Player of the Year Bryce Detwiler highlights All-Berks baseball team
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The comparisons between Bryce Detwiler and former teammate Tyler Minick are inevitable.
Power-hitting, hard-throwing shortstop/pitchers for Gov. Mifflin, each of whom earned a scholarship to play baseball at the University of Connecticut.
Now there’s one more: Player of the Year.
Detwiler, a junior who has battered Berks pitching all season with six homers and a 1.031 slugging percentage, has been named Berks’ top player by the league’s coaches.
| All-Berks | |
| Cam Burr | Muhlenberg |
| Roman Cieless | Twin Valley |
| Bryce Detwiler | Gov. Mifflin |
| Nick Fiorini | Wilson |
| Ethan Grim | Gov. Mifflin |
| Travis Jenkins | Gov. Mifflin |
| Ryker Jones | Wyomissing |
| Alex Kelsey | Exeter |
| Parker Nein | Berks Catholic |
| Matt VanOstenbridge | Wilson |
| Paul Petersen | Oley Valley |
Minick, now playing for the Huskies, earned the first of his two Player of the Year awards as a junior in 2021.
Detwiler is one of five repeat selectins, along with Exeter’s Alex Kelsey, Muhlenberg’s Cam Burr, Oley Valley’s Paul Petersen, and Wilson’s Matt VanOstenbridge.
Burr is a three-time pick.
The 11-player team includes three juniors, each from Gov. Mifflin: Ethan Grim, Travis Jenkins and Detwiler.
The other senior selections: Berks Catholic’s Parker Nein, Twin Valley’s Roman Cieless, Wilson’s Nick Fiorini and Wyomissing’s Ryker Jones.
Wilson’s Bill Underwood, who guided the Bulldogs to three head-to-head wins over Gov. Mifflin, the last in the Berks championship game, is Coach of the Year for the first time.
Detwiler is putting up even bigger numbers than Minick. He has scored a staggering 39 runs and driven in 27 in just 21 games. He’s batting a team-leading .492 and has more extra-base hits (19) than singles (12). He has stolen 23 bases without being thrown out.
He’s been strong on the mound, too, going 6-2 with a save in 11 appearances. He has struck out 49 over 40 innings and pitched to a 1.57 ERA.
Burr, one of the league’s best leadoff batters as a junior, emerged as one of its most powerful pitchers this season. He has 59 strikeouts over 36 2/3 innings with a 4-2 record and 0.95 ERA. At the plate he leads the Muhls in batting average (.353), on-base percentage (.527) and slugging percentage (.509). He also leads the team with 20 stolen bases and 17 runs scored.
Cieless has been a catalyst for the Berks II champion Raiders, with a team-leading .444 batting average and team-high 22 runs scored. He also leads the team with seven doubles. The outfielder has posted a .500 on-base percentage and a 1.083 OPS.
Fiorini, a center fielder, has been a run-producing machine from his cleanup spot. He’s batting a team-best .444 and driven in 28 runs in 22 games. He has a .518 on-base percentage, a team-best .694 slugging percentage and a 1.212 OPS. He was an all-division pick as a junior.
Grim, an all-division pick as a sophomore mostly because of his pitching, has been a two-way threat. He’s batting .442 with 25 RBIs. On the mound he’s gone 5-2 with a save in 10 appearances. He has 69 strikeouts over 47 1/3 innings with a 2.37 ERA. Eleven of the 16 runs he’s allowed have come in two starts against Wilson; otherwise he has an 0.94 ERA.
Jenkins, a catcher, has been a bedrock behind the plate and a stalwart with the bat. He’s batting .387 with 23 RBI and 20 runs scored. He hit his third homer in a Berks quarterfinal against Kutztown. He was an all-division pick as a sophomore.
Jones, a Princeton football recruit, had a huge comeback after missing all of last season with a knee injury. He crushed the ball, with 15 extra-base hits, four homers and a monstrous .841 slugging percentage. He also led the team with 25 runs scored and 24 RBIs. In five pitching appearances he led the team with a 3-1 record and posted a 3.23 ERA.
Kelsey, a swift centerfielder and leadoff man, stressed opposing teams with his bat and baserunning. He batted a team-best .527 with a .649 on-base percentage and .781 slugging percentage. The St. Joseph’s University recruit also walked 19 times, with just three strikeouts, and was successful on 24-of-25 stolen base attempts.
Nein, one of the league’s top pitchers last year, emerged as one of its best hitters, as well. He leads the Berks III champs in batting (.410) and nearly doubled his slugging percentage to .475. He leads the team with 20 RBIs. On the mound the right-hander is a team-best 6-1 with a 2.04 ERA and 46 strikeouts over 37 2/3 innings. He was an all-division pick as a junior.
Petersen, a shortstop and pitcher, has been one of the league’s best two-way performers. He leads the Lynx in every batting category: Batting average (.534), on-base percentage (.616), slugging percentage (.741), OPS (.1,357), RBIs (21), runs scored (17) and doubles (10). The right-hander has gone 4-2 with a save in eight appearances. He has allowed 23 hits in 33 innings and pitched to a 1.70 ERA.
VanOstenbridge, a Penn State recruit, is 4-1 with a save in nine appearances. He has struck out 57 over 40 2/3 innings, allowing just 21 hits. He has a staff-leading 1.03 ERA. He earned a win in the Berks title game and a save in a semifinal win over Twin Valley.
