players with some young talent. “This is my favorite team. These guys are awesome,” said VanOstenbridge after a Gatorade cooler filled with water was dumped on him.

Matt VanOstenbridge-PSU

Paul Roberts — Tue, 15 Aug 2023 21:37:00 +0000

Matt VanOstenbridge won’t be leaving the state to play college baseball after all. The rising senior at Wilson originally committed to Kent State in mid-May. On Tuesday, however, the southpaw announced that he’ll be going to Penn State.

VanOstenbridge pitched better than his (6-5) record this spring. He had a 2.39 ERA, while allowing just 51 hits in a team-high 70.1 innings. The lefty piled up 91 strikeouts. He walked 19. VanOstenbridge made a dozen starts for the Bulldogs and was 2-for-2 in save opportunities. As a sophomore, he was an all-division pick. The coaches in the BCIAA voted him to the all-county team this year.

Wilson was the runner-up in the Berks County playoffs. The Bulldogs also finished second in the District 3-6A tournament. VanOstenbridge tossed a complete game 4-hitter in a 10-0 victory at second-seeded Cumberland Valley in the quarterfinals. Wilson fell to Central Bucks West 3-0 in the first round of the state playoffs. The Bulldogs finished the season at (19-9).

Matt VanOstenbridge-Wilson

Paul Roberts — Sat, 06 May 2023 09:37:00 +0000

On Senior Night at Owls Field, a junior led Wilson to victory over Gov. Mifflin. Matt VanOstenbridge tossed a two-hitter with eight strikeouts in a 1-0 win. “It’s huge…every sport we have at Wilson it’s huge. We know it’s gonna be a battle every single time,” said VanOstenbridge about the rivalry with the Mustangs. The southpaw has 61 strikeouts and just 11 walks in 41.2 innings this year. He’s only allowed 24 hits. The Bulldogs’ ace threw 95 pitches, 63 for strikes. UConn commit Tyler Minick was on the mound for Gov. Mifflin. He struck out four of the first seven batters he faced. Designated hitter Nick Fiorini opened the bottom of the 4th with an opposite field triple to left. Rafael Fernandez followed with a double to left-center to knock in the lone run. Minick prevented further damage by striking out Charlie Frantz with the bases loaded. The 2022 Berks Player of the Year gave up six hits to six different players over four innings. He struck out eight and walked two. Minick has 23 strikeouts and five walks in 16 frames this season. Matt Novotny took over on the hill. The senior right-hander struck out Jordan Shutter with men on second and third to end the 5th inning. Wilson left nine runners on base. VanOstenbridge didn’t allow a hit until Darien Troche singled to left in the 5th. Bloomsburg commit Xander Velez ripped a one-out double in the 7th. VanOstenbridge punched out Matt Koehler before getting Troche to ground out to third base to end it. The lefty gave credit to the senior class. “They’ve been very good leading our team. [If] we had a bad inning, they get us up, get us cheering and they’ve been doing a really good job,” remarked VanOstenbridge. The (13-4, 9-2) Mustangs had already wrapped up the Division 1 championship. The (12-6, 8-4) Bulldogs extended their winning streak to five. They swept Gov. Mifflin in the regular season. “We’re looking strong heading into the postseason,” said VanOstenbridge. The Berks County quarterfinals are scheduled for Thursday at Muhlenberg and Owls Field. The Bulldogs and Mustangs are two clubs to keep an eye on.