Baseball: Berks IV team-by-team breakdown
2024 Berks baseball coverage presented by
Utilities Employees Credit Union
Kutztown Cougars
PIAA classification: 2A.
Coach: Tim Mertz, 24th season, 350-184.
Last season: 8-3 Berks IV champ, 19-7 overall.
2023 postseason: Berks quarterfinalist, District 3 champ, PIAA semifinalist.
Holes to fill: All-Berks OF Dalton Furst, all-division C Nick Hugo, all-division SS Matt Remick, all-division P Bryce Schafer.
Top players: All-Division 3B/P Kole Schuler, P Colten Mathias, OF/P Colin Diehl.
Key players: CF/P Ashton Dunn, C Colin Hamm, 2B/SS/P Chris Bergstrom, 2B/SS Chase Schuler, INF Corey Gilbert, OF Rob Ott, 2B/SS Elliot Knutsen, INF Chase Sleboda, INF Dominick Rice, C/INF Zane Cherrie.
Outlook: Cougars lost a big chunk of the lineup that propelled them to 19 wins and a district championship a year ago but return the division’s top pitcher in Colten Mathias and key hitters in Kole Schuler, who batted a team-best .418, and Colin Diehl, who led the team with 23 RBIs. Mathias led the team in wins and posted a 1.52 ERA over 50 2/3 innings, second-best in the Berks League.
Tulpehocken Trojans
PIAA classification: 3A.
Coach: Zach Shirk, fourth season, 19-41.
Last season: 3-8 Berks IV, 7-13 overall.
2023 postseason: Did not qualify.
Top players: All-Division P/INF Weston Campbell, all-division C/P Jared Baer, P/INF Nick Becker.
Key players: SS/P Aiden Schwalm, 1B/P Jason Light, OF/C Hank Gehman, OF Carson Snyder, 3B/P/C Grant Gehman, C/DH Logan Coderre, OF Aaron Wilson.
Outlook: With all but two graduated seniors and most of their lineup returning Trojans are expecting to take a big step forward; they are looking to finish with a winning record for the first time in more than a decade. They return a pair of all-division picks in senior Weston Campbell, their leadoff hitter, and junior Jared Baer, their catcher and top hitter. They also return their top pitcher, senior Nick Becker, who posted a 1.42 ERA last season.
Brandywine Heights Bullets
PIAA classification: 3A.
Coach: Chris Cole, 19th season, 230-147.
Last season: 8-3 Berks IV, 12-8 overall.
2023 postseason: Berks quarterfinalist.
Holes to fill: All-Division P/SS Carson Renner, all-division OF Lukas Bojt, 1B Aidan Hall, 2B Joe Crist, OF Jaeger Smeltz.
Top player: All-Division 3B/P Nate Fronheiser.
Key players: C Connor Frisch, OF/P Adam Leib, P/OF Matt Sterner, 1B/3B Ethan Bollinger, OF/P Brady Lieb, C/OF Gio Ferraro, P Patrick Taylor.
Outlook: Bullets took a big graduation hit, with most of their heavy hitters among the 11 seniors moving on. Chris Cole, who took the Bullets to a PIAA championship, returns after a two-year absence to put the pieces together and bring the younger players along. He’ll be counting on senior Nate Fronheiser to lead the way, especially on the mound where he earned all-division honors after going 5-2 and slugging over .500 as a junior. Matt Sterner, a transfer from Berks Catholic, provides a solid No. 2 in the rotation.
Antietam Mounts
PIAA classification: 2A.
Coach: Ron Schaeffer Sr., fourth season, 2-53.
Last season: 0-11 Berks IV, 0-19 overall .
2023 postseason: Did not qualify.
Holes to fill: C Ayden Davis.
Top players: All-Division P/INF Jordan Unger, all-division P/1B Aiden Romberger.
Key players: P/INF Dom Perez, OF Jacob Shrem, OF Davin Garcia, P/3B Ayden Grillo, C Jacob Degler, OF Hayden Dickerson, INF/P Aiden Rumpeltin.
Outlook: Mounts bring back a much more experienced team, including a pair of all-division picks, as they look to snap a 33-game losing streak. Return top hitter in 1B Aiden Romberger, who batted .280.
