It’s time to . . . Play Ball!

The skies are clear, the temperature is warming up, the fields are dry . . . it’s time to Play Ball!

The first day of Spring also marks Opening Day in Berks baseball, with four teams beginning their season with home games: Antietam, Brandywine Heights, Hamburg and Reading High.

Fleetwood, Oley Valley and Schuylkill Valley open play Tuesday.

By the end of the week every Berks team will have played at least one official game, with the exception of Berks Catholic and Twin Valley; they each open next Monday, March 27.

Actually, Gov. Mifflin opened the season on Saturday, with a 6-4 win over Mount Saint Joseph’s of Maryland. The Mustangs are one of several Berks teams which traveled to Myrtle Beach, S.C., for a little spring training action. Alexander Velez earned the first win of the season and Tyler Minick the first save.

That game will count on the Mustangs’ record, but not for the District 3 power ratings because their opponent was not a PIAA member.

Mifflin will be back at it on Pennsylvania soil Tuesday afternoon, when it plays at Dallastown.

The Mustangs are one three defending division champions, along with Hamburg in Berks 3 and Kutztown in Berks 4, favored to repeat as champs. Mifflin went 11-1 in Berks 1 play last season.

Muhlenberg, the Berks 2 champ last season, is the only division champ that can’t repeat – only because it has moved to Berks 1. Twin Valley, the Berks 2 runner-up last season, is the favorite this season.

The Muhls went 10-1 in league play last season and beat Oley Valley in the league championship game.

Look for division previews and the top players to watch throughout the week on MikeDragoSports.com.