Luke Weller of Exeter is UECU Player of the Week
Luke Weller recently moved into the cleanup spot in Exeter’s batting order. And that’s exactly what he’s done: Clean up.
The Exeter senior collected five RBIs on back-to-back days last week, powering the Eagles to wins over Daniel Boone and Cedar Crest.
“In my 27 years coaching, he may have had the best week of any athlete to come through Exeter High School,” said Eagles coach Justin Freese. “It was crazy. I think the baseball looks like a softball to him right now.”
Weller batted .700, scored five runs and had four extra-base hits over three games last week to earn Utilities Employees Credit Union Player of the Week honors.
He had three hits and scored three runs in a 16-5 win over Daniel Boone on Wednesday and two doubles and a single in an 11-1 win over Cedar Crest the next day.
“He’s just seeing the ball extremely well right now,” Freese said. “He’s hitting pretty much any pitch that’s thrown; he’s hitting with two strikes.
“The guys at the top of the order did a great job of getting on base for him, and then he came through with some clutch hitting — and a lot of it with two outs.
“He’s done a really nice job of taking advantage of hitting with guys on base.”
Freese credits Weller’s growth at the plate to an offseason that saw him put in a lot of time hitting the weights.
“Getting physically stronger has really helped his game,” Freese said. “(That), and the countless hours that he puts in swinging the bat on his own.”
It may have helped that he got away from swinging the bat last fall, when he concentrated on golf and earned All-Berks honors.
Weller has contributed in the field, playing shortstop, and on the mound. He has posted a 2.44 ERA with 20 strikeouts over 14 1/3 innings. He’s been outstanding at short, and hasn’t committed an error; he played third base last season.
Overall, Weller is batting .583 and leads the team with a .633 on-base percentage, 1.042 slugging percentage and a 1.675 OPS. He also has a team-best 13 RBIs, four doubles and two triples.
Weller is the third Utilities Employees Credit Union Player of the Week for 2022 Berks baseball season, and the first from Exeter.
Players considered for Utilities Employees Credit Union Player of the Week honors are nominated by their coaches or by members of the MikeDragoSports.com coverage team.
Also nominated for Utilities Employees Credit Union Player of the Week:
- Aidan Hall, Brandywine Heights
- Ian Fenerty, Kutztown
- Alexander Velez, Gov. Mifflin
- Paul Peterson, Oley Valley
- Kannon Zdimal, Twin Valley
- Matt Kramer, Wyomissing
Previously selected as Utilities Employees Credit Union Player of the Week:
- April 4: Kevin Lawlor, Berks Catholic
- April 11: Conner Licklider, Hamburg
