Bethel Park advanced to the WPIAL Class 5A playoffs with a 12-8 regular-season record and third-place finish in Section 2.
It was a season of mini-streaks for the Black Hawks, who started out 6-0, lost six in a row, then won four consecutive games prior to the WPIAL playoffs.
“I am proud of the consistently excellent work ethic and camaraderie that this team showed all season in spite of a six-game lull that would have exposed any cracks in our team chemistry’s foundation,” coach Pat Zehnder said. “We struggled with consistency in all phases throughout the first 60% of the season and were able to right the ship toward the end.
“Our leaders and seniors did a great job keeping the team together, and the whole team trusted the process and quality of work they were putting in. It is great to see it paying off with them playing their best baseball of the season these last couple weeks, knocking off two 6A opponents and a perennial 5A power from the middle of the state that we have established a relationship with over the past six years.”
Bethel Park hit .311 as a team in the regular season with a .404 on-baseball percentage — led by junior DH/1B Michael Hladio with a .412 batting average.
Hladio was complemented in the lineup by a pair of seniors, OF/P Owen Turoski at .358 and INF/P Mike Bruckner at .316, and a trio of juniors, C/OF Eric Miehl (.313), OF/INF Caden Stokes (.311) and INF/P Chase White at .304.
Bruckner also racked up a .525 slugging percentage, .488 on-base percentage and 17 RBIs.
Other leading contributors included senior UTIL Tyler Stewart, junior OF/INF Brayden Bruckner, sophomore P/OF Ben Thomas and senior P/UTIL Nick Rillo.
“We did have a few players take hold of new roles and have done a great job,” Zehnder said. “Owen Turoski has been a great leader all year but has taken hold of the center field position for the first time as a varsity starter and has been one of our most consistent bats all year long. I was very happy to see him earn first-team all-section in his first and only year as a varsity starter.
“Michael Hladio is also in his first year as a varsity player. He actually began the season as a hybrid player that would split time between JV and varsity depending on what we needed as a team and how he was performing as a player. He has taken hold of the DH/1B spot and has become an important presence in the middle of our batting order. He earned second-team all-section honors as a result.”
Several other first-year varsity players were mentioned as impact players by the Black Hawks’ veteran field boss.
“Caden Stokes in right field and Brayden Bruckner in left field,” Zehnder said. “Chase White has done a great job taking over the ultra-important shortstop position, and Eric Miehl has handled switching from the outfield to catching. Eric is already one of the better defensive catchers in the area to go along with his high-level offensive prowess.
“We have settled into a different lineup structure than I would have anticipated at the beginning of the season, but I feel our current order provides a variety of speed, power and bat-to-ball skills throughout and is one of the deeper lineups we have had when we are on our game.”
The team’s pitching staff was led by left-handed senior Matthew Hughes, Mike Bruckner and junior Jace Rendulic in the starting rotation. Each won twice in the regular season.
“Nick Rillo, (senior) Mason Stewart, Tyler Stewart and Chase White have been great in relief,” Zehnder said.
Tyler Stewart was 3-1 with one save with 24 strikeouts in 20 2/3 innings.
Rillo led in saves with three and posted 21 strikeouts with just one walk in 16 innings.
“I continue to be proud of the culture and camaraderie that our leaders have helped develop,” Zehnder said. “Every group is different, and this one has done a great job taking over for a large senior class.
“They have made their own impact on the way we do things that will last years and help future Hawks know expectations of how to prepare, perform and interact with each other.”
Bethel Park tied for third in section play with Peters Township and Upper St. Clair, all with 6-6 records. Moon, at 9-3, won the section championship, followed by runner-up South Fayette, at 7-5.
The Black Hawks’ third all-section selection this year was Mike Bruckner, who was named to the first team as a utility player.