Wilson might not get a swing at another district baseball championship
The defending District 3 Class 6A champion Wilson Bulldogs might not have a chance to defend their title.
With just two — or possibly three — games left the Bulldogs (7-8) are sitting at No. 13 in the district power ratings; the top 12 qualify.
| District 3 qualifiers | |
| Class 6A | 12 |
| Class 5A | 16 |
| Class 4A | 10 |
| Class 3A | 6 |
| Class 2A | 6 |
| Class 1A | 4 |
Nine Berks teams are currently in qualifying position for the district tournament, most notably unbeaten Gov. Mifflin, which is No. 1 in 6A. Muhlenberg, in Class 5A, and Hamburg, in Class 4A, are ranked No. 2.
With the Berks League playoffs starting May 12, most Berks teams will be wrapping up their regular season schedules by early next week. The District 3 deadline for games to count in the power ratings is May 18; league playoff games do not count in the ratings.
Wilson has games this week vs. Conrad Weiser (4-12) on Wednesday and at Daniel Boone (9-8) on Friday. It’ll likely need to win both those and hope that No. 12 Central York drops some games down the stretch.
Wilson also has a contingency game scheduled vs. Boyertown May 17; if the Bulldogs qualify for the Berks playoffs it will drop the Boyertown game.
Wilson (.626) entered play Wednesday about 40 points behind Central York (.664). The Bulldogs can pick up some of those points with a pair of wins this week but likely will also need the Panthers to drop a few games.
Central York has four games remaining, and three are against playoff-caliber opponents: Red Lion (11-4), Dallastown (12-3) and Penn Manor (10-6). It also is scheduled to play winless York High.
With weather being an issue, it’s possible not all scheduled games will be played, another complicating factor.
Wilson has won the last two District 3 Class 6A championships. It beat Mifflin 11-0 last year and Hempfield 11-2 in 2019. (There was no season in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic.)
The District 3 Tournament begins May 20, with games in Class 2A, and continues in full force May 23, with games in all six classes.
The higher-seeded team will have home field advantage through the semifinals. Championship games will be played at neutral sites, as yet to be determined. FirstEnergy Stadium, which is being used for the Berks League semifinals and championship, is not available for district championship games. Neither are professional stadiums in Lancaster, York and Harrisburg.
The top four teams in Class 6A earn a first-round bye — more important in baseball than in other sports because of pitching limitation rules. Teams with byes will have their No. 1 pitchers available for quarterfinal games; teams which play in the opening round may not.
Gov. Mifflin (18-0), with just two games remaining, is practically assured of a first-round bye.
The top 16 teams qualify in Class 5A. Muhlenberg (14-2), No. 9 Exeter (11-5) and No. 11 Twin Valley (10-5) are all in strong position to qualify. If the Eagles can move up to No. 8, or higher, they’ll open at home; that’ll be tough, of course, with a game at Mifflin Friday.
In Class 4A, Hamburg (12-4) is batting to hold off No. 3 East Pennsboro and No. 4 Littlestown to secure the second bye; No. 1 West Perry is in strong position to get the first bye. Ten teams qualify in 4A. Wyomissing (8-9), at No. 9, and Fleetwood (5-11), at No. 11, are right on the bubble.
Oley Valley (9-6) and Berks Catholic (11-7) are battling for top spots in Class 3A, where the top six qualify. The Lynx are No. 3 and Saints No. 4 heading into their critical Division III game Wednesday at Oley. Both teams are also battling for second place and a Berks League playoff spot.
The Lynx have reached five straight district title games, with championships in 2021, 2019 and 2016.
Kutztown (10-5) enters play Wednesday at No. 4 in Class 2A, where the top six qualify.