Top Players to Watch in Berks I baseball
2024 Berks baseball coverage presented by
Utilities Employees Credit Union
Top players to watch in Division I of the Berks Baseball League
(listed in alphabetical order)
Cam Burr, Muhlenberg
Two-time All-Berks pick is a danger at the top of lineup where he batted .346 with a team-best .475 on-base percentage and a league-leading 24 steals.
Burr will be an infielder at Kutztown University but he’ll be a key pitcher for the Muhls after a junior season that saw him strike out 13 over 15 ½ innings, with an 0.91 ERA over five appearances.
The second baseman was charged with just two errors last season, had a .970 fielding percentage and helped turn six double-plays.
Bryce Detwiler, Gov. Mifflin
The junior shortstop and pitcher is following in the footsteps of former teammate Tyler Minick as he committed to play at the University of Connecticut after a banner sophomore season.
The Huskies like him for his bat, which is understandable after he batted .403 with five homers, a .736 slugging percentage and 1.212 OPS in helping the Mustangs to Berks Conference championship.
The All-Berks pick is just as important on the mound, where he’s throwing even harder now than last season when he went a team-best 7-1 with a 2.55 ERA and 30 strikeouts over 35 2/3 innings.
He’ll play shortstop when not on the mound.
Nick Fiorini, Wilson
The senior outfielder hits the baseball the way he hits the hole as a running back for the Bulldogs: Hard.
He had 10 extra-base hits last season with a team-leading .535 slugging percentage and a team-best .935 OPS. He earned all-division honors after driving in a team-his 23 runs in 26 games, batting .310 and reaching base at a .400 clip.
He’s athletic and a good outfielder and could end up in center field.
No matter where he plays he’ll bat near the top of the lineup for a team expected to challenge for the league title.
Ethan Grim, Gov. Mifflin
The right-hander threw hard as a sophomore, when he struck out 63 – third-most in the league – over 43 innings. Now he’s touching the mid 90’s and getting the attention of pro scouts.
Grim went 6-2 with a save in 11 appearances last season, with a sparkling 2.28 ERA and just 24 hits allowed to earn all-division honors.
He’ll play second base when not on the mound. He batted .278 with eight doubles last season.
Christo Hunsicker, Wilson
This may be the best season of the year for the Bulldogs’ three-sport athlete.
He had a terrific sophomore season at the plate and on the mound, earning all-division honors.
Hunsicker, a first baseman, batted .338, second on the team, with nine extra-base hits and a .475 slugging percentage, also second on the team. He scored 17 runs and drove in 14.
On the mound he went 4-0 over nine appearances, with a 1.86 ERA. He allowed just 16 hits over 26 1/3 innings, with 20 strikeouts.
He was charged with only one error in 133 total chances.
(Tim Macrina photo)
Tommy Hunsicker, Wilson
The Bulldogs’ leadoff hitter batted .337, drew a team-leading 17 walks, had a .448 on-base percentage and was among league leaders with 23 runs scored in 29 games.
He also was among league leaders with 11 steals.
The senior and three-year starter was an all-division pick as a third baseman.
The Bulldogs’ record-setting quarterback will likely play that sport in college; he has several offers, including one from Marist.
He was also a starter on Wilson’s Berks Conference championship basketball team.
Travis Jenkins, Gov. Mifflin
The junior is one of the best defensive outfielders in the league and could help the Mustangs on the mound, but he’s so good behind the plate Mifflin coach Chris Hole hates to move him anywhere else.
He will, though, because Jenkins’ bat is so good, and because he’ll want to keep him fresh for what’s expected to be a long season.
Jenkins earned all-division honors last season after batting .419, sixth-highest in the league, drove in a team-leading 23 runs and slugged .516, second-best on the team behind only Tyler Minick.
Jenkins drew 12 walks and compiled a .519 on-base percentage, eighth-best in the league. He also stole eight bases.
Alex Kelsey, Exeter
The Saint Joseph’s University recruit is a game-changer whether he’s at bat, on the bases or in center field where he’ll run down more balls than any outfielder in the league.
After a spectacular junior season which saw him bat .410 with a .566 on-base percentage – third-best in the league — he has placed himself among the best players in program history.
He can turn a leadoff walk into a triple with his flat-out speed – he stole 22 bases last season – or he can blast one out of the park. His .672 slugging average was seventh-best in the league last year. His 1.238 OPS was fourth-highest and tops among underclassmen.
Kelsey commands the strike zone the way an elite leadoff should, with 22 walks in 22 games and just seven strikeouts.
Gavin Miller, Exeter
Any Eagles opponents who thought they were getting a day off when ace Devin Sheerin wasn’t pitching last year thought wrong.
Miller emerged as a second No. 1 for the Eagles, going 3-0 with a save and a 1.73 ERA over 11 appearances. The all-division pick struck out 44 over 36 1/3 innings and held opposing batters to a .211 average.
The sophomore was outstanding in a District 3 Class 5A quarterfinal against defending state champ Warwick, allowing just five hits and a run over 6 2/3 inning. He struck out six before running into the PIAA pitch limit.
(PhilMarPhoto)
Shane Rosenberry, Muhlenberg
Two-time all-division pick is one of the strongest all-around catchers in the league, with his ability to handle pitchers, block pitches and protect the plate.
The Wilmington University recruit was charged with just four errors in 26 games and played a key part in the Muhls finishing fourth in the league in run prevention (4.15 per game) and sixth in ERA (3.02).
Batted .324 as a junior and drove in a team-leading 24 runs, with 11 extra-base hits and a team-best .500 slugging percentage.
Second on team with .442 on-base percentage and tied for third on the team with 10 stolen bases.
Matt Van Ostenbridge, Wilson
The All-Berks lefty was a true ace for the Bulldogs, drawing all the tough assignments and pitching deep into the postseason, where he won three times. Five of his wins and both his saves as a junior came against playoff-qualifiers: Bethlehem Liberty, Exeter, Muhlenberg, Gov. Mifflin, Oley Valley, and Penn Manor and Cumberland Valley in districts.
Overall, the Penn State recruit won six games, posted a league-high 70 1/3 innings and struck out 91, second-most in the league. He walked 19, allowed 51 hits and held opposing batters to a .192 average.
Others to watch
| Dante Casantini | 1B | Sr. | Gov. MIfflin |
| Luke Giering | 2B | Sr. | Exeter |
| Jack Gabel | SS | Soph. | Wilson |
| Jake Hafer | OF/DH | Soph. | Exeter |
| Eli Keller | SS/P | Jr. | Muhlenberg |
| Matt Koehler | 3B | Jr. | Gov. MIfflin |
| Ben Kulp | P | Soph. | Wilson |
| Aaden Lopez | P/CF | Jr. | Muhlenberg |
| Carter Redding | OF | Jr. | Exeter |
| Kevin Rodriguez | INF | Sr. | Muhlenberg |
| Josh Smeltzer | P/1B | Sr. | Muhlenberg |
| Joel Ummarino | 1B | Soph. | Exeter |
| R.J. Weaver | P | Soph. | Gov. Mifflin |
| Brandon Weller | 1B/DH | Fr. | Exeter |
| Bryce Wunderlich | OF | Sr. | Gov. MIfflin |
| Joelian Zapata | P | Sr. | Reading High |
