Berks/LL roster set for Monday’s Carpenter Cup opener (updated)
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Juniors Christo Hunsicker of Wilson and Matt Koehler of Gov. Mifflin are the lone returning players on the 24-player Berks/Lancaster-Lebanon Carpenter Cup roster.
The 38th Carpenter Cup begins Monday with Berks/LL opening against the Inter-Ac Independents at 10:30 at Richie Ashburn Field at FDR Park in Philadelphia.
With Gov. Mifflin scheduled to play a PIAA semifinal that afternoon, Koehler won’t be able to take part in the opening round of the 16-team, single-elimination tournament.
The Berks/LL squad is relatively young, with eight sophomores, and includes only two All-Berks picks, Matt VanOstenbridge of Wilson and Parker Nein of Berks Catholic. (VanOstenbridge was added after the Bulldogs’ season ended Thursday.)
Twenty-three of the 24 players are from Berks schools; catcher Ethan Gola of Ephrata is the lone Lancaster County player.
The Berks/LL roster includes all-division picks Carter Redding of Exeter, Evan Rittle of Conrad Weiser, Trey Stricker and Dillon Walls of Berks Catholic, Gryffin Cappellano and Tim Fries of Oley Valley, and Noah Rauenzahn of Wyomissing.
Jason McCord of Daniel Boone is the head coach.
The tournament includes teams from Delaware, New Jersey, and Eastern Pennsylvania.
The Berks/LL squad opened with an 8-4, 10-inning win over Delaware North last year before being eliminated 9-0 in the following round by Olympic Colonial.
The tournament, which began in 1986, has included future major leaguers such as Mike Trout, Mike Piazza, and Bobby Higginson.
Here’s a roster breakdown:
| Gryffin Cappellano | C | Soph. | Oley Valley |
| Aidan Curley | 3B/OF | Soph. | Berks Catholic |
| C.J. Fernandez | 2B | Sr. | Wilson |
| Tim Fries | P/OF | Soph. | Oley Valley |
| Ethan Gola | C | Sr. | Ephrata |
| Jake Hafer | OF/1B | Soph. | Exeter |
| Christo Hunsicker | 1B/P | Jr. | Wilson |
| Eli Keller | SS/P | Jr. | Muhlenberg |
| Matt Koehler | 3B | Jr. | Gov. Mifflin |
| Hayden Lee | C | Jr. | Daniel Boone |
| Aaden Lopez | P/OF | Jr. | Muhlenberg |
| Nathan Lord | 3B | Soph. | Twin Valley |
| Anthony Manogue | P | Jr. | Daniel Boone |
| Parker Nein | P | Sr. | Berks Catholic |
| Noah Rauenzahn | P | Soph. | Wyomissing |
| Carter Redding | OF | Jr. | Exeter |
| Evan Rittle | OF | Jr. | Conrad Weiser |
| Kevin Rodriguez | 2B/3B | Sr. | Muhlenberg |
| Maddox Roy | INF | Soph. | Daniel Boone |
| Josh Smeltzer | 1B/P | Sr. | Muhlenberg |
| Trey Stricker | P/SS | Jr. | Berks Catholic |
| Matt VanOstenbridge | P | Sr. | Wilson |
| Dillon Walls | OF | Soph. | Berks Catholic |
| RJ Weaver | P | Soph. | Gov. Mifflin |
| Kooper Zdimal | SS/2B | Jr. | Twin Valley |
