Top-seeded Mustangs all business as they chase record 15th Berks baseball title
Faced with the possibility of a rare morning start for Saturday’s Berks Baseball League semifinals, Gov. Mifflin coach Chris Hole joked that he planned to institute a bed check the night before.
The top-seeded Mustangs aren’t joking around, though. They’re serious about winning a record 15th Berks championship, especially after getting knocked out in the opening round last season, when they entered with a 19-1 record and a prohibitive favorite.
They showed that by scoring eight first-inning runs Thursday in a 12-0 quarterfinal wipeout of Brandywine Heights, and with their attitude afterward.
“It’s a great win,” said senior captain Tyler Minick, who homered, “but we’ve gotta stay focused and get ready for the next one.”
He alluded to last year’s 6-1 loss to Oley Valley; the Mustangs ( 16-4) have been on a mission all season to make up for that missed opportunity.
They’ll take the next step Saturday when they face fifth-seeded Fleetwood (13-7) in the second game of a semifinals doubleheader at FirstEnergy Stadium.
Second-seeded Wilson (14-6) and third-seeded Muhlenberg (13-7) open things at 9 a.m.; the Mustangs and Tigers follow 30 minutes after the conclusion of the opener.
The championship is Monday at 6:05 at FirstEnergy Stadium.
Muhlenberg, Mifflin, and Wilson are the last three county champs. In fact, those three teams have accounted for the last seven BCIAA championships and 38 overall – exactly half of all the county titles since the first was played in 1945.
Muhlenberg won last season in dominant fashion, beating Kutztown 9-4, Exeter 10-7 and Oley Valley 11-3. Mifflin won the season before, beating Wilson 5-4 in the title game. The Bulldogs were champs in 2019, edging Hamburg 4-3 in the finale. (There was no championship in 2020.)
Fleetwood’s last championship came in 2012. The Tigers, by the way, went 3-2 in their crossover match-ups this season.
Berks I teams have dominated over the past decade; the five current Division I teams have won eight straight titles, starting with Reading High in 2014. That figures to be the case this year, with three Berks I teams in the final four.
“You get out of Division I and, if nothing else, you are battle-tested,” said Hole. “The key is to come out and play your game, not beat yourself, play a clean game and get good pitching, and that’s the formula for success, especially in playoff baseball.”
The Mustangs played the Tigers once this season, winning 12-0 in five innings at Fleetwood. Bryce Detwiler pitched the first four innings in that game and also homered. Minick homered, as well. One of them will get the start on the mound Saturday. Detwiler leads the league with a 6-1 record and has a 1.77 ERA. Minick didn’t return to the rotation until midseason and has a 1.75 ERA and 23 strikeouts over 16 innings.
The Mustangs’ rotation is missing last year’s Pitcher of the Year, Alexander Velez. He’s been shut down for over a month with arm soreness. He remains the lineup, playing first base.
Mifflin is also missing Darien Troche behind the plate; he has an arm injury and is restricted to DH duties.
Fleetwood threw it’s ace, Jake Karnish, in its 5-2 win over Kutztown Thursday. It’ll likely go with Liam Hilburt, who’s 2-0 with a 3.11 ERA over 18 innings. Ryan Moser, who pitched the final three innings against the Cougars, is also eligible to go after throwing 48 pitches Thursday; he figures to come out of the bullpen.
Wilson and Muhlenberg split their two meetings this season, each winning at home.
The Muhls won 9-2 on April 12, handing Bulldogs ace Matt VanOstenbridge one of his two losses. He allowed four hits and five runs, four earned, over three innings. Dalton Follweiler earned the win with six innings of work; he can’t go Saturday after throwing a complete game Thursday in a 6-3 win over Daniel Boone.
That means Drew Fidler likely will be on the mound for the Muhls. He started against Wilson on May 1 when the Bulldogs won 9-7 at Wilson West.
The Bulldogs can’t pitch VanOstenbridge, who went six innings and threw 83 pitches Thursday in a 6-0 win over Oley Valley. They could go with sophomore Christo Hunsicker, who’s 3-0 with a 1.94 ERA over 21 2/3 innings or Nick Crocona, who’s 4-0 with a 3.50 ERA.
The Bulldogs enter with a seven-game winning streak; their last loss to a Berks opponent came April 21 against Conrad Weiser, 4-2.
