When the postseason comes around and each game takes on its own massive level of importance, certain teams just know how to rise to the occasion \u2014\u00a0but few have done so better than Bethel Park in recent years.<\/p>\n
In four seasons under 36-year-old coach Pat Zehnder, the Black Hawks have played in three WPIAL Class 5A championship games and won a pair of state titles. But believe it or not, despite all their success over the past half-decade, they are still searching for their first WPIAL title in nearly 40 years.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have a lot of guys back from last year who are hungry and know what it takes, but it\u2019s not getting any easier, that\u2019s for sure,\u201d Zehnder said. \u201cWe absolutely have the team who can do it. \u2026 I believe on paper, talent wise, we\u2019re better than last year. Even with the injuries we have. But then again, I believe [Class] 5A is better and deeper this year. We\u2019ve been in a lot of close games all year.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur section has been such a battle. It feels like we\u2019ve been in the playoffs since the beginning of April at this point.\u201d<\/p>\n
Year in and year out, Bethel Park seems to find a way to play its best baseball in the second half of the season, and history is repeating itself once again in 2025. After an 8-4 start, the team has strung together a seven-game winning streak going into its regular-season finale against Class 6A Section 2 champion Canon-McMillan on Thursday. The Black Hawks clinched the Class 5A Section 2 title outright with a sweep of Chartiers Valley last week.<\/p>\n
So what is the secret to Bethel Park\u2019s tendency to peak at the right time? For Zehnder, it\u2019s all about getting all three phases of the game in sync.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou want to play well all year, but you want to be trending upward as the playoffs start coming around,\u201d Zehnder said. \u201cWe have had really good pitching and defense all year. The offense has been a little bit inconsistent, but we\u2019re increasing our quality of at-bats, seeing more pitches and getting more competitive at-bats. Thankfully, the pitching and defense have been good enough to cover for that [so far].<\/p>\n
\u201cIf we can get all three facets working in the same direction, that will be really good for us.\u201d<\/p>\n
Senior shortstop Ryan Petras is a four-year starter having another terrific campaign for the Black Hawks. A speedy leadoff hitter batting .407 with five doubles and a team-leading 18 stolen bases and 20 runs scored, Petras is the ultimate table setter at the top of Bethel Park\u2019s lineup.<\/p>\n
One of the top two-sport athletes in the area, Petras initially planned on playing both football and baseball in college, but he is now set on focusing on football at Duquesne. Before he hangs up the spikes, though, he\u2019d certainly like another state title to add to the PIAA Class 5A championship he won as a freshman.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s such a sparkplug offensively,\u201d Zehnder said. \u201cHe can hit for power, he can bunt for a hit, he can slap the ball up the middle, he can poke the ball over the second baseman\u2019s head, and he knows when he gets on, he can turn it into a double or triple for us with his speed.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Bethel Park shortstop Ryan Petras, pictured during the 2023 WPIAL Class 5A championship game against Shaler, is a four-year starter batting .407 with five doubles, 18 stolen bases and 20 runs scored as a senior. (Emily Matthews\/Pittsburgh Union Progress)<\/p>\n
Another player having a monster year for the Black Hawks is junior third baseman Mike Bruckner, a 6-foot-4, 220-pound behemoth who is receiving interest from several Power Four schools. So far this spring, Bruckner is slashing .396\/.508\/.667 with 5 doubles, a triple, 2 home runs and a team-high 17 RBIs.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s a big load,\u201d Zehnder said. \u201cHe throws 90 mph. He can hit the ball over 100 mph. He just has so many tools. A couple Division I schools are already recruiting him to pitch and hit. He\u2019s just a good kid.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bruckner\u2019s older cousin, senior center fielder Jack Bruckner, is another two-sport standout hitting .333 with four doubles and 12 RBIs while playing exceptional defense at one of the sport\u2019s premium positions. Senior Noah LeJeune leads the team with a .429 batting average to go with 15 RBIs and 14 runs scored, and the team\u2019s most valuable player might be all-section senior catcher Ethan Stanhoff, batting .407 with four doubles and 11 RBIs.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe know the longer the game goes and the later it gets, it\u2019s to our advantage because of our depth on the mound and positionally,\u201d Zehnder said. \u201cWe play 14 or 15 guys a game, and we have faith in all of them to help us get a win.\u201d<\/p>\n
On the hill, senior right-hander Dylan Schumacher has taken over as the team\u2019s de facto ace in place of injured Virginia Tech recruit Ryan Walsh, who is out for the season while recovering from a blood clot in his shoulder. Schumacher has been stellar in his own right, holding a record of 4-1 with a 1.35 ERA and 32 strikeouts in 31 innings pitched.<\/p>\n
With No. 3 starter Dylan Paul also on the mend with an elbow issue, Owen White is filling in admirably while striking out 28 betters in just 16 innings. And when he isn\u2019t playing third base, Mike Bruckner takes the mound out of the bullpen in high-leverage situations, holding a minuscule 0.47 ERA with 23 strikeouts to eight walks in 15 innings of work.<\/p>\n
\u201c[Bruckner] is probably one of the best players in the area, offensively and on the mound,\u201d Zehnder said. \u201cHe\u2019s our closer, but also can start and give us quality innings. He\u2019s one of our best pitchers, but we like to use him a little bit differently.\u201d<\/p>\n
Overall, the Black Hawks have all the makings of a team built for another deep postseason run. Of course, there are no guarantees in the loaded Class 5A playoff bracket, but you can bet Zehnder will have his club ready for anything that comes its way \u2014\u00a0and that might even include some more hardware for the school trophy case.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re battle-tested, we\u2019re experienced, we\u2019re talented, and I think we\u2019re flying a little bit under the radar this year, which I don\u2019t mind,\u201d Zehnder said. \u201cI know a couple of them have the home screen on their phone saved as the scoreboard from last year [a 4-3 defeat against Penn-Trafford in the WPIAL title game]. It\u2019s been the driving force behind their work ethic.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have a lot of work to do to get there, but it\u2019s absolutely a goal that\u2019s attainable.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/250506emBurgettstownvFortCherryBaseball019.jpg\")
Burgettstown players celebrate after Brian Charles, second from left, hit a grand slam in the third inning of a 12-11 win against Fort Cherry on Tuesday, May 6, 2025, at Fort Cherry High School. (Emily Matthews\/Pittsburgh Union Progress)<\/p>\n
Burgettstown outslugs Fort Cherry to secure section title<\/p>\n
In the first matchup of a massive two-game slate for the Class 2A Section 1 crown, Burgettstown built an early eight-run lead on the road, then held off a furious Fort Cherry rally en route to an action-packed 12-11 triumph.<\/p>\n
Senior outfielder Brian Charles belted a grand slam to give the Blue Devils an 11-3 lead in the third inning, but that was barely enough cushion to hang on with sophomore slugger Colton Temple and the Rangers chipping away at the deficit. On his way to a potential triple crown, Temple blasted a pair of home runs and finished with four RBIs, raising his totals to a WPIAL-leading 10 homers and 36 RBIs on the season. Temple is also tops in the WPIAL with a .667 batting average.<\/p>\n
Another one of the top underclassmen in the area, all-section sophomore Ryan Huey doubled and drove in three runs for Fort Cherry (12-5, 9-2), but it wasn\u2019t quite enough to pull off the comeback. The teams will rematch on Thursday at 4:30 p.m. at Burgettstown (12-2, 10-1), where the Rangers will attempt to salvage a split of both the season series and the section title.<\/p>\n
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Fort Cherry\u2019s Ryan Huey is an all-section sophomore having another big year for the Rangers at the plate and on the mound. (Emily Matthews\/Pittsburgh Union Progress)<\/p>\n
Plum making compelling case for top seed in Class 5A<\/p>\n
In terms of the depth of quality teams, Class 5A is typically viewed as the strongest classification in the WPIAL, and this year is no different. Class 5A Section 1 has a solid argument for the most loaded section of all, with Franklin Regional (10-7, 6-6) sitting in fourth place, Latrobe (14-6, 8-4) in third place and reigning WPIAL champion Penn-Trafford (14-5, 10-2) in second place.<\/p>\n
Still, Plum has navigated the gauntlet of an absolutely brutal schedule with relative ease on its way to securing the Class 5A Section 1 crown. The Mustangs (17-2, 11-1) have won 10 games in a row, with their only losses coming via 7-6 defeat against defending WPIAL Class 6A champion North Allegheny on April 3, and a 5-2 loss against aforementioned defending WPIAL Class 5A champ Penn-Trafford on April 9.<\/p>\n
Having split the season series with the Warriors, Plum went unbeaten through the rest of its section schedule, putting the finishing touches on its section title with back-to-back shutout victories against Latrobe by identical 3-0 scores on Monday and Tuesday. The Mustangs have also proven they know how to win shootouts, too, owning a 14-6 win against Armstrong on March 25, a 17-13 win over Kiski Area on April 22 and a 12-5 win against Franklin Regional on April 28.<\/p>\n
Several players have stepped up in recent games at the plate for Plum, with Jake Dombkowski, Ryan Lafferty and Max Vollmer each batting well above .400 on the season. Junior right-hander Braden Kemmerer headlines the Mustangs\u2019 pitching staff with a 5-0 record, 1.88 ERA and 31 strikeouts to nine walks in 41 innings. Kemmerer tossed a three-hit shutout against the Wildcats on Monday, while senior righty Michael Tedrick followed with a one-hit shutout on Tuesday to clinch the section crown outright.<\/p>\n
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