Wyomissing's Jimmy Nunez excels on the baseball field, in the classroom

May 12—Jimmy Nunez couldn't crack the Wyomissing lineup two years ago as a sophomore because, he admits, he wasn't very good.

Nunez was on the JV team and played mostly in the infield because the Spartans had three catchers ahead of him.

"I really wasn't a big threat," he said. "I really didn't have the fundamentals of hitting down. I didn't really have what I have now."

Jimmy Nunez is tearing up the Berks League these days with a .490 batting average, 11 extra-base hits and 27 RBIs. He's the chief reason why Wyomissing has won the Berks III title, qualified for the league playoffs for the first time since 2006 and clinched its first winning season since 2002.

"I'm not surprised at all," senior Aidan Cirulli said. "I live across the street from him. I've been training and playing with him. I've known exactly what he could do. It's just been a matter of time for him to blow the gates open.

"I know how much this means to him. He's playing confidently. He's never in a slump. He's always thinking positively."

Nunez, a senior, and the Spartans (12-5) open the Berks playoffs Thursday, probably against Muhlenberg (11-6) in the second game of a quarterfinal doubleheader at Owls Field.

Not only does Nunez stand out on the baseball field, he also excels in the classroom. He's on track to be the valedictorian in his class and has been accepted at Johns Hopkins, where he plans to major in pre-med. He hopes to study cardiology and become a cardio-thoracic surgeon.

"Ever since I was young, I've really looked up to people in the medical field," he said. "I've been a pretty good student since elementary school. My parents (Katy and Jimmy Sr.) really pushed me to focus on school."

His teammates sometimes tease him about his academic smarts.

"He gets that from some of the guys who don't try as hard," Cirulli said. "They're probably just jealous. I know I am."

They haven't teased about his play this season for good reason. He has a .567 on-base percentage, an .804 slugging percentage, seven doubles, three triples, one home run and 21 runs scored. He's struck out just three times.

During one week last month, he hit a two-run home run in a win over Conrad Weiser; went 3-for-5 with a triple, double and four RBIs in a victory over Kutztown; was 4-for-4 with a triple and four RBIs in a win over Schuylkill Valley; and was 2-for-3 with two RBIs and two runs scored in a victory over Tulpehocken.

"You could see his potential two years ago," Wyomissing coach Dave Voigt said. "But as a sophomore, he was not quite ready. He was ready last year, but we'll never know how he would have done (because the season was canceled in the midst of the pandemic).

"The fact that he's done as well as he has this season has surprised me a little bit. I knew he was really good, but he's been fantastic."

Nunez is the youngest of four brothers and hails from a baseball-loving family. Ledwin Nunez, 23, pitched at Antietam and Wyomissing and was an all-division selection. He went on to play at Lackawanna (Junior) College and Division I St. Peter's.

Jimmy fell in love with catching when Ledwin began pitching to him.

"I enjoyed it," Jimmy said. "I just like being able to control the game and seeing every aspect of it. It's one of the most stressful positions because you have to do a lot of stuff. I like that stress."

Nunez and the Spartans flew under the radar before the season, even after doing well in the Schuylkill-Berks Independent League last summer.

They opened the season with three losses. Voigt, however, saw something in that third game, a 5-4 loss to Hamburg and right-hander Hunter Shuey.

"I wouldn't say we hit him hard because we didn't, but we hit him," Voigt said. "We battled. We had the go-ahead run on in the sixth inning. We were in a position to beat them. We didn't, but I thought, 'All right, we got it. We're going to be OK.' Then we started winning after that."

Wyomissing reeled off 11 straight victories with Nunez leading the way and put itself within reach of the division title. After losing to Oley Valley and Muhlenberg on Saturday, the Spartans defeated Berks Catholic Monday to seal it.

"Jimmy's led us the whole way," senior Ryan Latourelle said. "He's been the driving force. He's really led us in every single game."

Wyomissing has clinched a spot in the District 3 Class 4A playoffs, its first district berth since 2007. Nunez thinks the Spartans can make a run in the postseason.

"This team is very capable of going far in the playoffs," he said. "If we go out there with a great mentality and play our best, we'll definitely go deep into the playoffs."

This might be the last time Nunez plays organized baseball. Johns Hopkins didn't recruit him, but he would accept a chance to join the team as a walk-on. His teammates are encouraging him to try out.

"Baseball is a major part of my life," he said. "I'd play there. If not, it'll be sad to see it go."

If these are his final organized games, Jimmy Nunez and his teammates want him to make the most of them.

"He's one of the better catchers and players in the county," senior Darren Brunner said. "Batting .500 in high school is crazy. He puts the ball in play every time. We count on him to put up runs for us.

"We really don't take Jimmy for granted. He's a great player, a great leader and a great kid."