Gilbertsville's Fox not surprised by 8-1 start

By Jack Lapos
Of The Morning Call


When Gilbertsville got off to a highly impressive start in the Tri- County Baseball League this season, winning eight of its first nine games, Coach Ryan Fox said he was not surprised.

"I knew we would have a good team this year," he said the other day. "We added some good players to our roster over the winter."

He mentioned such names as catcher Jeff Miller out of Hamburg High and Kutztown University; shortstop Greg Gilbert, Boyertown High and West Virginia University, and pitcher Chris Ludy, Boyertown and West Chester University.

"All were impressive in our early going this season," the 22-year-old Fox pointed out at the time of this writing.

Actually, this is Fox's first year as a manager. He did play on the Gilbertsville team in 1986 and 1987 while he was attending York College. He's a third baseman.

Among the other starters for the Rangers are second baseman Brian Gilbert (Greg's brother), out of Boyertown and Shippensburg U.; first baseman Scott Gilbert, Boyertown and Kansas State; rightfielder Tommy Troutman, Pottsgrove and Montgomery County Community College; centerfielder Brian Musselman, Boyertown and West Chester U., and leftfielder Jeff Evans, Boyertown and Mansfield University.

The key reserves are catcher Mike Moyer, Boyertown and Kutztown U.; infielder Dave Baradgie, Pottsgrove and Bloomsburg U., and pitcher Pete Kurtz, former Boyertown High sparkler. Among the other pitchers are Lou Chilliot, Piux X of Pottstown and Shippensburg U., and Kevin Mackey, also a Boyertown High alumnus.

"Pitching was very strong for us in those first nine games," the coach said. "Kurtz had a 3-0 record, Chilliot 2-0 and Ludy and Mackey and Troutman both 1-0. They have been finding the plate consistently, throwing strikes, and our defense behind them has been very good." Chilliot and Troutman are left- handers.

After nine games Evans was the team's leading hitter with a .450 and Miller had a .430 average. Evans is the most consistent power hitter.

"We also have good speed," Fox said. "Everyone in our lineup can steal a base. We do run a lot. That's very much a part of our game.

"Boyertown-style baseball," Fox noted.

The Tri-County League shows good balance this year.

"I think the teams to beat in their division are Salisbury, Coplay and the Allentown Angels, " the coach said. "In our division the teams to beat seem to be Upper Perkiomen and Quakertown."

Each team plays a 32-game regular-season schedule stretching from May 19 through July 26. Then come the playoffs, which last until the middle of August.

"It has been quite a few years since we have won the championship but I think we have a good shot this year," Fox said. "Pitching will be the key. If we continue to get the pitching we have been getting, we should be the team to beat in the entire league."

Fox is a native of Barto and played high school and American Legion baseball in Boyertown, both at second and third base. In his four years at York College he played third base and set school records for games played, doubles and fielding percentage. He was an assistant coach at York College for one season.

He has a bachelor of science degree in business management and is thinking about going to graduate school in the fall with an eye on eventually teaching and coaching at the college level. He is living in Barto.



  

From The Morning Call -- July 6, 1989

Copyright © 1989, The Morning Call