In the past three seasons, under the leadership of head coach Tony Fisher, the Bethel Park Black Hawks have built up an impressive record of 49 wins to only 14 losses. This includes a section championship in 2012 and runner up finishes in 2011 and 2013.
Usually the Hawks sport a very experienced and mature team of upperclassmen, but this year there are more than a few young studs breaking the starting line up on Coach Fisher’s squad.
A couple of the top juniors on the team are Zac Forsyth, who is the starting shortstop and Luke Hahey, who is the starting second baseman. Freshman Colin Loughman is at third base. All of these young men will be throwing runners out to senior first baseman Harry Siwik.
Corey Augenstein is another returning starter but is only a junior for the Hawks. Augenstein received many starts last season and was one of the workhorses in Fisher’s pitching rotation of what was all nasty left handers last season. Be on the lookout for Augenstein to have a very dominant season and be one of Bethel Park’s top pitchers.
Joseph Zufall and Tylar Shoemaker round out the remaining underclassmen, who will be starting for the Hawks this season in centerfield and on the mound respectively.
The Hawks will also have a solid amount of seniors to look to for guidance and experience throughout the season. This includes Connor Nave, who starts at catcher, as well as outfielders Mitch Nordstrom and Luke Jansante. Carmen Jansante swings the big bat as the designated hitter and also Bailey Fertig will look to be a big force on the mound for Coach Fisher.
The Hawks have had a little bit of a rough start to the season, starting 2-2, but will look to pick up their game as they move into section play with their first section game against rival Upper Saint Clair on Friday, Apr. 4.
The Bethel Park squad posted wins over the Thomas Jefferson Jaguars 4-1 and also a 4-3 victory over Hampton High School. The Hampton game included a walk off homerun hit by senior Carmen Jansante.
Their losses were both tough one-run games, one being to Pine Richland and the other being to Fox Chapel.
Coach Fisher’s group of young ball players will look to improve upon their WPIAL quarterfinal finish last season and hopefully gain plenty of valuable experience as they move forward in the season and their high school careers.
Catch your Hawks take on the USC Panthers Friday at Purkey Field in their opening section game. The first pitch will be at about 4 p.m., so bring your friends and come make some noise for your Bethel Park baseball team.
