Deep Mustangs plug in new part, continue to mash the ball, Berks I foes
Before Gov. Mifflin played its first game this season it lost first baseman Jon Radwinski, a .300 hitter and a regular on its 20-game winner last season, to a knee injury.
A problem for most baseball programs. The Mustangs? They just plugged another promising sophomore into the lineup and haven’t missed a beat.
That soph, Matt Koehler, had a pair of hits and drove in four runs in the Mustangs’ 15-3 romp over defending Berks Conference champ Muhlenberg Monday night at Laureldale.
“We knew that Matt was going to be in the mix for us (this season),” said Mifflin coach Chris Hole. “It probably would not have been so early at first base, (but) we could use him almost anywhere, he’s such an athlete. We have full faith in him and he’s come in and done the job.”
Koehler is part of a deep Class of 2025 that fortified the Mustangs’ run to the Berks I title last season. Bryce Detwiler, Ethan Grim and Travis Jenkins were each starters and key cogs as freshmen; they’re just the front of a deep class that will keep the Mustangs on top for seasons to come.
Koehler, who hit a three-run double to highlight an eight-run second inning Monday, seems unfazed by his chance to get in the starting lineup so early. He’s 6-for-16 and has more walks than strikeouts through the first half-dozen games.
“It really stunk that Jon went down like that,” Koehler said, “but I knew there was a chance to prove myself. They had a great season last year, but I knew there were some guys leaving and there would be a spot (for me).”
Radwinski is close to returning to the field. When he does, Koehler can move to third base, or the outfield, or pretty much anywhere, Hole said. The Mustangs (2-0 Berks I, 5-0) have a lot of multi-positional players and a lot of depth.
Heck, their best player, senior Tyler Minick, a University of Connecticut recruit, didn’t even get a hit Monday and they still 10-runned one of the best teams in the league.
Mifflin has outscored its last three opponents 38-4; before that they edged Hempfield, one of the top teams in the Lancaster-Lebanon League, 3-2. The Black Knights have clobbered their other three opponents by better than nine runs per game.
The Mustangs showed a lot of patience at the plate against Muhlenberg’s top pitchers, Cam Burr and Drew Fidler. They worked walks or put themselves in hitter’s counts, then made the Muhls pay.
“They spiked a few curveballs,” said sophomore infielder Ethan Grim, “then when we got our fastball we teed off on it when we needed to.”
Grim, hitless before Monday, cracked a pair of doubles, including a bases-clearing shot to deep left-center that brought home three runs and put the Mustangs in position for a five-inning win.
The Mustangs collected nine hits and drew 10 walks. They also took advantage of three costly errors that opened the door for eight unearned runs.
“It’s our goal to not just get hits but get guys on base,” said Hole, whose team had a .424 on-base average before seeing 22 guys reach base. “The walks, the errors. That’s how it started, they threw some balls away and we were able to capitalize on that. That’s our goal, always put pressure on them.”
The Mustangs took a 9-0 lead before the Muhls (0-1, 0-2) had a runner reach base.
With last season’s Berks Pitcher of the Year Alexander Velez on the mound the Mustangs pretty much clinched it with that eight-run second. Velez, who improved to 3-0, did give up three second-inning runs as the Muhls scratched out a couple infield hits but he didn’t help them much. He walked just one batter and struck out six over his four innings.
He tended to be wild at times and run up high pitch counts last season but he was all business against the Muhls.
“That was one of the best parts of it, he commanded the zone a lot better than he had to this point,” Hole said. “He had his changeup and curveball working at times, which made his fastball even more effective. He did a great job.
“They have a tough lineup, especially their first three hitters who are back (Burr, Gio Cavanna and Sean Rosenberry). They can swing the bat. And he did a good job, even in that inning when he gave up the three-spot, he kept his head and came back and pitched well through the next inning.”
The Mustangs, who didn’t lose until their 20th game last season, are off to another great start. They returned seven starters and all their pitchers from that team. After a playoff fizzle last year they’re not concerned about piling up regular season wins. Their focus is on being ready when the postseason comes around. They won’t be celebrating until they’re holding aloft a trophy.
“It’s a good win for us,” Grim said. “The first game (back from spring training, an 8-1 loss at Dallastown) was pretty bad and now we’re back on track and doing pretty good right now.
“We could be pretty good (this season), but we haven’t won anything yet. Last year we didn’t do anything in the playoffs, so we’ve just gotta keep grinding.”
| Gov. Mifflin | 1 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 5 | – | 15 | 9 | 0 |
| Muhlenberg | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 3 | 5 | 4 |
| Mustangs (5-1) | AB | R | H | RBI | Muhls (0-2) | AB | R | H | RBI | |
| Minick, ss | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | Burr, p/2b | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| Detwiler, 3b | 5 | 1 | 2 | 2 | Cavanna, rf | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Velez, p | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | Rosenberry, c | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Tobin, cr | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | Wilson, 3b | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | |
| Novotny, p | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Keller, 2b | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Jenkins, cf | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | Patton, ss | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Troche, c | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | Rodriguez, ss | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| Unger, dh | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | Fidler, p | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Lehman, rf | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | Follweiler, cr | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| Sanchez, cr | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | Hatt, lf | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| Grim, 2b | 4 | 0 | 2 | 3 | Kolodziejski, 1b | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| Wunderlich, lf | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | Cipolla, dh | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| Gumby, cf | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||
| Totals | 25 | 15 | 9 | 13 | 20 | 3 | 5 | 2 |
E: Rodriguez 2, Keller, Gumby. 2B: Grim 2, Koehler. SB:Detwiler, Minick; Burr. LOB: Gov. Mifflin 8.
| IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | |||
| Velez, W | 4 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 6 | Burr, L | 1 2/3 | 3 | 7 | 2 | 4 | 1 | |
| Novotny | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | Fidler | 2 1/3 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 2 | |
| Lopez | 1 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 2 | ||||||||
WP: Velez, Novotny. PB: Rosenberry 2. HBP: Velez (by Lopez); Cavanna (by Novotny)
